Clos Ostler Caroline’s Waitaki Valley Pinot Noir 2021

Clos Ostler Caroline’s Waitaki Valley Pinot Noir 2021"Seductive and immensely complex, the enticing bouquet shows dark berry, dried porcini, warm spice and cedar characters. The palate exhibits outstanding concentration and depth, gracefully framed by rich texture and beautifully melded tannins. Plush and seamless with an impressively long, expansive finish. At its best: now to 2036" Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, Mar 2024 "Complex, pure and enticing bouquet of mineral chalky soils and ripe fruits of dried

"Seductive and immensely complex, the enticing bouquet shows dark berry, dried porcini, warm spice and cedar characters. The palate exhibits outstanding concentration and depth, gracefully framed by rich texture and beautifully melded tannins. Plush and seamless with an impressively long, expansive finish. At its best: now to 2036" Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, Mar 2024

"Complex, pure and enticing bouquet of mineral chalky soils and ripe fruits of dried raspberry and dark cherry, boysenberry and soft dried herbs suggesting sage and thyme. The use of oak is specific and precise with scents of mostly new barrel with some older. As the wine touches the palate the flavours of oak strike first then give way to the core fruit and mineral flavours from the bouquet then dried herb and savory complexities. There’s a tautness to the palate with an abundance of polished tannins and barrel spice, plenty of acidity and a complex finish. A wine for the cellar with best drinking likely from 2028 through 2038+" Cameron Douglas, Master Sommelier, Mar 2024

"Dense, intense pinot noir with cherry/berry, spicy/smoky oak, cassis, and a lingering fruity finish. Tight, compact wine with pleasing layers and a taut structure that shows exciting bottle maturation potential" Bob Campbell, Master of Wine, Real Review, Mar 2024

"Deep crimson with a hint or purple, lighter on the rim. The bouquet is captivating, with sweet and delicate aromas of cherry, raspberry, floral, herb and savoury attributes. Medium-bodied, aromas of Morello cherry and raspberry entwined with cherry blossom, cinnamon, thyme, hibiscucus tea and black pepper. A chalky mineral texture coats the palate along with silky tannins braided with lacy acidity, carrying a refined, extended, mesmerising finish" Candice Chow, Raymond Chan Reviews

The wine is satisfyingly saturated full ruby/purple colour. Generously proportioned with black fruit, Damson plum and Bing cherry at the core, seasoned with perfumed clove, anise and black pepper top notes all underpinned by a lovely savory maritime character to give the wine intrigue. The oak is fine, fresh and subtly toasty that integrates beautifully into the bouquet. In the mouth the wine is deceptively full bodied, showing density and concentration of those beautiful fruits and spice that lie back into a structural framework of fine, supple tannins and lacy acidity which flow through the wine; a graceful line running long and poised.

After a year in bottle this wine is beatifully integrated, the concentrated ripeness sitting in a well-porportioned frame. It is a classic Caroline's and a very worhty successor to the 2020 showing the distinct signature of both the terroir and the region.

The sun in the summer of 2020-2021 gave our vines great energy, with only a little rain fall and westerly wines. The autumn ripened perfectly concentrated petits grains a little earlier than usual in early April. Hand-picked by clone and destemmed to open topped fermenters, hane pigeage for 3 weeks primary fermentation then pressed to 20% new Burgundian barrels for 15months elevage.