Valli Waitaki Vineyards Pinot Noir, 2021

You won't find many wines from the region of Waitaki as there are very few winemakers mad enough to try and make wine there (less than 4 to be precise), unless your Grant Taylor of course! This wine is testament to the fact that good things don't come easy, while the growing conditions can be difficult in the area, the results as is shown here have the ability to be truly special. This wine has a lovely perfume of wild strawberry, cassis and mulberry, with a unique maple aroma. On the palate its a little more classic with flavours of cherry, raw mushroom and tart cherry. This is such an interesting and complex wine, for Pinot Noir die hards, this one is a must try!

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!