2018 First Paddock Pinot Noir
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Tasting notes
From a single vineyard located in the Gibbston Valley, the 2018 The First Paddock Pinot Noir is a ruby-colored effort imbued with herbal essences, hints of stems, tea leaves and strawberry-ish fruit. Light to medium-bodied, it delivers admirable complexity and a fine, silky texture, but also a slightly underripe, greenish profile and a drying finish. While I've extolled the virtues of this wine in the past, Gibbston can be hit-or-miss because of its generally cool climate.
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James Suckling
Joe Czerwinski, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
There's a transparency to Gibbston fruit and a floaty-light impression that you don't get in other subregions of Central Otago, and here it’s in full effect. Yet the texture is silken and there's plenty of density and excellent ripeness. Despite the earliest harvest on record and a warm season, Gibbston's marginal climate ensures the acidity rip-roars through the wine like a water race. The tannins are comforting in their seamless, mouthcoating texture. A joy to drink.
Thereâs a sweetly smoky edge to this sappy and wildly fresh pinot that has attractive wild herbs, as well as a swirling array of rose flowers, blueberries, cherries and spices. The palate has exceptional polish and deeply layered fruit tannin, glazed with spicy oak nuances and holding long, fresh and silky. From organically grown grapes. Drink now. Screw cap.