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In late November 2005 we held a Historic Vertical Tasting showcasing
25 years of Martinborough Vineyard Pinot Noir. Here are the Winemaker’s
taste notes from that day.
1984
Colour indicates still some live. Smoky, cedary nose. .
Dry, raisined palate. Surprising wine with rounded tannins showing
very well for age
1985
Past it. Porty aldehydes. Dry with VA coming through. Can
see why they hired Larry.
1986
Meaty, prune/raisin characters. Good texture
and harmony. Chalky tannins with good length
1987
Feral, bacon - sulphidey nose. Thin palate that falls away.
Sulphides strip wine of any life.
1988
Rotten vegetable, compost smell. Interestingly an agreeable
palette with a hint of sweetness. Some nice smooth tannin and
good length. Overall past it and a light structure.
1989
Earthy, tarry notes. Wonderful wine with lovely Pinot characters – maybe
some bacterial spoilage but acceptable for me. Tannins are soft,
rounded and show a well aged wine. Good weight and texture through
mid palate. Still some live left. Wine of the flight – amazing
to see a NZ pinot ageing so well.
1990
Savoury fruitcake with some ripe tomato. Still some ripe
dark fruit character evident. Good concentration with savoury
tannin profile.
1991
Tinned tomato at start but blows off, chocolate and tarry
notes. Firm tannins and nice juicy fruit still showing. Starting
to pass best before date.
1991 Reserve
Lovely savoury, gamey nose. Rich palate with acid
showing up a little high at end. Firm tannins, good balance.
1992
Lighter style with fruitcake, savoury nose. Greenish palate
with acid prevalent. Poor year showing up.
1993
Similar nose to 92. But more fleshy with some red fruit characters.
Juicy palate with tomato like taste. Again a poor year but showing
better than 92.
1994
Gamey, peppery nose. Good richness on palate with savoury
notes. Like the texture a lot. Showing wonderful age.
1994 Reserve
Ripe tomato, slight H2S. Good fruit weight juicy fruit still
evident on palate, slightly hot (alc level??). Mouth filling
tannin weight through mid palate.
1995
Much better than I expected from a shit year. Some aldehydes
on nose but chocolate, black pepper notes evident. Drying out
on palate but some fruit there still.
1996
Starting to see change in style to a more physiologically ripe
fruit. Smoky, nutty nose. Dry tannins, firm texture. Still got
life.
1996 Reserve
Gamey, earthy nose. More chunky and bigger than normal 96. Again
alc high but lovely sweet texture with rounded tannins and lasting
length.
1997
Cherry cola, candied fruit nose. Herbal character possibly from
stems. Grainy oak character with nice fruit suppleness
1997 Reserve
Mocha coffee, with grainy oak backing up. Oak driven style but
good fruit weight through mid palate
1998
Malty, toasty/ nutty oak, with sweet floral notes. Silky
tannins on front palate. Good fruit conc through palate with
well balanced oak. Still youthful.
1998 Reserve
Great colour. Full of cinnamon spice and pepper
with dark fruits. Impressively concentrated wine with well-balanced
fruit and oak. Lasting length. Still impressively youthful.
1999
Lovely perfumed, savoury, Xmas cake aromas. Smooth palate, good
oak adding weight and integrated well with fruit. Juicy fruit
through mid palate. Finishes dry and slightly short.
2000
Brambly, earthy with smoky oak notes. Full bodied with good
concentration. Lovely savoury tannins make for lovely texture.
Starting to age gracefully. One of my favourites.
2001
Spicy, cardamon with smoky notes. Slight H2S.
Again lovely textured tannins and well balanced. Savoury soft
and plump.
2002
Spicy notes, Some herbal notes but maybe from stems – not
a green herbal but good herbal. Still seems very young in this
line up. Lacking the generosity or warmth of the last two wines.
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