TE HERA ESTATE PINOT NOIR 2021

Gold Medal – New Zealand International Wine Show 2023

We have long regarded this as one of the best value Martinborough Pinot Noirs on the market, the 2021 is sure to keep that high regard totally intact. Made by Te Hera Estates, a small family business dedicated to organic viticulture and the production of handcrafted Pinot Noir. The vineyard and winery are located in Te Muna Rd, Martinborough and was first planted in 1996.

Winery notes (2021 Vintage)
"The aroma is unmistakeably Pinot, with dark cherry and berry fruit, supported by subtle smoky oak and there are nice touches of violet and spice in the mix too…Has a fine and elegant mouth feel. There are layers of flavour here, lovely fruit in the berry and cherry spectrum. Savoury complexity and soft tannins support the sweet fruit to give a rich mid-pallet. This wine offers typical Pinot Noir character at a brilliant price."

5 Stars & 94/100 Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, March 2024 (2021 Vintage)
"The bouquet is seductive and immediately appealing with rich dark plum, cedar, warm spice, and floral aromas. The smooth and silky tannins frame the wine sensually with a long-lasting and delicious finish. Beautifully composed and expressed, making it highly enjoyable. At its best: now to 2027."

18.5/20 Joelle Thomson (2021 Vintage)
"Certified organic grapes, hand harvested and given wild yeast fermentation are the back story to this full bodied expression of Pinot Noir from one of the windiest corners of New Zealand's vineyard scene – Te Muna Road in Martinborough. It is the most easterly area in the district in which grapes grow and also elevated so that the region's winds routinely decimate potential crop levels at flowering in spring. That said, the quality shines and especially in this new release from the 2021 vintage in Martinborough, which was a dry year with small grapes with thick skins, all of which translate into a dark, intensely aromatic Pinot with body to burn. Winemaker John Douglas aged this wine for 11 months in mostly old oak with 10% new oak sitting nicely in the background, framing the wine's smooth tannic structure and fruit depth.

This is an outstanding Pinot Noir that can foot it with the best from this region and comes at a mere fraction of the price. Many wines of this quality sell for almost double the price, some for even more."

5 Stars & 18.5+/20 (94) Candice Chow, Raymond Chan Wine Reviews, May 2024 (2021 Vintage)
"Deep ruby-red, slightly lighter on the rim, this wine has a gentle, enticing bouquet with aromas of red cherry, cranberry, delicate sweet spice, and undergrowth. Medium-bodied, the wine shows savoury details on a delicate, silky palate, melding red cherry and cranberry with strawberry, black pepper, nutmeg, unfolding rich herbs and mushrooms. Lacy acidity carries rich herbs and spices and lingers to an elegant, lengthy finish. This Martinborough Pinot Noir possesses concentration, elegance and refined features on a herbaceous, silky mouthfeel. Match with smoked duck and hare loin over the next 3-5 years. Fermented to 13.5% alc."

92/100 Cameron Douglas MS, April 2024 (2021 Vintage)
"An enticing bouquet of red fruits and savoury dried herb spices, earthy qualities and a mix of wood scents including smoke and baking spice. Youthful, taut, firm and dry as the wine touches the palate. Flavours of old strawberry and cherry fruits emerge as the wine open out in glass. An abundance of finer fruit and wood tannins, medium+ acid line and overall textured mouthfeel contrasted by fruit flavours, and layers of mineral earth through to the finish. Well made with cellar time still ahead. best drinking from late 2024 through 2030+."