Review of the 2005 Nevis Bluff 2005 Pinot Noir
by: Haydn S. Adams | Beyond Napa Valley Wine Blog

Retail Price: $22.00
Appellation: Central Otago, New Zealand
Where you can buy this wine: Station Imports
ALC: 13%
Haydn gives this wine: 89 pts

New Zealand’s Central Otago wine region is the up and coming destination for all things Pinot Noir. It comes as no surprise as this well made beauty can be found. Balanced, smooth with soft hints of spice, bing cherry, a little plum and just a tad smoky.

The appearance of this Pinot is bit light. The rim is still nice and clear, but the color is starting to wane. Compared with the 2006 Pinot Noir from Nevis Bluff, this wine is starting to show it’s age (but only in color I remind you). While the color might appear a bit light, the aromas and tastes are mighty strong.

Right away on the nose, you can pick up a pleasant amount of cherries with just a pinch of smoke and spice, further giving indication of it’s age. The aromas are harmonious. This is one of the smoothest noses on a Pinot I’ve had in a while.

On the palate, you are presented with a bit more cherries. Yet, they also pick up along their way a bit of asian spice and smoke. They are not that powerful, leaving you with more fruit that smoke. No tannins whatsoever. Simply gorgous on the mid-palate. The finish drifts off nicely, albiet a tad quick. This was the reason why it didn’t break the 90 point mark. It just seemed to fall soon after sipping this wine.

However, aside from the short length, this wine is ready for drinking now. You can cellar this one, but given the years already with screw-top, there is no real reason for cellaring it for too long. Simply gorgeous. Kudos to the wine maker. A beautiful wine from start to finish.

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Haydn S. Adams is a wine author and reviews wines for wineries all over the world. He currently writes for vinvillage.com along with his own wine review site at www.beyondnapavalley.com/blog/.

Pinots are some of the most complex wines out there. While they do have standard characteristics, there is almost always secondary levels of complexity in them. It’s as if Pinots beg to be scrutinized. The Laetitia Pinot Noir Reserve is no different. 

The color on this Pinot is beautiful. The fringe (the lip around the liquid) is clear and the wine displays a boisterous red, almost exclaiming, “I’m good” quality with the color.

The nose on had a few layers of complexity. Standing out in the spotlight was the classic bing cherry, a classic and stereotypical piece to a pinot. But it didn’t stop there. This wine goes a bit deeper in the fruit tray by displaying subtle hints of not-ripe plums. You can smell them sitting on the tree still displaying a sweetness to them. In addition, you also get a black berry resting ever so slightly. It took me at least a few whiffs to get it out. 

The word that accurately describes the feel of this wine on the attack and mid-palate is silky, tart and a tad leathery (ok, so that was more than 1 word). It’s as if I literally had a silky tongue and the wine glided right by, though making sure to drop it’s calling card to each of my taste buds. Very very subtle tannins that should dissipate in a matter of months. The black berries come out bit stronger on the taste, almost sitting 50/50 with the cherries. A scrumptious Pinot with loads of fruit on the palate. The finish is equally beautiful, trailing off after a minute or two longer to linger around. 

Overall this wine is divine. There are no jolts, buzzes or attacks to my senses whatsoever. A big thumbs up to the winemaker for finding the proper length to age these grapes in the barrel. 

As I mentioned before, I’d recommend letting this rest for another year to fully let the tannins go to sleep. 

Price: $40

Where you can get this wine: shop.laetitia.com/