Escarpment Kupe Pinot Noir 2020

This is a big, austere Pinot that needs time. At the moment, it shows vineyard-floor characters, along with mint, cedar, dark chocolate and toasty oak. The cherry and cranberry fruit is almost an afterthought. The palate is tightly wound in chiseled, chalky tannins. With time in glass to aerate, the tangy fruit creeps to the fore. Structured for the long haul, this should start to reveal more of its charms in another few years. Drink 2024–2034.

Intensely spicy and perfumed with concentrated notes of purple plums, cherry stones, rosemary, neroli, cloves, cigar box and ground coffee. The tannins are firm and tightly-knit, providing a solid frame to the dark fruit. Sensual and distinctive. Try this from 2024. Screw cap.

The 2020 Kupe Pinot Noir is earthy and corporeal on the nose, with peat/undergrowth/lichen, a hint of black pudding, satsuma plum, black peppercorn and a hint of roast beef crust. I'm on and off this wine over the seasons, mainly due to the ripe/ribald fruit outlay; it can be such a big wine, and I tend to prefer the restraint of the Pahi or Te Rehua. However, this year it feels pretty balanced and in check, and the peaty character on the nose balances the fruit in the mouth, giving it an olive-green hue rather than brown or burgundy. Anyway, this is a lovely wine, showing well. 14.3% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.