2003 Te Tera Pinot Noir reviews

Wine NZ - June/July 2004
The entry level pinot from this respected Martinborough winery has some lovely strawberry, forest floor characters. Charming and ready to drink.

Fine Wine Delivery Company Newsletter - June 2004
This is the second vintage of Martinborough IVneyards Te Tera and it only gets better. This young vine pinot noir has vibrant aromas of black cherry, strawberry and violets. The silky tannins fill the mouth with layers of wild strawberry, plum and raspberry flavours with hints of vanilla and tangy redcurrant adding further excitement to the vibrant finish. Bottled under screw cap to retain the delightful fruit flavours it will deliver great drinking over the next 3-4 years.

2002 Te Tera Pinot Noir reviews

Peter Saunders
A Guide to New Zealand Wine - 2004
Very nice wine, although a second label, there's nothing too light or folksy here, just some really good drinking fruit. A little young but still a lovely wine.

Warren Barton
Warren Barton Christmas Wine Guide
The Dominion Post - December 2003
Te Tera means "the other" in Maori, signifying the difference between this and other Martinborough Vineyard pinot noirs. This one is designed for earlier drinking than the rest but still retains their savoury, gamey character. A versatile food wine.

Charles Gill
The Daily News - New Plymouth - November 2003
The best you CAN buy:
Martinborough Vineyard has a first release Te Tera (the other) 2002 Pinot Noir designed as a savoury, silky-textured red for early drinking. At $27.45 (The Mill) it's half the price of its flagship pinot noir - but more than half as good.

Sue Courtney
Food Service - October 2003
Te Tera means "the other", an apt name for this new offering from this famous producer. It's a pale translucent pinky red with a whiff of cherry together with mushroom, forest floor, smoke, savoury nutty oak, mulled wine spices, a touch of liquorice and a dry finish. What sets this wine apart from the others is its silky texture, its subtle underlying power and the persistent savoury, tarry, earthy, spiced fruit flavours. It's very good, delivery so much more than its light colour would suggest.

John Saker, Christine Comerford, Stephen Morris
Capital Times - Wine Report - 22 October 2003
Intense nose - "slinky compost fruit stew" enthused Stephen. Pleasant sweet fruit palate entry, with savoury notes chiming in mid-palate. Warm, soft, inviting texture and great length.****

John Saker
Capital Times - 13 August, 2003
A spirit of innovation, and perhaps a feeling that reasonable pinot should not be the preserve of the rich, has led to the creation and release of the 2002 Martinborough Vineyard Te Tera Pinot Noir. Clever name. Te Tera means “the other” in Maori but its likeness to the Latin noun “terra” (earth, soil) I’m sure would not have escaped winemaker Claire Mulholland and her team at Martinborough Vineyard.

Little terror of a wine too…. Bright, attractive perfumes, lively acids, good weight and an impressive fruit presence . Plum, quince, sweet red berry fruit and some darker, spicy characters all noted. It’s got class, charm and power and it retails for $28. Good on you, Martinborough Vineyard.

Michael Cooper
Sunday Star Times - 24 August 2003
An important red-wine release is Martinborough Vineyard Te Tera Pinot Noir 2002 (**** $28). With the rising tide of pinot noir production in New Zealand, prices were bound to ease, and the quality of the sub-$30 and sub $20 wines is getting better and better.

Te Tera (“The Other”) is designed as “a more accessible wine, approachable earlier” than its famous big brother, Martinborough Vineyard Pinot Noir ($50). Based on young and old vines grown in Martinborough and French oak-matured for a year, it’s a ruby-hued wine with a spicy, gamey, savoury fragrance and a core of warm cherry and spice flavours. A medium to full bodied style with no shortage of character, it offers much more complexity than most pinot noirs in its price bracket, and is already highly enjoyable.

Geoff Kelly
Regional Wines & Sprits - 25 August 2003
2002 Martinborough Vineyard Pinot Noir Te Tera 16.5
Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $28 [ traditional hand plunging, 11 months French oak; www.martinborough-vineyard.co.nz ] Lightish ruby, pinot noir style. A very fragrant bouquet indeed, with violets and buddleia, and other florals on slightly leafy / stalky berry. Palate matches precisely, just enough body, beautifully oaked to be a pretty (in the best sense of the word) light slightly stalky pinot. Presumably young vines. Cellar 3 - 5. GK 8/03

Sue Courtney
Wine of the Week - August 2003
The ring-in! A pale translucent pinky-red with a whiff og cherry on the nose, then mushroom, forest floor and smoke, it's savoury and a little nutty with mulled wine spices, a touch of liquorice and a dry finish. What sets this wine apart is its silky texture, its subtle underlying pwer and the very persistent savoury, tarry, earthy, spiced fruit flavour that lingers. A very good wine that delivers so much more that it's pale-like appearance would suggest.

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