Mt Difficulty is certainly one of the best known names of Central Otago Pinot Noir and for very good reason, their wines have been excellent right from the very early days. And this gorgeous Pinot from the outstanding 2022 vintage again shows exactly why they have such an enviable reputation. A wonderfully fragrant nose of dark fruits, wild herbs with underlying gentle floral notes, a concentrated palate and silken tannins make for an absolute classic.
Winery notes (2022 Vintage)
"Mt Difficulty Bannockburn Pinot Noir 2022 has a classic Bannockburn profile on the nose of red and black cherry, brown spice and a hint of smokey savouriness. The palate is flush with cherry fruit along with blackberry and satsuma plum. Spice notes linger in the mid palate, before the long flowing finish and a silky fine tannin, a hallmark of larger berries from the growing season."
Reviews for previous vintages below…
93/100 Mike Bennie, The Wine Front, December 2022 (2020 Vintage)
"Dense and dark, ripe fruited, doused with warm, clove and cinnamon spice. IN all that, larger proportions but well judged, brooding, chunky, dry and firm to finish, and up to that a wine of slurpy, dense but elevated pinot. It delivers a true to form expression of Central Otago pinots, in that heftier but well balanced sense."
5 Stars Michael Cooper (2019 Vintage)
"This is one of the region's highest-profile reds. Matured for a year in French oak casks (25 per cent new), the 2019 vintage is very ageworthy. Full, bright ruby, it is mouthfilling, with good concentration of ripe cherry, plum and spice flavours, and nutty, savoury notes adding complexity. Best drinking 2023+."