2018 Te Rehua
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Tasting notes
A rich, fleshy style with a totally different tannin structure than the Kiwa block, which is just around the corner. This is a slightly warmer site and so the fruit is a little riper, offering damson skin and cherry, while there's plenty of succulence too. It's mouth-filling, and those tannins build over the course of the wine, coating the entirety of the palate with melted chocolate texture. A high percentage of whole bunch gives this wine an athletic line and an herbal scent lingers on the long finish.
Critic scores
Average Score
Joe Czerwinski, Wine Advocate
Rebecca Gibb MW, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Once again, this 30-year-old vineyard has delivered the goods. The 2018 Te Rehua Pinot Noir has some slightly over-prominent stemmy notes on the nose at this early age, but there is so much substance here that I'm confident they'll integrate nicely over time. Even now, they lend a slightly herbal-briary edge to the raspberry and cherry fruit that makes those flavors more savory and complex. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, generous and richly textured, with terrific concentration and length on the mocha-tinged finish.
About the producer
Based in Martinborough, Escarpment is one of New Zealand’s leading producers of Pinot Noir. The estate’s top cuvée Kupe is widely regarded as a benchmark example of the region’s potential for producing world-class Pinot Noir.