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Buy OnlineVineyard of the Year – NZ Organic Wine Awards 2023
Winery notes (2022 Vintage)
"The Gibbston subregion of Central Otago sets vineyards along a narrow valley within the Kawarau Gorge. Wines from the best sites are spectacular: fragrance and elegance being their hallmark. Le Maitre comes from Gibbston Valley’s original Home Block vineyard at the western entry to Gibbston. The vineyard is not irrigated and has BioGro Organic certification. Soil is silty loam over a mix of schist and gravel. The vines have a natural balance born from age and a deep root profile. The subregional influence of Gibbston gives the wine transparency and elegance.
Deeply complex; demure red fruits sidle alongside earth, beetroot and alpine flowers. Medium bodied, the precise acidity draws the poised fruit through to a delicate finish. Fine and elegant."
5 Stars & 96/100 Bob Campbell MW, The Real Review, March 2023 (2022 Vintage)
"From some of the oldest vines in Central Otago. Elegant medium-bodied pinot noir with impressive underlying power and fine-grained tannins that promises to age well. Seductive wine. Ripe and mellow."
Joelle Thomson, drinksbiz Magazine August/September 2024 (2022 Vintage)
"This is a powerful Pinot Noir from Gibbston Valley in Central Otago. Dry, savoury aromas of spice, dried mushrooms and a touch of fresh herbs all bring complexity to the outstanding wine, which drinks beautifully now and, history shows, can age superbly for up to and over 10 years. "Le maitre" is French for "the master" and is named in homage to Alan Brady, founder of Gibbston Valley Wines who planted Pinot Noir on this site 38 years ago. This wine is certified Organic."
Reviews for previous vintages below…
5 Stars Michael Cooper (2019 Vintage)
"Grown in the Home Block at Gibbston, where the oldest vines were planted in 1983, the 2019 vintage, certified organic, was matured for 10 months in French oak casks (25 per cent new). Bright ruby, with a fragrant, slightly earthy bouquet, it is an elegant, still extremely youthful wine, with rich, vibrant cherry, plum and spice flavours, woven with fresh acidity, and good tannin backbone. Highly refined, with good vigour, complexity and structure, it’s well worth cellaring to 2023+."
Rated Excellent & 93/100 Cameron Douglas MS, November 2020 (2019 Vintage)
"Vibrant, varietal and enticing bouquet with aromas of ripe red berry fruits with a savoury core, fine smoky wood scents and baking spices of vanilla and clove, complex, youthful and engaging. On the palate – equally vibrant, very youthful and quite tense with firm tannins and medium+ acidity, the core of fruit balances the youthful attributes and mineral along with oak and its toasty spices. Lengthy finish, well made and ready from 2022 through 2030+."
92/100 Joe Czerwinski, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (2019 Vintage)
"From the home vineyard's original 1983 plantings, the 2019 Le Maitre Pinot Noir aged in 28% new French oak (two barrels out of seven). Like past vintages, it's deep and earthy in profile, with mushroomy, almost-truffle-like nuances, blackberry and black cherry fruit and hints of dried spices. Medium to full-bodied, it's richly textured on the palate and brightened by crisp acids on the mouthwatering finish. It should drink well for up to a decade."
