2018 Greystone Thomas Brothers' Reserve Pinot Noir, Waipara

This is a complex, age-worthy Pinot Noir with elegance and power; presenting distinct layers of fruit, savoury, earthy elements and oak spices; guided by a silky fine-grained textured line to a long sustained finish. Serve with game and chestnut stuffed chicken over the next 8-10 years. Picked from a single block, a mix of clone 5 and 115, 100% destemmed, fermented to 14% alc. Aged in French oak barrels for 15 months, 66% new barriques. Unfined and unfiltered. Vegan. BioGro organic certified.

19.5/20 points Raymond Chan Wine Reviews

Dark, light ruby-red colour, lighter on edge. The nose is alluring with a dusting of smoke and savoury earth elements, unveiling pickled mushroom, cherries and blackberries, entwined with fragrant oak spices. Medium-bodied, there is a good core of overall concentration. Ripened, fresh cherries and blackberries bearing buoyant acidity, entwined with savoury earth, pickled mushroom and delicate oak spices. The palate is elegantly presented with well-defined layers of complexity; unfolding dry herbs, licorice. The mouthfeel is silky, interweaved by a fine-grained tannin textured line; poise with structure and underlying alcohol, contributing spices and power.