Competition Awards
GOLD Medal 96/100 Decanter Asia Wine Awards 2018
TOP100 & BLUE GOLD Medal – Sydney International Wine Competition
Decanter Asia Wine Awards 2018 – GOLD Medal & 96/100
An intensely juicy fruit core of black cherry and plum with lifted exotic spice and an earthy undertone. Velvety tannins and vibrant acidity with a mineral soy finish. Lengthy and moreish.
Bob Campbell MW – The Real Review 95/100
Delicately-scented pinot noir with purity and power. It’s a good example of the fine, tight and often miner-laced styles found in the Alexandra Basin. An elegant wine that is a confident expression of place. May 2018.
The Real Review Certificate of Excellence and a place in the Top Wineries of New Zealand 2018.
Bob Campbell WM – Gourmet Traveller Wine 95/100: Aug/Sep 2018
Predictably good pinot noir from one of Alexandra’s top producers. It is delicately scented and has purity and power. Violet, cherry, savoury herb and mineral characters.
Michael Cooper – Michael Cooper’s Wine Buyer’s Guide to NZ Wines 5 Stars
Estate-grown in Alexandra, this is typically a wonderful buy. From vines planted in 2003, the 2016 vintage (5*) was fermented partly with indigenous yeasts and matured for 10 months in French oak barriques (29 per cent new). Bright ruby, with a richly perfumed bouquet, it is mouthfilling, with concentrated cherry, plum, spice and nut flavours, complex and savoury. Already delicious, it’s also well worth cellaring; open 2019+.
Classic Wine of New Zealand, Michael Cooper’s Buyers Guide 2018
Raymond Chan – Raymond Chan Wine Reviews 19.0/20
Dark, deep ruby-red colour with youthful purple hues, a little lighter on the rim. The nose is full and softly voluminous with bright and vibrant primary aromas of dark-red cherry and dark plum fruit entwined with violet florals and subtle notes of dark herbs. This combines youthful richness, ripeness and fragrance. Medium-bodied, the palate is bright, juicy, sweetly rich with vibrant and lively aromatic fruit flavours of dark-red berry fruit, with nuances of black fruits and dark-red plums, layered with subtle notes of violet florals and hints of thyme herb. The palate has mouthfilling fruit supported by supple tannin extraction, lending a rounded structure, with soft, balanced acidity. This has a fine core with excellent linearity, and the wine carries to long and sweet-fruited finish unveiling liquorice elements. This is a rich, plush, juicy and vibrant Pinot Noir with succulent dark berry and plum flavours with violet florals on a supple palate with a fine heart. Match with duck and pork, and beef and lamb dishes over the next 6 years. Clones 5, 777, 114, 115, Abel and 667, the fruit fully destemmed and fermented to 13.3% alc., the wine aged 10 months in 29% new French oak barriques. Apr 2018
Cameron Douglas MW – 93/100
Complex, ripe, varietal and significant bouquet with dark cherry and ripe wild raspberry aromas; a wild dry herb layer and measured barrel input. Dry on the palate with a very youthful grip with firm tannins and plenty of acidity – these ease to reveal ripe fruit flavours and a dried herb and wild thyme finish. Youthful with great potential. Best from 2019 through 2026. One for the cellar. Feb 2018
Australian Wine Review – Andrew Graham 18.5/20, 94/100
Top 100 winner. Always a nice wine and in good form.
Lovely nose – less of the red fruit compared to the wines around it, but with more palate weight. Whispers of cranberry, and meaty edges. It’s a lovely drinking Pinot, with a palate that feels full and convincing. Yes. https://www.ozwinereview.com/2…
Cuisine Wine Magazine
Crafted by the practised Pete Bartle, this Alexandra-grown pinot is poised, pure and vibrant. It flows with elegance and discipline, berryfruit and a touch of anise evident. “Well presented, with energy and panache” notes John Belsham. A bright, user-friendly style.
Tasting notes from the Sydney International Wine Competition 2019.
Wines are tasted initially for wine quality and the top 25% are then tasted with appropriate food. The judge’s notes highlight variation in individual taste perceptions. A Top100 rating and Blue Gold medal is awarded to less than the top 5% of wines. 2016 is the fifth vintage of Grasshopper Rock to make the Top100
- Stephen Wong MW, Second Term Panellist 2019 Competition.
A generous, decadent and voluptuous style of Pinot; sweet cinnamon oak, ripe Black Doris plum and black cherry flavours abound. Mouth-filling, creamy and fruit-driven, the palate is held in check by some late dark chocolate flavours which adds a welcome touch of balance. The sweet fruit style doesn’t really work with venison – duck would have been better. - Andrea Pritzker MW, Third Term Panellist 2019 Competition
Mocha cedar, chinotto aromas unfold to reveal a juicy and savoury palate with fine tannins, just falling away slightly on the finish. When paired with the venison the wine seemed both more juicy but also more chalky. - Warren Gibson, First Term Chairman of Judges, Eleventh Term Panellist 2019 Competition
Charry, lifted and pure. Very complex, plenty of fruit and other complexities in the background. Some firmness pokes through on the palate with the dish. - Corey Ryan, Second Term Panellist 2019 Competition
Brooding dark cherry, dank wintergreen notes, wet forest-floor undertones. Some oak nuances flinty spice chewy rounded great acid line texture. Sweet fleshy red fruits well textured rounded wine. The complexity of the wine is promoted by the dish. The shallot gravy lifts the wines herbal the acidity and subtle tannins working well with the venison texture. - Stuart James Halliday, Fourth Term Panellist 2019 Competition
A little more stalky on the palate, with some drying savoury tannins, slight chewiness at the end. The sweet/savoury nature of the dish really lifts the wine” - Susan Bastian , Fifth Term Panellist 2019 Competition
Mid garnet red. Blue flowers, red fruits and parsnip aromas. Delicate red fruits on plate with very silky tannin. This match does not quote work as it exacerbates wine tannin. - Mark Robertson, Eighth Term Panellist 2019 Competition
Darker brooding nose. Black fruits, DMS driven, matchy and forthright. Palate structured and blocky. Not veering into Dry Red but close. Ripe wine that still retains pinot ness. Not bad. With Food ? great. Spicy stalky palate really works well. Structure enhances fruit on the finish.