Most Recent Tasting Note:

Te Kairanga continues to refine its Pinot Noir program, now making this Runholder bottling as a midrange offering. It’s a nice wine for early consumption, combining soft tannins with floral (violet) scents and black cherry and plum flavors. Finishes with dried spice notes. 1 Note

Most Recent Tasting Note:

Needs a bit of time to integrate all of the heavy-toast oak. Strong overtones of pain grillé and caramel currently dominate the dark fruit flavors, particularly on the finish, where fine dusty tannins linger. 1 Note

Most Recent Tasting Note:

1 Note

Most Recent Tasting Note:

Voluminous yet silky, this undeniably complex offering from Te Kairanga features hints of smoky bacon, black tea and briary herbs surrounding a core of black cherries and plums. The fine texture stands out on the long, slightly warm finish. 1 Note

Most Recent Tasting Note:

Nails Pinot’s texture, boasting a supple, velvety mouthfeel; also its complexity, blending savory spice and mushroom notes with bright pie cherry flavors. There’s also an earthy, slightly vegetal beet nuance. 1 Note

Most Recent Tasting Note:

TK’s top Pinot is impressively dark, a result of the season’s low yields. The alcohol is only 12.6%, giving it a rather Burgundian feel, while the flavors run toward dried spices, mushroom and plum, with youthful tannins and crisp acidity. Cellar through 2008. 1 Note

Most Recent Tasting Note:

89 points. The nose is somewhat dark with a good amount of complexity and lots of intriguing spicy, smoky tones mingling with sour red cherries, cracked black pepper, and very dark chocolate. The aroma almost smells like an old world syrah had been poured into the mix. On the palate there are lush, sweet raspberries and blackberries, pomegranate seeds, black pepper, and some soft cacao powder on the end. This wine is rich and refined, with a nicely complex, dark profile.

Pairing: This is the kind of pinot noir that can go with your bigger dishes like steak and grilled meats.

Source: What's Worth Drinking: "Post #1: A Tale of Two Islands: Tasting New Zealand Pinot Noir" (http://whatsworthdrinking.com/2010/04/19/ )