Framingham, Pinot Noir, Marlborough, New Zealand 2009

What’s in the bottle? Translucent ruby color with bright reflections in the glass. Loads of cherry, cranberry, rhubard and POM pomegranate juice in the sniffer. Slightly reductive at first probably because of the Stelvin closure (screw cap) that displays some cabbage and sulfur notes, but that blows off after a few minutes. In the mouth it is light bodied, bone dry and shows its youthfulness through high toned red cherry and raspberry jolly rancher candy flavors. The wine has loads of complexity and shows some camphor, clove, pine needle, fresh rosemary and Chinese 5-spice notes. It is both fruity and savory at the same time. It has a very nice finish with a slightly elevated alcohol note.

Knowledge: New Zealand is divided into two Islands know as North Island and South Island for obvious reasons. The South Island is much cooler than most people imagine and is a breeding ground for great Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Riesling and the Queen of New Zealand; Sauvignon Blanc. These grapes do very well in cooler growing regions. In fact the region of Central Otago on New Zealand’s South Island is the most southern growing region in the WORLD.

Service: Large bowled, thin lipped Burgundy shaped glasses at about 60° F. Nice wine for a warm spring day to share with Mom. Happy Mother’s Day to all of the Mom’s out there following VinoSOS! This is your day, Drink Exceptionally!

What to eat? Beet Salad with Goat Cheese and an Aged Balsamic Dressing.

Retail Price: $24.99

Found it @:

Fine Wines Unlimited
1021 Oyster Bay Road (Route 106)
East Norwich, NY 11732
(516)922-6150

For the Geeks like Me: Vines were planted in the early 1980’s on phylloxera resistant rootstock (believed to be the first in New Zealand to do this) on an old river bed. The soils are a mix of river stones and alluvial silt. The property was planted and is owned by a British man names Rex Brooke-Taylor who named the winery after his home town of Framingham in the UK. Some of the grapes are sourced from other vineyards in Marlborough but the winery does produce mostly estate wines.