New Zealand, Central Otago 14.0% Screwcap $29.90
Central Otago Pinot can be on the expensive side and, to be honest, I’m more of a Martinborough man myself but this offering from Waipara Hills is worth a look.
It’s glossy but quite regional. Lavishly fruited (within the Pinot spectrum); plum and dark cherry/berry to the fore with a slather of chocolate oak. The back palate is a touch stunted but throws up some herbs and spice.
Not a demanding wine by any means and it gets the job done. I tossed and turned around the 90/91 mark and decided that it deserved a bit of silver bling…not too much though. Good
Winery website- http://www.waiparahills.co.nz/
I sense the angst you experienced in scoring this wine.
Still not sure about it myself; I suspect I overvalued it because of its relative exoticism. If a Barossa Shiraz, for example, were made in a similarly inoffensive style, I might consider it distinctly average. Oh well.
You sensed correctly
I hope that the length of my tasting note, along with its tone, suggests that I didn't gain a great deal of personal pleasure from the wine.
Having said that, the only Central Otago Pinots that I've really enjoyed have come from Felton Road. I was wary of under-rating this one for that reason.
The score is meant to be a more objective assessment of quality than the TN – but I've never felt that it solves that problem in an entirely satisfactory way. "Oh well" indeed