- 100% Pinot Noir
- Block 5 is located on a gentle north facing slope in the Elms vineyard, which was planted in 1993
- Varying soil types heading up the slope with heavy loess and silt at the bottom, followed by clay lakebed deposits, and angular schist gravels
- The nature of being a gravity flow winery allows grapes to be gently destemmed without pumping
- Long pre-fermentation soak of 9 days prior to fermentation
- 20% whole cluster
- Native yeast fermentation
- Punched down by hand up to 2 times per day with a total time on skins of 23 days
- Aged for 16 months in French oak (30% new) with 2 rackings
- No fining or filtering
Info
Producer:
Vintage:
2021
Country:
New Zealand
Region:
Central Otago
Appellation:
Central Otago
Variety:
Pinot Noir
Color:
Red
Sizes Available
| Full Bottle | NZ-FRW-22-21 | 6/750ml |
Resources
Press & Reviews
Decanter
Score
97
Date
2023-01-05
"Crushed berry, Ceylon tea leaves and white pepper make for a brooding and alluring nose. The palate takes up this aromatic theme, enabled by a very fine, clear streak of bright acidity. A frame of graceful, firm tannin lends structure to this elegant wine. Really poised, long and aromatic. Matured in just 25% of new French oak for 16 months."
James Suckling
Score
97
Date
2022-11-02
"The brightness and clarity of fruit is something else with hibiscus, ripe strawberries, raspberries, and slate follow through to a full body, with a tight and structured intensity at the finish. Solid tannins give it a tightness at the end. Needs four or five years to open."
Jancis Robinson
Score
17.5
Date
2022-12-23
"North-facing silt in the Elms vineyard.Simpler, more direct nose than the Calvert. Then very sweet and round and jewelly. Masses of sweet pleasure. Already broachable but underlying acidity and fine tannin suggests ageability. 14%Drink 2022 † 2034"
Vinous
Score
97
Date
2023-04-27
"The 2021 Pinot Noir Block 5 oozes class with its coating of rich fruit that sways its way across the palate. It's not a robust style, but there's masses of fine Pinot tannins that quietly melt around your cheeks. It's rather easy to like in youth, which is surprising. It doesn't even seem to need to take a breath and relax. And yet, it's all here for the long term with its great length, quiet structure and complex fragrances that fill the mouth."
Wine Advocate
Score
94+
Date
2023-12-14
"The 2021 Block 5 Pinot Noir is full throttle and energetic, but it speaks also in a restrained, measured way. The wine shows a cavalcade of red fruits on the capacious mid-palate, and it spools through the long finish. Like casting a fishing rod into a still lake, the wine has an audible ffff-ssssssss through the finish. There remains an overhang of flavor on the mid-palate that conveys sweet roasted meats and exotic spices. The acidity here, as in all of the 2021s, feels alive and cooling. It is a wonderful thing. 14% alcohol, sealed under screw cap."
Wine Spectator
Score
95
Date
2023-08-16
"Packs a bunch of power and precision on a delicate frame, with notes of fresh rose petals, lavender and cinnamon mingling with cherry compote, raspberry and cranberry. Reveals additional details of sandalwood, Earl Grey tea and forest floor that linger effortlessly on the finish. Drink now through 2034. ‡M.W."