Sileni 'The Plateau' Pinot Noir 2005

Sileni 'The Plateau' Pinot Noir
2005
Martinborough
New Zealand
Lotte Dept Store, Myeongdong
W27,000(I think, it was reduced quite a lot)

Pinot Noir is never cheap. It is a difficult grape to grow but some argue it produces the worlds great wines. New Zealand, after its great success with Sauvignon Blanc is now carving out a solid reputation for growing Pinot. Martinborough and Central Ottago have probably the best reputation for Pinot in NZ.

I would love to be able to make this posting a comparison with great Red Burgundy. Unfortunately the prices are so prohibitive I can't. So, it will be a review solely based on its own merits.

Sileni do a great Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc for 21,000 and this is another good wine. It is a light ruby colour, it looks fruity and it smells fruity. Cherries and strawberries are really coming through and they smell juicy. Lovely, young, succulent fruit. Typical of a young Pinot.
This really follows through on the palate. It is a fruit burst with good acidity and very light and soft tannins. It is a short lived pleasure though, no lingering on the palate here. With the red fruit and refreshing acidity you have a wine of real balance that makes a lovely summery red. Slightly chilled, certainly cooler than room temperature, it is actually quite refreshing.

I think this is a great wine and a good example of how New Zealand is becoming a really great country to get fantastic varietal wines(a lot of superlatives in that sentence!). I was reading just yesterday about the exceptional Chardonnays that are coming out of NZ and will definitely be hunting some of these down.

Recommended.

Old World Vs New World later today with Bordeaux fighting it out with Australia for the Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc crown.