Lowburn Ferry Home Block Pinot Noir 2013
This stunner from Central leaves nary a box unticked. “It’s a powerful, hedonistic style, but still has delightful freshness and definition,” noted Sam Harrop. Lilac, ripe strawberry, dried thyme and mocha scents provide lift-off. Pure dark fruit flows seamlessly and silkily across the palate, enlivened by fresh acidity, and the finish is long and fine. As a food match, try slow-cooked lamb shoulder, spiced with preserved lemon, cumin and coriander seeds.
Top Wine Profile
A Fine Judge Of Soil
“When Roger and Jean took the farm…” The story of Lowburn Ferry is a modern, far happier version of Denis Glover’s ode to the New Zealand experience, The Magpies. In this instance, Roger and Jean Gibson bought their 40-hectare spread in the Lowburn Valley in 1991. But it wasn’t until 2000, after they’d converted the original old stone stable to be their home and were running a flock of merinos, that they decided to plant pinot vines. As a soil scientist, Roger was well placed to assess the suitability of the land for vines and his judgement has clearly paid off: from its first vintage in 2003, the Lowburn Ferry Pinot Noir has won numerous plaudits and gold medals. It’s a boutique operation with an average of only 1700 cases produced annually, but Gibson says the plan is to put in more vines over the next few years. He’s also full of praise for his winemaker, Pete Bartle. “Pete doesn’t have a big ego and he’s not a control freak…I can’t speak more highly of him and his team.”
- Pinot Noir - Red wine
- Central Otago - New Zealand
- NZ $55
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- Cellar: 6 year(s) top 10
- View the full NZ Pinot Noir 2015 tasting results