When the weather is just right—typically warm years—Gibbston can excel. Valli's 2018 Gibbston Vineyard Pinot Noir offers up a stunning array of herbal-floral aromas, hinting at roses, tea and mint, all backed by a core of red cherries. It's medium-bodied, silky and fine, with plentiful (but ripe) tannins. The 31% new French oak is scarcely noticeable, submerged under the waves of fruit-driven complexity, and the 30% whole-bunch component is similarly well integrated. What a beauty!

Raspberry coulis, cherry and cranberry flavors leap out of the glass with fragrant intensity. Rose petal, white pepper and nutmeg details linger on the finish. Starts out creamy, but the tannins show terrific structure on the finish. Drink now through 2031. 1,832 cases made, 52 cases imported.??–MW??Region: New Zealand / Central Otago Select to Add