2016 Kusuda Pinot Noir
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Tasting notes
Picked by hand over an extended period 19 March to 7 April with rigorous selection at 21–23 Brix. TA 4.8 g/l, pH 3.70. 90% destemmed, cold soaked for 4 to 7 days. Fermented in open stainless-steel vats with pumping-over and hand-plunging over a total maceration period of 17 to 27 days. Aged in French (26% new) oak barriques for 15 months. Unfined and bottled with coarse filtration on 25 August 2017. Bottles produced: 5,319. Pale ruby with a transparent rim. Rich nose and rewarding undertow with real delicacy. Very fresh. Very delicate. Not a copy of any red burgundy and much more ethereal than most Martinborough Pinots. Sui generis . Very appetising. Health juice. Like all these Kusuda Pinots this is very persistent. (JR)
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Average Score
Tim Jackson MW, jancisrobinson.com
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
Very pale garnet. Bright and floral strawberry and raspberry. Subtle cinnamon oak. Integrated and attractive. Some flint mineral, delicate strawberry, crisp acidity and floral tones. Quite firm tannins need a couple of years. Long and elegant. (TJ)
Earthy and savory on the nose, Kusuda's 2016 Pinot Noir reveals scents of beetroot and sous-bois alongside hints of cherries and cranberries. On the palate, it shows the seamless combination of intensity and weightlessness that is the hallmark of Kusuda's wines, with supple tannins that seem to almost disappear on the lingering finish. Delicate, perfumed and stylish, it's already delicious and should only improve for the next 5-6 years.