Valli Bannockburn Vineyards Pinot Noir, Central Otago, New Zealand, 2021

The Bannockburn sites of Valli create some of the most intense and age worthy wines from this estate. A beautiful bright red colour this wine has ripe red cherry and forest fruits but also some real complexity in there, it has a slight herbal character, along with aromas of mulberry and leather, this wine has heaps of potential. As you will see with all Valli wines, the tannins are as smooth as it gets, but this wine has grit as well as vibrancy. It's no wonder this wine is getting 95+ points across the board. If you can dare to hold onto it, this wine has the ability to age for 15 or so years.

Valli is the brain child of legendary New Zealand wine maker Grant Taylor. A relatively new vineyard, established in 1998, Valli is the first vineyard in Central Otago to push the sub-regionality of the area, focusing on how individual vineyards and plots each reflect their unique terroir. Grant was joined by female winemaker Jen Parr in 2015 who shared his vision for giving wine a sense of place, and the pair have been creating truly benchmark Central Otago Pinot Noir ever since!