International Wine Challenge 2021,
Central Otago Pinot Noir Trophy | New Zealand Red Trophy | Top 10 Wines of the World
What a delight to taste a Gibbston Pinot in full flow. These are the most delicate Pinots in Central Otago and this beauty has an almost waxy smoothness and a bright springtime white flower scent to go with redcurrant and strawberry fruit streaked with apple acid and dusted with salted almond.

James Suckling
95/100 punten
Such attractive, fragrant complexity here with bright strawberries, red cherries and spice, as well as a leafy edge and wild herbs. Some pepper, too. The palate has striking elegance with piercing acidity and flavors of yellow clingstone peach, nectarine and red plum. Smooth-honed, long and plush tannins. Drink or hold.

Cameron Douglas MS
95/100 punten
Youthful, fruity, varietal and quite a powerful bouquet with aromas of schist and rugged hillsides, wild thyme and a core of red berry fruits from cherry and sour raspberry to yellow plum and red currant. Spices and vanilla scents of oak finish the bouquet and start the palate. Flavours of cherries and berries mirror the nose. Firm tannins and plenty of acidity build in texture and power with chalk and fine soil mouthfeel. A wine for the cellar with best drinking from 2023 through 2029+.

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
94/100 punten
The medium to full-bodied 2019 Gibbston Vineyard Pinot Noir (from the winery's home vineyard) is again a top performer. Complex aromas of pencil shavings, wild herbs, root vegetables and Bing cherries all make appearances, while the tannins are exquisitely balanced and supple, the fruit concentrated and ripe, and the finish long and mouthwatering. Expect this beauty to drink well for a decade, perhaps even longer.

Bob Campbell MW
94/100 punten
Light, supple pinot noir with cherry, fresh herbs, spice and integrated nutty oak flavours. A fine-grained, smooth-textured wine with typical Gibbston vibrant, tangy, high-energy cool-climate characters.

James Suckling
95/100 punten
This delivers generous, ripe red-cherry and berry aromas with berry pastry, bergamot, fresh herbs and some nicely dialed-in oak spice. The palate has swirling, fleshy cherry and peach flavors, carried in nicely pitched tannins and delivered into a fresh, juicy and open-knit finish. Seamless.

Cameron Douglas MS
95/100 punten
Powerful, ripe, fruity, rich and pure fruited bouquet. Aromas and flavours of dark cherry and roasted raspberry, a touch of black currant then smokey toasty barrel spices. On the palate - a core or dark red berry fruit flavours surrounded by sweet new oak, dried herb and minerality. An abundance of tannins and cool climate acidity sets the foundation and adds length as well as texture. Complex, youthful, juicy, fresh and delicious. Best drinking from late 2022 through 2029+.

Bob Campbell MW
95/100 punten
Elegant pinot noir with sweet cherry, fragrant plum, a hint of wood-smoke, violet and subtle spicy oak flavours. A high-energy wine with a suggestion of oyster-shell. Delicious now but better later.

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
93/100 punten
Sweeter smelling than either the Gibbston or Waitaki bottlings—think scents of caramelized brown sugar backed by ripe black cherries—the 2019 Bannockburn Vineyard Pinot Noir is a round, velvety example of Pinot. Medium to full-bodied, with ample concentration, richly textural tannins and a long, plush finish, it's already approachable and should drink well for at least another 5-7 years.

Cameron Douglas MS
96/100 punten
Distinctive, powerful, ripe, pure and intriguing. Punnets of raspberries and black current, wild thyme and rocky countryside scents. Baking spices of oak and toasty wood, then dark velvet roses. Tense and dry, taut and fruity, very young and tight in texture. Fruit flavours mirror the nose, tannins are firm and chalky, acidity in abundance. A fantastic wine but needs to be cellared to develop more complexity and fuse the attributes together.

Bob Campbell MW
95/100 punten
A good example of Bendigo pinot noir with typically ripe plum, dark berry and spice flavours. It manages to be concentrated and fruit-forward without being a fruit-bomb style thanks, perhaps in part, to a structure of ripe, peppery tannins. Should develop well with bottle age.

James Suckling
94/100 punten
A rich, ripe expression of blueberries, sweet spices, violets and blackberries. The palate has smooth-honed, blueberry and blackberry flavors with plush, ribbon-like layers of tannin. Strong yet fine style here. Drink or hold.

Rebecca Gibb MW (Vinous)
93/100 punten
Full-bodied and mouth-filling, this offers clarity of fruit and real polish on the midpalate. It's all blackberry fruit, thyme and wormwood, then – kerpow! – here come the Bendigo tannins, a fistful of chalky tannic grip providing power and muscle that require bottle age to mellow, but mellow they will. The finish is lengthy and scented with tea leaf, dried herbs and spices.

James Suckling
96/100 punten
This cooler area, in a warmer vintage, has worked a treat with this taut, focused and compact pinot. Fresh red cherries and sappy allure on the nose, moving to a palate that has almost chalky, compact tannins and a very succulent and detailed, fresh finish.

Cameron Douglas MS
96/100 punten
Varietal with a core of fruit, loaded with Pinosity, fruit, minerality and style. Flavours on the palate include cherries and plums, roses and lavender, crushed stones and limestone. The tannins are fine, chalky textured and define the structure supported by acidity and a core of flavour. This is a delicious wine with a heart of Pinot Noir, enticing flavours and long finish. Complexity is medium+ though I expect this to grow in the coming 24 to 36 months. Drink now and through 2025.

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
94/100 punten
Smoky, meaty notes from the 30% new Mercurey barrels accent the nose of the 2018 Waitaki Vineyard Pinot Noir, but it's by no means one-dimensional. It also offers up hints of roses, cherries and clove. Medium-bodied, silky and elegant on the palate, it lingers teasingly on the finish, alternating between fruity and savory characters, both wrapped around a graphite-laced backbone.