Cloudy Bay Te Wahi Pinot Noir 2021 750ml

95/100 - Stephen Wong MW, The Real Review

While best known for their iconic Sauvignon Blanc, Cloudy Bay have long championed Marlborough Pinot Noir and are just so damn consistent. This is a much more restrained & elegant style than many other NZ producers, while still retaining all the power and drive associated with Burgundy. 

Te Wāhi means ‘the place’ in te reo Māori, reflecting both the importance of terroir and the sense of finding our second home. It is a powerful wine with an opulent core of dark berry fruit and structured tannins. Over time, warm spices and notes of forest floor flourish and provide complexity. Te Wāhi comes from two contrasting vineyards. Northburn sits on Lake Dunstan’s steep east bank, where unforgiving, rocky, glacial soils produce fruit with structure and intensity. Calvert, on Felton Road in Bannockburn, sits in the silty, loamy soils of an ancient lake bed and produces opulent, fragrant fruit.

The 2021 Te Wahi Pinot Noir is open and expressive, with appealing hints of dark chocolate and cherry liqueur alongside a touch of minty freshness.
The palate is fresh and lively, with vibrant, juicy acidity and a beautiful sense of purity. There’s an attractive damson jelly note alongside darker cold brew coffee characters and – again – a lovely crushed mint leaf lift. The tannins are fine and silky, giving the wine a supple and appealing texture.

ABV: 13.5%