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92POINTS
17/20
Rippon Mature Vine Pinot Noir 2017
Central Otago, South Island, New ZealandIn 1975, Rolfe Mills, third generation on his family's Lake Wanaka farm in Central Otago, started to plant a series of experimental rows of Vitis vinifera, when no one else in the area was thinking of such a thing. Together with his wife Lois they released their first commercial vintage in 1989. Today, Jo and her husband Nick Mills run their portion of the farm, around 150 acres, with Nick’s mother, Lois, while Nick’s cousins farm the other half. This older vine biodynamically farmed pinot noir comes off a north-facing escarpment overlooking Lake Wanaka, rooted in moraines and gravels over schist, a site Nick calls 'the voice of the vineyard'. Dark and voluptuous, yet articulate, with reams of crushed black plum, wild blackberry, stony cassis, running the savoury palate. Licks of downy violets and kirsch pop up throughout, with the whole framed by fine, long tannins, and vibrant with an ever-present mineral hum which lingers long on the pink peppercorn laced finish. This darker shaded pinot is drinking very well now, but certainly has time to go ahead.Tasted: 15 November 2021Tasted by: Treve RingPrices:| BC | $76.00 | 750ml | private wine shops |
Grape: Pinot NoirCSPC: 187515
