If there’s one thing the Decanter World Wine Awards results reveal, it’s a global perspective on the world of wine.
With more than 18,000 wines entered from across the globe, blind tasted and rated by hundreds of the most reputable, trusted tasters, wines are benchmarked against those elsewhere in the world.
But ‘the excitement doesn’t necessarily come from the volume of wines’, comments DWWA Co-Chair Michael Hill Smith MW. ‘The excitement is finding the good wines’ – and a DWWA Gold medal represents the signed, quality standard the experts are in search of.
Scroll down to discover 15 top-scoring international Pinot Noirs from DWWA 2022
A grape known to express terroir, with its style, finesse and elegance impacted by changing climates, Pinot Noir is a variety to watch across annual editions of the competition – in 2022, Gold medal-winning Pinot Noir wines represented the growing global reaches of this cooler-climate variety (just five years ago, only five countries were represented in the competition’s top medal chart).
From famed Burgundy crus and New World staples of New Zealand and the US, to Italian Pinot Nero, German Spätburgunder and 95-point Pinot Noir from the Czech Republic, DWWA results offer the opportunity to open our perspectives and palates to quality expressions of this beloved variety from all over the world.
Below, discover 15 international standouts from 11 countries, with more to search at awards.decanter.com
Wines to watch: International Pinot Noirs
Argentina
Zorzal, Porfiado, Gualtallary, Tupungato, Mendoza NV
95 Gold
US$50-$60 Solano Cellars, Wine.com
Inviting and elegant, with aromas of red fruit leading to a textured palate of pure fruit and a lifted minerality. Lovely tension and an unforgettable finish. Alcohol 11.8%
Australia
De Bortoli, Riorret the Abbey, Yarra Valley, Victoria 2020
96 Gold
£24-£25.99 TJ Wines, WoodWinters
Savoury and spiced nose, beetroot and woodsmoke, a magical perfumed feel. The palate features crunchy red raspberry fruits and a lifted floral note, with firm, well-integrated tannins. Precise and persistent finish; beautiful. Alc 13.8%
Levantine Hill, Yarra Valley, Victoria 2019
96 Gold
levantinehill.com.au
Aromatic, smoky nose with hints of truffle and ceps. Berry fruits, fresh blood orange and dried rose combine with forest floor nuances to make this quite special. A silky, creamy coffee texture and soft tannin give an elegant, harmonious wine. Alc 13%
Chile
Viña Morandé, Black Series, Traiguén, Malleco Valley 2020
96 Gold
morande.cl
Earthy red fruits emerge in the glass with floral and wild berry notes, shades of Vosne-Romanée with some time. Wild strawberry, Negroni-like complexity and graphite-like tension with some really fine, fairly abundant (for Pinot) tannin. Stylish and understated. Alc 13.5%
Czech Republic
B/V Vinařství, Reserva, Slovácká, Moravia 2015
95 Gold
bvshop.cz
An intensely floral nose with ripe fruits and underlying spicy characters. The wine shows a nice mouthfeel, well structured, with good acidity and fine use of oak. Alc 13%
France
Albert Bichot, Morey St-Denis 1er Cru Les Sorbets, Burgundy 2020
96 Gold
£50 (ib)-£80 Farthinghoe Fine Wine, The Solent Cellar
Blue fruit and floral perfumes slowly emerge. Juicy and crunchy attack, rich but fresh with a cool, limestone finish and precise, chalky tannins. Excellent complexity and balance. Alc 13.2%
Maison Evenstad, Volnay 1er Cru Clos des Chênes, Burgundy 2019
95 Gold
la-cree.com
Gorgeous perfume of crushed strawberries and flowers: classical Volnay. Delicate and elegant, red berries and a touch of pepper, a gentle perfume and energy with a silken feel, saline acidity, and great length. Alc 13.5%
Germany
Martin Wassmer, Schlatter Maltesergarten GC, Baden 2019
95 Gold
weingut-wassmer.de
Elegant nose with notes of fine toasting, dark chocolate and hints of coffee, backed by ripe and juicy fruit. Admirable harmony of fruit concentration, tannin and acidity. Excellent depth, fresh and exceptionally pure fruit expression. Alc 13%
Italy
Peter Zemmer, Vigna Kofl Riserva, Alto Adige 2019
96 Gold
£36.45 (2018) Independent Wine
Ripe red cherry and redcurrant fruit, with a certain bloodiness and some forest floor characters. Good intensity, lots of red cherry and savoury notes backed by judicious oak spice, lifted, fresh acidity and ripe, rounded tannin. Superb length, too. Alc 13.5%
New Zealand
Craggy Range, Te Muna Road Vineyard, Martinborough, Wairarapa 2019
96 Gold
£27.70-£29.96 The Fine Wine Co, Vinvm
Complex and focused nose displaying scents of black plums, wild strawberry and seductive mineral notes. Silky texture on the palate, with dense plummy fruit. Alc 13%
Valli, Bendigo Vineyard, Central Otago 2020
96 Gold
POA New Generation Wines
Lovely seamless and pure aromas of ripe plum, black cherry and blueberry. Plush palate with integrated ripe and rounded tannins. Plush and luxurious. Alc 14%
South Africa
Lothian of Elgin, Elgin 2019
95 Gold
US$24-$27 Wine Gems, Wines by Nature
Lovely lifted Pinot fruit with raspberry and cherry and subtle oak spice detail. Lovely ripe, rich flavours of raspberry and strawberry, meaty-steak complexities, warm butter, and wet slate. The grippy yet fresh finish holds well-integrated oak with a lingering note of cherries. Alc 14%
Switzerland
Domaines Chevaliers, Lux Vina Clos de Pachje, Valais 2019
96 Gold
chevaliers.ch
Perfumed and expressive, aromas of raspberry, strawberry and lifted floral notes leading through to a plush palate of cherry blossom, sweet tobacco, well-judged oak and shapely tannins. Alc 13.9%
USA
Tolosa, Primera, Edna Valley, California 2019
96 Gold
US$158 tolosawinery.com
Snappy savoury red cherry, raspberry, violet, delicate herbals and vanilla pod. Complex flavours of pomegranate, cranberry, cherry and raspberry. Very long, absolutely delicious. Alc 13.4%
Solomon Hills Estate, Santa Maria Valley, California 2019
95 Gold
£72.50 (ib) Armit Wines
Gorgeous nose of just-ripe red fruit, cherry, plum, sage, camphor and bouquet garni. Lifted, edgy palate, a restrained style with resolved, ripe tannins and a long finish. Will improve over time. Alc 13.5%
