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Tasting notes
Pale ruby in color with a hint of purple, the 2014 Kiwa Pinot Noir has a subdued nose of youthful black raspberries and Bing cherries with charcoal, cinnamon stick, dusty earth and dried herb hints. Light-bodied and with plenty of delicate earth-laced layers in the mouth, it has chewy tannins and good length.
Critic scores
Average Score
Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
From Cleland vineyard (planted by Martinborough Vineyards for the Cleland family) with 27-year-old vines on the deep alluvial gravels of the Martinborough Terraces and a mix of clones UCD 5, 6, and 13. Half will have to be replanted because of leafroll on UCD clones 6 and 13. Hand harvested, fermented with ambient yeast. Total maceration time 21 days with hand-plunging in open-top wooden fermenters. Aged in French oak for 18 months, 30% new. TA 5.5 g/l, pH 3.54. Here the fruit seems brighter, redder, more cranberry in its lifted aroma. Chewy and dry and so textural, with a savoury elegance like many layers of fine paper. So cool even in a warmer vintage. Succulent and long and chewy for now. Needs time. Lots of energy and life. (JH)
(13% alcohol; the Pahi and Te Rehua bottlings are listed at 13.5%; from 25-year-old vines and a blend of UC/Davis clones): Bright, dark red. Aromatic scents of anise, red licorice, black pepper and herbs on the nose; more salty than fruity. Suave and juicy in the mouth, with enough raspberry fruit to support the pepper and herb elements. This silky wine conveys a very sexy soil-driven character and complicating salinity. No easy sweetness here but the finish shows excellent length and lift. The tightest of these three single-vineyard Pinots, finishing with a firm tannic spine. This should evolve gracefully in bottle and may ultimately merit an even higher score.
About the producer
Based in Martinborough, Escarpment is one of New Zealand’s leading producers of Pinot Noir. The estate’s top cuvée Kupe is widely regarded as a benchmark example of the region’s potential for producing world-class Pinot Noir.