This column is my first to appear on Substack.
Flying in and out of Queenstown are equally dramatic but, somehow, the flight in is always better. Filled with the anticipation of breathing in those jawdropping views for days while admiring the majesty of the arid landscape. The trip home was made easier two weeks ago when four Pinot Noir focused days in Central were followed by the arrival of several wines from the region, all awaiting review when I returned home. Wine always makes more sense when tasted with the landscape it comes from in mind.
The Valli brand was founded by Grant Taylor in 1998. His aim has always been to highlight the differences, subtle and stark, between Central Otago's innumerable sub regions; all those different aspects on hillsides and flatter sites, the fascinating range of soil types and the differences between cool climates and extremely cold climates are the story of what great Pinot Noir is all about. The Valli wines that Grant and fellow winemaker Jen Parr now make live up to the idea to show exceptional regional and sub regional differences every year.
So, with those thoughts in mind, here are the four new releases from Valli Wine. Exploring their differences is always fascinating because they all come from the same larger region; Central Otago. They are made the same way by the same people and at the same time. The main difference is that most important of all winemaking decisions - when to pick the grapes. In this case, each wine has to be made from grapes that are picked at different times because they ripen at different stages in each of the different areas of Central Otago in which they grow. Central is the last southern outpost of a wine region on Earth, an edgy environment with great extremes of temperature every year but these wines all adhere to the dream of giving the wine lover a sense of place in each sip.
All four of these wines are keepers. Which ones you prefer all depends on what style of Pinot Noir gets your tastebuds going.
Winemaker's comment on Central Otago vintage 2023
Jen Parr describes the 2023 vintage as dry and leaning to warmer temperatures but says that she finds the wines to be "classic with incredible structure and fragrance, suggesting they will cellar very well."
Here are my reviews of Valli's new 2023 Pinot Noir release
18.5/20
2023 Valli Pisa Pinot Noir RRP $85
This is the newest addition to the range of Valli Pinot Noirs and comes from a high altitude vineyard in Pisa, which the Valli winemaking team started farming in 2021. They bottled their first Pisa Pinot in 2022, making this the second vintage. It's a smoky, fruit forward and robust style with a medium+ body and impressive, structured framework of bright acidity and firm smooth tannins. This impressive Pinot Noir will come into its own over the next six to seven years, unfolding more layers of savoury flavour and deeper richness.
19/20
2023 Valli Gibbston Pinot Noir RRP $85
Gibbston Valley is where it all began for Grant Taylor in Central Otago, who first worked at Gibbston Valley Wines until he founded Valli in 1998. The rest is history. Today, he and his winemaking team, including Jen Parr, produce a range of single region wines each year. They are all individualistic and all high quality but Gibbston is routinely my favourite. It has an earthy aroma and an edgy flavour profile with a purity of fresh acidity that lends each mouthful a lingering, lush and long finish. This outstanding Valli Gibbston Pinot drinks superbly now and has a long life ahead.
19/20
2023 Valli Bannockburn Pinot Noir RRP $85
Bold Bannockburn Pinot Noir with a weighty mid palate with pure fresh red and dark fruit flavours, layered with subtle nuances of earthiness and spice. Balanced beautiful acidity brings depth to the smoky aromas and complex flavours. This wine drinks beautifully now and will evolve into an even more layered, silky and impressive Pinot Noir with a broad range of flavour, fruit and savoury, over the next decade.
17.5/20
2023 Valli Bendigo Pinot Noir RRP $85
Bendigo is one of the warmest, driest areas in Central Otago and home to the grapes that go into this firm, full bodied Pinot Noir, which has a broader mouthfeel and bolder dark cherry flavours than its fellow Valli Pinot Noirs this vintage. The altitude of the vines on which the grapes in this wine are grown bring freshness and a touch of balancing acidity to this powerful fleshy Pinot. It drinks well now and will further evolve over the next five to six years+, in good cellaring conditions.
There was not Valli Waitaki Pinot Noir made in 2023.
