Quartz Reef Pinot Noir 2004 Thursday, Mar 30 2006
Tasting Notes and New Zealand and Central Otago and Variety and Red and pinot noir
The 2004 vintage was a very difficult vintage in Central Otago, with frosts at both ends of the growing season. I approached this wine with some trepidation and was greeted by red cherries and plums, wood smoke, slightly underripe rhubarb, some leafy underbrush, earth, and something elusive, like green twigs. A wine to contemplate, so I did…
The palate is lightly bodied, lithe, with elegant light red cherries and raspberries, a charriness; what it lacks in weight it makes up for with charm. The acid is bit spiky and aggressive on opening, so slap it in the decanter for a couple of hours, or leave it for a wee kip – one year should do. Finishes with sap and some pippy greenness. A very good result. I must admit that rating this wine was very difficult, and its score oscillated over the 4 or 5 hours it took to consume the bottle, and in a strange way I actually liked it for some of its faults.
Rated : 88 Points
Tasted : Mar06
Alcohol : 14.5%
Price : $55
Closure : Screwcap
Drink : 2007 - 2010
Source : The Wine Room at Fridays
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