There’s a “Day” for dozens of grape varieties and many wine regions as well. But New Zealand now celebrates an entire wine week, and well it should. There’s much to celebrate and a lot to learn. Today, I’ve got notes for you on four newly released New Zealand Pinot Noir which I received as samples for last week’s Week.

All four wines were very good. Because they are new releases, availability in the U.S. may be limited right now, but they are well worth keeping an eye out for.

The following New Zealand Pinot Noir are listed in the tasting order the New Zealand Winegrowers suggested.

2019 Loveblock Pinot Noir Central Otago, NZ 91 13.5% 750ml $30

The Loveblock Vineyard in Central Otago

The bright, ruby-hued Loveblock Pinot Noir offers aromas of tangy red fruit and dark flowers with hints of chamomile and tree bark. Its flavors are lengthy and darker: black raspberry, blood orange, potting soil, and tea. The wine is medium-bodied in the mouth with fine texture that’s slippery in front and just a bit drying in back. All this is framed by buoyant acidity which also promises attractive aging.

Fine-boned and zesty, this is a very fine, dinner-table Pinot Noir. I’d love it with salmon, roast chicken, or ratatouille. Only 50% of this wine aged in oak and the wine is “vegan friendly.” Drink now through 2028.

Loveblock is the family winery of Erica and Kim Crawford. (Yes, that Kim Crawford. He sold his eponymous brand some years ago.) This wine comes from the sustainably and organically farmed Loveblock estate vineyard in Central Otago.

2018 Mt. Beautiful Pinot Noir North Canterbury, NZ 92 13.5% 750ml $30

Color is medium-intensity ruby with garnet highlights at the rim. Aromas of lightly poached red cherry, baking spice, and caramel waft gently from the glass. The flavors are quite long and include tangy boysenberry, potting soil, and black tea. Body is medium and the acidity, velvety tannins, and fruit intensity are very well balanced with each other.

This is a harmonious, red-fruited Pinot Noir which shows measured oak influence for added complexity. Try it with moderately light proteins such as chicken, quail, pork loin, or salmon that are roasted rather than grilled. Drink it through 2029.

Mt. Beautiful planted its vines from 2003 through 2005. it’s a large property with 23 different soil types, several micro-climates, and ten clones of Pinot Noir that guarantee complexity in the wine. Mountains protect the site in general from the coldest winds. That puts ripening potential in the mid-range for the region. Both vineyard and winery are certified sustainable.

2017 Pegasus Bay Pinot Noir North Canterbury, NZ 94 13.5% 750ml $50

New Zealand Wine Regions

Vibrant ruby-purple color leads into a very floral nose with purple fruit and exotic spice. Body is medium-plus. The plush, invitiing texture develops some grip on the finish. Flavors are very long and feature a strong core of purple fruit swaddled in dark flowers, exotic spice, earth, and an appetizing dose of medicinal herb.

Compelling Pinot Noir with an absolutely gorgeous nose. This wine is drinking very well right now, but will age at least another five years or so. Enjoy it with braised duck.

This wine comes from the Waipara Valley, within the larger North Canterbury region. Like Central Otago, this area is on the South Island. But Waipara Valley is much further north than Otago and also close to the island’s eastern coast. That places the vineyard well away from the stormy west coast. And like most regions on the South Island, the zone is also shielded from that weather by the Southern Alps. The Pegasus Bay vineyard growing season is long, with warmish days but very cool nights. Its Pinot vines are more than 30-years old and their yields are low. 

2018  Quartz Reef Pinot Noir Central Otago, NZ 92+ 14.0% 750ml $50

The 2018 Quartz Reef Pinot Noir presents with rich, ruby-garnet color and a nose that melds wild cherry, dried rose petal, Darjeeling tea, and earth. Body is on the generous side of medium, as are the velvety, persistent tannins. Flavor intensity and length impress. Look for blacker fruit than the nose—plum and black cherry—along with earth and dark spice.

Great presence and very well put-together Pinot Noir with more structure from tannin than acidity. It’ll be splendid with duck, but will hold up to butter-poached filet mignon. Enjoy it through 2029.

The winery’s vineyard sits on the largest quartz strata in New Zealand, hence the name Quartz Reef. Vineyard planting begin in 1998. Quartz Reef began a conversion to biodynamic viticulture in 2007 and achieved certification in 2011. Winemaker, Rudi Bauer, has twice been named New Zealand Winemaker of the Year.

Summary

Though each shows a distinctive personality, these four New Zealand Pinot Noir are excellent representations of the general vibe of that variety on the South Island. My next article will look at new Sauvignon Blanc releases from New Zealand.

You may also enjoy these articles I’ve written about New Zealand wine.

11 Things Wine Lovers Should Know about New Zealand

13 More Fascinating Facts about New Zealand

Pairing New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc with Mexican Food

Copyright Fred Swan 2021. Loveblock Vineyard photograph courtesy of Loveblock. All other images courtesy of New Zealand Winegrowers. All rights reserved.

About the author: Fred Swan is an Oakland-based writer, educator, and event sommelier. He’s written on wine, spirits, food and more for GuildSomm.com, Daily.SevenFifty.com, The Tasting Panel, SOMM Journal, PlanetGrape.com, Cider Craft, and more. Fred teaches a wide range of classes at the San Francisco Wine School. He’s founder/producer of Wine Writers’ Educational Tours, an annual, educational conference for professional wine writers. He also leads seminars, virtual tastings,  private wine tours, and conducts tastings, dinners, and events for wineries, companies, and private parties. Fred’s certifications include WSET Diploma, Certified Sommelier, California Wine Appellation Specialist, Certified Specialist of Wine, French Wine Scholar, Italian Wine Professional, Napa Valley Wine Educator, Northwest Wine Appellation Specialist, and Level 3 WSET Educator. He’s three times been awarded a fellowship by the Symposium for Professional Wine Writers.