VALLI BANNOCKBURN VINEYARD PINOT NOIR 2022

Double Gold Medal – New Zealand International Wine Show 2024

Jen Parr, Winemaker notes (2022 Vintage)
"Bright garnet hue with a lifted fragrance that mingles dried florals, fresh mint, wild thyme, Otago cherry, mulberry, and new leather. The flavours complement the aromas with forest fruits, lush florals and an intriguing flinty note. Immediately fresh, the finely textured palate builds in the mouth and crescendos with appropriate grip and incredible persistence. Vibrant at release, this wine is apt for cellaring and will continue to evolve for 15+/-years.

Harvested on 31st March, 4th, 7th-10th and 13th April 2022. 32% whole bunch fruit, fermented in 29% new oak for 11 months. Unfined, Crossflow filtered."

5 Stars & 97/100 Bob Campbell MW, The Real Review (2022 Vintage)
"Typical juicy Bannockburn style with an extraordinary lengthy finish that elevates the wine above its peers. A hint of floral aromas with cassis, dark-fleshed plum, blackberry and a subtle seasoning of spicy oak. Delicious wine that can be appreciated now."

5 Stars & 97/100 Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, December 2023 (2022 Vintage)
"This is magnificent, showing dark plum, dried mushroom, warm spice, floral and cedar characters on the nose, followed by a concentrated palate that's filled with impressive fruit richness with velvety texture and finely pitched tannins. Mouthfilling and gratifying with opulence as well as poise and structure. At its best: 2025 to 2037."

5 Stars Michael Cooper (2022 Vintage)
"The finely poised 2022 vintage was hand-harvested and matured for 11 months in French oak casks (29 per cent new). Full, bright ruby, it is mouthfilling and savoury, with strong, ripe cherry, plum, spice and nut flavours, showing excellent complexity and harmony. A highly refined red, already approachable, it's well worth cellaring to 2027+."

96/100 David Walker Bell, WineFolio.co.nz, November 2023 (2022 Vintage)
"A deep garnet/burgundy in the glass. A splendidly aromatic nose – this is what great Pinot does – I find myself unable to move on from the exuberant perfume. Here it is profound, with a little of the barrel influencing the scent, alongside dry herbs, rose petal, raspberry and cherry. Dry and concentrated in the palate – not weighty, but it unfurls itself with a coiled power. A wine full of ying and yang. A primary and energetic acidity sits well alongside the lithe tannin, polished and with a little rasp – forming a spine. Finally, a swoop of creamy and silken texture, before a finish with great persistence."

5 Stars & 19.5-/20 (97) Candice Chow, Raymond Chan Review, November 2023 (2022 Vintage)
"Bright, ruby-red with good transparency, slightly lighter on the rim. It has a broody, alluring bouquet penetrating with aromas of black cherry, blackberry, plum, wild thyme, sage mushroom and a hint of game. Medium-bodied, lightly savoury aromas of black cherry and blackberry melded with cinnamon, nutmeg, wild thyme, sage, brown oyster mushroom and a subtle hint of game. Filigree tannin lightly frames the ripe fruit, herbs, and savoury elements, unveiling spice and integrating enlivening acidity to an enticing, lengthy finish. A James Bond of Pinot Noir, smooth and polished. Match with lamb loin and duck breast over the next 10+ years. Fruit from Felton Road & Hall Road, fermented with 32% whole bunch, aged 11 months in French oak, 29% new oak. 14% alc."

Rated Outstanding & 95/100 Cameron Douglas MS (2022 Vintage)
"Wonderfully complex and new, there’s no mistaking the layers in the bouquet with aromas of place from minerality to ripe red berry fruits of boysenberry and plum then dark cherry and some raspberry suggestions. The scents of baking spices and smoke from barrel are both sweet and lifted as well as complex. A dry and equally complex wine touches the palate with textures and flavours that reflect the bouquet all at once teasing with polished tannins and medium+ acidity then red fruits and spice. Well made with a lengthy finish. Best drinking from 2025 through 2034."