KARIKARI ESTATE PINOTAGE 2017

Winery notes (2017 Vintage)
"​Karikari Estate Pinotage has deep colour, and the richness of red fruit aromas with gamey flavours and tannin structure."

Rated Excellent & 94/100 Cameron Douglas MS, March 2022 (2017 Vintage)
"Ripe, intense, fruity, varietal and enticing. Aromas of blackcurrant and blueberry, black doris plum and baked apple pie scents, toasty barrel and a youthful, rich intensity. Youthful and enticing. Plush, ripe, fresh, fruity with rich flavours of dark berruies and plums then flavours of clove and dark baking spices, there’s a natural earthy quality and sweetness of barrel along with a natural varietal core. Balanced, fresh and well made with a lengthy finish and persistent flavour. Great drinking from 2022 through 2026+."

Rated Excellent, 5 Stars & 93/100 NZ Wine Rater, March 2022 (2017 Vintage)
"Intense, high-tone, lifted, leathery nose with aromas of dates, molasses, coffee, toasty vanilla, coconut and cream cheese. A big-boned, distinctive, powerful, chocolatey, chewy, style showing some bottle evolution and firm tannins. Not for the faint-hearted but this style will definitely have its fans."

Reviews for previous vintages below…

5 Stars & 18.5+/20 (94) Candice Chow, Raymond Chan Reviews, July 2021 (2016 Vintage)
"Deep ruby-black with a garnet hue, lighter on the rim. The nose is full and harmonised, smoky note veiled plums, boysenberries, unfolding spices and meaty nuances. Medium-full bodied, aromas of plums and boysenberries have a fine core; smoked meat, spices added complexity and interest. The palate is smooth, filled with softened fine-grained tannin reminiscent cocoa powder. Brilliant acidity provides length and drives to a sustained, salivating finish. This is an attractive Pinotage with bright fruit and acidity, complexed by spices and smoky elements. Match with smoked beef brisket and slow-cooked beef and olive over the next 5+ years. Handpicked, fermented to 13% alc, 3 weeks skin contact. Aged for 29 months in 60 % French oak, 30% American oak and 10% Hungarian (30% new barrels)."

5 Stars & 94/100 Sam Kim, Wine Orbit (2015 Vintage)
"Superbly ripe and intensely expressed, the bouquet shows blackberry jam, dried cherry, cedar, smoked game and dark mushroom characters, leading to a concentrated palate that is dense and powerful. The wine offers sweet fruit richness together with spicy oak notes and deep savoury nuances, finishing impressively long and velvety. At its best: now to 2021."

4 ½ Stars Michael Cooper (2015 Vintage)
"Estate-grown and hand-picked on the Karikari Peninsula, in the Far North, the 2015 vintage is a dark, power-packed red (15 per cent alcohol). Still youthful, it has bold, plummy, spicy flavours, good tannin backbone, and the density and structure to mature well. Drink now onwards."