The evocatively named Folding Hill wines put forward a convincing case for the beauties of Bendigo, one of the many complex, sub regional wine growing areas in the majestic Central Otago region.
This latest trio of wines from Tim and Nicola Kerruish are all outstanding examples of great winemaking and a grape growing climate that is, relatively speaking, in its infancy – at just a few decades old – and showing great promise.
17.5/20
2023 Folding Hill Bendigo Chardonnay RRP $38
Folding Hill’s Bendigo Chardonnay highlights the focussed purity of cool climate Chardonnay from a wine region that can legitimately claim to be on the edge – Central Otago. Home to the Bendigo winegrowing region, this is a place where warm dry days, cool crisp nights and a dry growing season all contribute to the citrusy drive that characterises this excellent Chardonnay. Its creamy notes are well managed in a medium bodied wine that combines the depth and deliciousness of ripe stone fruit aromas with notes of citrus, oatmeal and a hint of cedar. This is a well balanced Chardonnay from the world’s southernmost wine region.
18.5/20
2022 Folding Hill Bendigo Pinot Noir RRP $48
Folding Hill Pinot Noir has always had a place in my heart for the sheer weight of the Pinot Noirs from this warm, dry, southern site in Central Otago. This Pinot Noir is entirely estate-grown and all the better for being made from a single site, in which its ripe spicy aromas combine with red fruit scents of cherries, raspberries and crisp acidity, which brings freshness to the wine. It drinks very well now and can age further, evolving into an even more interesting wine over the next five to six years, potentially longer.
18.5/20
2022 Folding Hill Bendigo Orchard Block Pinot Noir RRP $70
The Orchard Block is a small portion of the Folding Hill estate in Bendigo, Central Otago, which is owned by Tim and Nicola Kerruish. The 2022 Orchard Block Pinot Noir is plush, lightly spiced and fruit forward in taste; an exceptional Pinot Noir, with youth and a velvety texture on its side and with the potential to develop further over the next seven to eight years. This wine drinks well now and is best when decanted, which allows the wine to come to room temperature and display its fruitiest, most complex aromas.
