Mt. Difficulty
2010 Central Otago Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir •Mt Difficulty Estate and Bannockburn
New Zealand: Central Otago
Mission Briefing
Essence of Otago
93 Points ~ Wine Spectator. 92 Points ~ The Age/Sydney Morning Herald 2013 Good Wine Guide Reviews. 5 Stars ~ Geoff Kelly. The list goes on and on.
Today’s Mt. Difficulty 2010 Central Otago Pinot Noir has won more awards (see the extensive list below) than we have ever seen for any other Otago Pinot. No wonder; this wine is truly fantastic!
Intriguing and delicious, this wine’s most striking attribute is its nearly perfect balance. Wines of Otago tend toward earthiness and this wine exhibits plenty of this, with the bright fruits and integrated tannins all working together to give the wine an elegant and harmonious overall appeal.
If you’ve never tried an Otago Pinot Noir, consider this one of the best chances you’ll ever have!
Tasting Profile
| Look: | Very dark with ruby edges that transition to a darker and slightly opaque heart. |
|---|---|
| Smell: | Shy at first, this wine springs to life with just a little coaxing (swirling). As it opens up, it reveals dark cherry, wild mushroom, eucalyptus, cedar and subtle European black licorice (not so sweet). |
| Taste: | Very dark on the palate with a ton of stewed, earthy, smoky fruit, led by dark plum, black cherry and giving way to cedar dried fall leaves, wild mushrooms and dark minerals. |
| Finish: | Very long and smoky, with concentrated stewed fruit flavors. At the very end, the European black licorice is back. This licorice flavor is completely unsweetened, and even very slightly briny. |
| Pairing: | Enjoy this deliciously dark wine with a barbecued, Provençal herb-rubbed chicken. |