New Zealand Pinot Noir: 20 premium wines to try

Never likely to match the popularity of the country’s Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand Pinot Noir is nonetheless an undoubted success story.

Although the first vines were planted almost 140 years ago, in 1883, New Zealand Pinot Noir didn’t really find traction with either producers or consumers until more than a century later.

Today, with more than 5,800ha planted (all figures from New Zealand Winegrowers), it is the country’s top red grape variety by far, with approximately 14.5 million bottles exported in 2021.

Scroll down for tasting notes and scores of 20 marvellous New Zealand Pinot Noirs

It flourishes in New Zealand’s cool South Island regions of Central Otago, Marlborough, North Canterbury with smaller amounts in Nelson. Exciting wines are also being made in the North Island, notably Martinborough in the south, plus a few top producers in Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne.

Thanks to this diversity of regions, climates and soils there is a broad range of styles, from rich, soft, dark wines with prominent oak and warm alcohol, to pale, lean, red-berried Pinots with brisk acidity and a firm structure.

The evolution of Central Otago

In the south of South Island, Central Otago used to be the home of big, oaky, black-fruited and extracted Pinots – which certainly got the region a loyal fanbase. But today more freshness and elegance is evident and the wines are far better balanced. That’s not to say that those overt, bold examples have disappeared – there are plenty of them – but the best wines strike a harmonious chord between ripeness and restraint: plush, silky and perfumed with a firm tannin structure.

There are six sub-regions in Central Otago, which collectively farm about 1,600ha of Pinot Noir. Gibbston Valley is the coolest and highest, delivering lighter but intensely spiced red-berried wines. Bannockburn by comparison is the warmest and driest, giving ripe, full-bodied, black cherry-driven Pinots, while Bendigo, enjoying big diurnal temperature differences on its stony soils, produces vibrant, aromatic styles.

Canterbury’s variety

Stretching 200km down the east coast, North Canterbury boasts alpine foothills and coastal plains, producing diverse Pinot Noirs from its 430ha of vines. The warm, dry, protected Waipara Valley sub-region is gaining the most acclaim, with a long growing season ensuring the spicy, earthy Pinots are expressive, layered and graceful, with good structure, freshness and definition.

Approachable Marlborough

At the top of South Island, Marlborough produces about half of New Zealand’s Pinot Noir, with 2,721ha under vine in 2021. Thanks to better understanding of clones and terroirs, the simple valley floor blends of two decades ago have been replaced by single-vineyard or sub-regional blends from the Awatere, Wairau and particularly Southern Valleys, whose wines are fuller-bodied.

Within their light- to midweight cherry-berry fruit spectrum, Marlborough Pinots have notable freshness and lifted aromas and, in recent years, producers have improved their structure, intensity and intricacy. Perhaps not yet as complex or ageworthy as Pinots from other New Zealand regions, they still offer great drinking pleasure in the short to medium term.

Martinborough’s perfect blend

In the south of North Island, Martinborough is a key sub-region of Wairarapa, with some 60% of the 1,100ha under vine, about half of it (300ha) Pinot Noir. Frequently compared to Burgundy due to its climate, soils and small family-run grower-winemaker estates, its Pinots are making big waves. Simplistically, the wines combine the fragrance and freshness of Marlborough with the succulent dark richness of Central Otago, and a complex, earthy, savoury quality all of their own.

While New Zealand offers a vast range of Pinot Noirs in all styles and prices, these 20 wines are a selection from 45 premium, UK-available wines, tasted non-blind at Decanter’s offices in February 2022.

See tasting notes and scores of 20 New Zealand premium Pinot Noirs

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