Central Otago is regarded as the best for NZ Pinot Noir. Ripe bouquet of satsumas, plum & meat. Firm soft tannins.

Giant Steps is a complex Pinot Noir with terrific varietal character. The nose shows rose petal, dark cherry and tomato leaf aromas and the palate is fleshy but tight, with savoury, dusty notes and silky tannins.

As often happens with Calvert, the nose when young is slightly muted and more direct than exotic; pure and fine aromas, not bold and lush. The palate follows on accordingly, with clarity of fruit, roses and florals. Focussed, concentrated yet pure in the mid-palate, with its hallmark mineral texture, its firm but ultimately juicy on the finish. The vines are growing up and were seeing the puppy-fat turn to muscle.

This 20ha vineyard was planted on red clay loam soil at Woori Yallock in 2001 by Lou Primavera, with whom Giant Steps has a long-standing grape-supply relationship. Pinot Noir (114, MV6 and G8V3 clones) grown here on the north and north east facing slopes at 230m is noted for its complex structure and pronounced perfume. The 114 and MV6 are fermented as whole bunches in open vats, while the G8V3 is destemmed, given a long cold-soak and fermented separately to enhance its aromatic contribution. All ferments use indigenous yeasts and the whole-bunch components are periodically foot-stomped to release additional juice. The wines are pressed to 228 litre, French barriques (about 8% new) for 11 months before blending and bottling without fining or filtration.

For the Old Vine Reserve by Seville Estate, the Pinot Noir is purely sourced from the original 1972 plantings. The block is one acre and produces low yields (1-2 tonnes/acre) of small berries and bunches. The colour is deep especially for Seville pinot with a slight hazy pale purple hue. The wine is beautifully perfumed and bright with strawberry red fruits, spice, slightly gamy with earthy tones. Darker fruits on the palate with multi layered characters of red fruits, savoury whole bunch, nutmeg spice and smoky bacon. The wine has great length and natural fruit tannin that is nicely balanced with the acidity and oak.