2013 Valli “Bendigo” Gibbston Central Otago New Zealand Pinot Noir

14.0% alc., pH 3.37, TA 0.79, 440 cases, $44.99, screwcap. Grant Taylor has been making wines in the region since 1993 and has crafted wines for many iconic Central Otago wineries as well as his own label. Valli was established in 1998 and named after his great-great grandfather, Giuseppe Valli, who immigrated to New Zealand. This wine is a single vineyard bottling from Bendigo. Harvest Brix 25.3º. Clone 777 planted in 2000. 33% whole cluster, 22 days on skins, aged 11 months in French oak barrels, 34% new. · Dark reddish purple color in the glass. The perfume of blackberry, cassis and spice draws you into the glass. On the palate, the fruit intensity is remarkable, featuring a sensory onslaught of violet and black fruit and peppery spice flavors. The bodacious fruit sap is matched to daunting tannins which surface with an astringent charge on the finish. This wine will benefit from several years in the cellar to ameliorate the tannins, and can certainly last well into a second decade. Score: 94. Reviewed February 5, 2016

Winery: Valli Wines
From article: Revisiting New Zealand Pinot Noir on the Occasion of Spectacular 2013 Vintage