Escarpment Kupe Pinot Noir 2016

From a closely planted vineyard on Te Muna Road, the 2016 Kupe Pinot Noir offers an incredible bouquet of lavender potpourri and ripe black cherries. It's full-bodied and rich without seeming heavy at all, the ripeness balanced by fresh notes of herbs and soft tannins. No doubt some purists will quibble with the level of ripeness (it's labeled at 14.5% alcohol), but to my mind, there is no arguing with the hedonistic pleasure ride this wine delivers. And while it's approachable now, the tannins that appear on the finish suggest at least a decade of positive evolution ahead. - Joe Czerwinski. 

Exceptionally complex, spicy and ripe, this delivers profoundly concentrated and pure black cherries with plenty of sweet spice and an ethereal, undergrowth edge. Smoothly rendered and delivered in a very deep-set, black-cherry palate. Inviting and dense, this really delivers in 2016. Superb. Drink in 2022.

The Kupé vineyard was originally planted on its own roots in 1999, and is now slowly being replanted due to phylloxera - damn aphid. The 2016 season was warm and dry, producing a complex and harmonious wine here. Escarpment is known for its use of whole bunches, and this contains a whopping 70%. The wine fills the mouth with fragrances of pure damson, with spicy cinnamon and herbal elements. An abundance of resolved tannins coats the palate, melting harmoniously on the long, drawn out, tea-leaf finish.