2021 Te Rehua
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Tasting notes
The 2021 Te Rehua Pinot Noir has got sensational mid-palate weight and clarity. It is pleasurable and spicy, littered with satsuma plum, hints of goji berry, pomegranate molasses and even a slather of black olive tapenade. It's in a really great place right now. 13.5% alcohol, sealed under screw cap. Te Rehua is a warmer site, resulting in blockier tannins and a riper fruit profile. Made with 38% whole bunch, it's from a massal selection and is a mix of clones—a bit of everything. It was plunged once daily and spent 22 days on the skins. Aging was in 37% new oak, with the balance being one- and two-year-old barrels. It spent 20 months in oak and was racked once that season, then bottled unfined and unfiltered. There were tiny yields this season.
Critic scores
Average Score
Rebecca Gibb MW, Vinous
Erin Larkin, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
The 2021 Pinot Noir Te Rehua has plentiful concentration but is not a big wine. It is purposeful and focused with plum stone fruit and oak-derived vanillins. The core is filled with fine, gravelly tannins that course through the wine and provide line, sinew and length. Festive spices provide a scented finish. A well-judged wine that's structurally complete.
About the producer
Based in Martinborough, Escarpment is one of New Zealand’s leading producers of Pinot Noir. The estate’s top cuvée Kupe is widely regarded as a benchmark example of the region’s potential for producing world-class Pinot Noir.