ATAAHUA PINOT NOIR 2019

Winery notes (2019 Vintage)
"Pinot Noir, being one of the most difficult grapes to grow well, has shown on many occasions to be one of the varieties most suited to the soils and climate of the Waipara Valley, producing exceptional wines of elegance and style. This wine is no exception.  Hand harvested in perfect condition the grapes were sorted and destemmed before fermentation, then gently pressed before the resulting wine matured in seasoned French oak barrels. This Pinot Noir has a rich bouquet of ripe berryfruit and cherries with hints of earthy forest floor and mushrooms. The palate is elegantly well balanced with silky tannins and a lingering finish. Serve with Coq au vin or duck and roasted mushrooms."

5 Stars & 93/100 Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, February 2021 (2019 Vintage)
"Gorgeously fruited and perfumed, the inviting bouquet shows dark plum, dark cherry, violet, almond and dried herb notes, leading to a finely textured palate delivering excellent fruit purity together with refined mouthfeel and silky tannins. Beautifully composed and expressed. At its best: now to 2026."

Reviews for previous vintages below…

4 ½ Stars Michael Cooper (2018 Vintage)
"Invitingly perfumed, the 2018 vintage is a ruby-hued, medium-bodied North Canterbury red, with moderately youthful, cherryish, spicy flavours. Silky-textured, it has fresh acidity, very good complexity, and lots of early-drinking appeal."

Rated Excellent & 94/100 Cameron Douglas MS, June 2020 (2018 Vintage)
"Fragrant, pretty, light bright red fruit aromas of apple then cherry, rose and wild flowers, chalky soil then sweet oak. Quietly complex, enticing, soft and pretty. On the palate – tense, poised, youthful and classically charming like Pinot Noir should be. The perfume and delicate scents from the nose repeat on the palate – red apple, cherry and some wild red berries, fine chalky tannins, medium+ acidity, complex and dry. The oak is obvious, but not invasive, it is well placed and does not compete for attention. Lengthy finish and well made. Best drinking from today and through 2024+."

Yvonner Lorkin, November 2019 (2015 Vintage)
"Woah! Serious clove and star anise and sandalwood and all manner of crazy exotic spices erupt from the glass as soon as you pour this little Waipara wunderkind. It grips the gums with muscular gusto and finishes with some savoury kapow (technical term there). Stephanie Henderson-Grant and her husband Andrew have been making wine here since 1995, so they know how to coax some champion flavours into each bottle."