2017 Mt Difficulty Bannockburn Long Gully Pinot Noir, Central Otago

Smooth-textured and quite concentrated single-vineyard wine with rich, ripe plum, cherry/berry flavours together with a savoury influence from ripe fruit and bottle-age. Complex and deliciously accessible wine 10 JAN 2023 Drink 2023–2027

95 points Bob Campbell MW therealreview.com

Long Gully Pinot Noir is hand crafted in very limited quantities and only released in outstanding vintages. Crisp, dark, stella cherry notes sit alongside an assemblage of earthy, savoury brown spices with a background mocha element. These same lifted dark cherry along with lighter red cherry notes dominate the entry onto the palate; there’s a classic Long Gully dense mid-palate with flow and texture. The wine finishes strongly with a lovely tension present right through the fine-grained tannins and spicy dark berry fruit.

Mt Difficulty Long Gully Pinot Noir will improve for 10 – 15 years given optimal cellaring conditions.