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Tasting notes
The 2020 Pahi Pinot Noir is floral and spicy on the nose, both in equal measure. There are violets, pastrami, sumac, peppercorns, black tea, a hint of rooibos and layers of graphite, pencil lead and tapenade. In the mouth, the wine is balanced and fresh, with the fruit showing its ripeness through the finish in the form of satsuma/blood plum, goji berries and pomegranate molasses. A wine of two parts, the nose and front palate are married, while the finish is a different chapter. Interesting to behold. 14% alcohol, sealed under screw cap. Pahi was picked April 14 and 15. Made with 25% whole bunch, it was plunged twice daily and spent 21 days on skins. Clones 114, 115, 5 and Abel were used. It aged in 35% new oak for 16 months, with one rack during the journey. It was bottled unfined and unfiltered.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
James Suckling
More reviews and scores
Single vineyard. Block now sold to what has become On Giants' Shoulders. Only 25% whole bunch, otherwise similar vinification to Kiwa and Te Rehua. Mid crimson-garnet. Very sweet, round palate entry. A little dusty so that it seems a bit riper than the rest with less refreshment value but more easy, approachable charm. Drink soonish. Drying up on the finish. (JR)
This has aromas of cedar, roasted coffee beans, black cherries, plums and violets. Well-structured with firm, fine tannins. Fragrant, long and polished. Medium to full body. The oak is dominant at the moment but provides an excellent frame to the dark fruit. Try after 2023. Screw cap.
Missing in action since 2016, the single-vineyard Pinot Noir Pahi bottling made a comeback in 2020, but it's a new incarnation. Having lost access to the block that formerly made Pahi, Escarpment's new owners, Australian firm Torbreck, bought a neighboring vineyard on Te Muna Road. Farmed organically, the 4-hectare block has produced a firm and brawny Abel clone Pinot Noir with a firm, dry and structured finish. There's a core of intense black cherry fruit and damson skin alongside florals, tea leaves and festive spices, but the structure is rather chunky and clunky. Time in bottle may help, but perhaps less will be more as they get to know the vineyard better in the future.
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.