Tarras Central Otago Pinot Noir 2021

As a five-year-old, The Canyon brings both stature and structure to this totally seamless Pinot showing. We don’t get to enjoy Central Otago with this kind of bottle age too often, so this is a real treat, a special occasion wine if ever there was one. Aromas are beautifully, artfully set in place – dark cherries, blueberries, damson plums, dried herbs, orange rind, toasty spices, biscuity plum slice. Connected by fine, earthy tannins, the palate carries all before it, dense, layered and smooth, with a Central-style mineral charm. It comes across as a vibrant acidity balancing the ripe, concentrated nature of the wine and also allowing the kind of ageing potential it clearly possesses. Delivered with class and long, herbal-edged finish. Drink by: 2026-2033. (Jeni Port,winepilot.com,May 2026)