Tasting Note:
This is a very stylish, plump and fleshy pinot that has a sweetly spicy, floral and fragrant nose with ripe red and dark cherries, as well as sappy, forest leaves and gentle, earthy tones. Complex, young and fresh. The palate has such supple and sappy cherries and blueberries with a fresh, tangy line of acidity and a long, polished finish. Impressive. Drink or hold. Screw cap. - 97/100 - James Suckling
Smells so good, these are aromatics that you want to dive into. Beautifully sculpted, with waves of redcurrant, blueberry, peach blossom, lemongrass and gunsoke that roll around the palate, the definition of retro-olfaction. So gulpable, and full of generous but delicate Pinot Noir chracter. The name, by the way, means love in the Maori language. Harvest March 20, after a great vintage in New Zealand, up there with the excellent 2019. 70% whole bunch. 34% new oak. - 95/100 - Jane Anson
The 2020 Pinot Noir Aroha Te Muna Road Vineyard is a serene, mouthcoating style that soothes your palate and could be served to the sound of pan pipes. It conveys a sense of rich, unadulterated fruit and broadens in the mouth before the combination of acidity and drawn-out gravelly tannins pulls the wine together, lending purpose and freshness. Expect strawberry fruit alongside lifted herbal and violet tones (courtesy of a whopping 70% whole bunch – this was a ripe vintage, and winemaker Grounds felt it needed this for moreishness). Wild-fermented in French oak barrels and matured over 14 months before bottling, the oak is well integrated, supporting discreetly rather than standing out. Note that this is the first time Aroha has been made without any Abel clone fruit, because there was rain when it was ripening and Grounds felt it lacked the “excitement” to go in the blend. - 95/100 - Vinous, Rebecca Gibb