2024 Poppies Pinot Noir, Martinborough

It’s immensely seductive on the nose, with perfumed aromas of sweet cherry, wild strawberry, olive, fennel, and assorted nuts. The palate exhibits finesse, refinement, intensity, and drive, superbly framed by finely polished tannins. This is beautifully detailed with precision, finishing flatteringly classy with alluring complexity. At its best: 2027 to 2040

97 points Sam Kim wineorbit.co.nz

Deeply coloured. There is sappy, mouth-coating fruit: crunchy blackcurrant, tobacco leaf, black plum, mulberry and black cherry, trimmed in smoky wood. Youthfully closed, this is a sleek, dense pinot firmly in the purple fruited spectrum. The polished and concentrated palate burst with a clear, bell-like purity of fruit at the core, joined by flowing floral notes before landing on peppery spice and violet on the sustained finish. Gorgeously textured with crushed velvet balanced by freshness coming from juicy acidity. Surprisingly approachable for its expressive fruit now but there is the intensity and structure to meld and transform in the coming decade 08 Aug 2025 Drink 2025–2037

95 points Stephen Wong MW therealreview.com #1 of 15 2024 Pinot Noir from Martinborough

Ripe, intense, varietal and complex. The bouquet and colour are of a very youthful wine with layers of earth and mineral, wood spice and fruit spice, dark berries, boysenberry and plum. Earth smoke and wood smoke abound. A dry wine on the palate this is a wine of texture and mouthfeel first then flavours of dark berries, plum and wild flowers. Tannins are ripe, long chain and with lots of polish have both impact on the mouthfeel as well as complexity. Acidity is equally ripe and polished. A lovely example, youthful and detailed, a wine that should be in your cellar with best drinking from 2030 through 2040.

95 points Cameron Douglas MS camdouglasms.com

Poppies Pinot Noir from Martinborough is a wonderfully expressive and quietly seductive Pinot crafted by winemaker Poppy Hammond and viticulturist Shayne Hammond, whose tiny estate has become one of the region’s most beloved boutique producers. The fruit comes from mature vines on the famed Martinborough Terrace, a landscape of deep, free draining gravel, silt and ancient river stones. These soils are the secret to Martinborough’s success with Pinot: they give concentration without weight, fine tannins, and a mineral line that keeps the wines poised even in warmer years. Long, dry summers and the valley’s constant wind help the grapes ripen evenly while preserving beautiful natural acidity.

Poppies is known for a hands on, deeply attentive approach. Everything is picked by hand across multiple passes, sorted carefully, and fermented in small open vessels with wild yeasts. A portion of whole bunches adds floral lift and savoury tension while keeping the tannins supple. Maturation in French oak, mostly older barrels, builds quiet complexity without overt oak signature. The style is unmistakably Martinborough: perfumed, silky, savoury edged and firmly rooted in the terrace soils.

The aromatics are graceful and layered. Red cherry, raspberry and wild strawberry lead the way, woven with rose petals, pomegranate, cranberry and a twist of orange zest. Beneath the lifted fruit lie earthy notes of dried thyme, warm gravel, black tea leaf and a hint of forest floor. With more air, the wine gains depth, showing subtle spice, sandalwood, cocoa and a whisper of savoury smoke.

On the palate, the wine flows with silk. A core of red fruit glides across fine, chalk edged tannins, carried by bright acidity that brings energy and clarity. Flavours of cherry, redcurrant, spiced plum, cranberry and subtle herbal tones unfold in slow, elegant layers. The wine finishes long, pure and gently savoury, leaving impressions of red fruit, florals and that unmistakable Martinborough mineral thread. It has the balance to evolve beautifully for seven to ten years.

This style is a natural partner for duck with berry glaze, roast chicken, pork fillet, mushroom and thyme risotto, grilled salmon, charcuterie, soft washed rind cheeses, beetroot dishes or truffle scented pasta. A slight chill emphasises its perfume and freshness.