Valli Bendigo Vineyard Pinot Noir 2021

VALLI is the personal vocation of pioneering winemaker Grant Taylor. Grant’s name is synonymous with Otago Pinot Noir. He has been crafting wines there since 1993 when there were only 20 ha planted – today there are over 2000. Grant founded VALLI in 1998 with the intention to produce single vineyard Pinot Noirs highlighting the different characteristics of Otago’s sub regions. More than 20 years later, VALLI is doing just that, producing single-vineyard pinot noirs from Gibbston, Bannockburn, and Bendigo in Central Otago and the Waitaki Valley in North Otago, as well as a dry Pinot Gris from Gibbston and a Riesling from Waitaki. In 2015, established Otago winemaker Jen Parr joined Grant in the winery, where the two aim to create wines with honesty, integrity, and most of all, a sense of place. When you drink a Valli wine, you are enjoying more than just a wine: you are experiencing a place.

The higher elevation of this site in Bendigo means slightly cooler temperatures, which is important in these warmer sub regions, and good airflow, helping to prevent rots and mould. The wines from this very warm part of Otago have been described as "big friendly beasts". They are dark, rich, lush wines capturing the rock-reflected heat and ripeness of this special site. The grapes for the Valli Bendigo Vineyard Pinot Noir 2021 were handpicked before being fermented with 60% whole bunch fruit in French oak (31% new oak) for 11 months before being bottled unfined and unfiltered. 

Bright garnet hue with an array of savoury, dark fruit, and floral aromas including forest floor, plum, mushroom, ripe cherry, cedar, raspberry, and azalea. The palate is equally complex with layers of dark fruit, spice, and umami that are woven together by a fresh vein of acidity. The texture is rich and mouth-filling with silky, fine tannins that build in the mouth giving a long, memorable finish. Powerful yet inviting, this is another vintage of quintessential Bendigo Pinot with a tangy freshness that comes from grapes grown at elevation. This wine is captivating yet approachable in its youth, and should develop beautifully for 12+ years.

Richly fruited and engaging, the wine shows dark cherry, smoked game, clove, cedar and floral aromas, followed by a sumptuous palate that’s both powerful and refined. Superbly structured by layers of fine tannins and silky texture, finishing impressively long and satisfying. At its best, now to 2036. - Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, 97 Points 

The Finer Details
Style - Red Wine
Varietal -  Pinot Noir
Country - New Zealand
Region - Central Otago 
Vintage - 2021
Bottle Size - 750ml
ABV - 14.0%