The 2016 Muirkirk Vineyard Pinot Noir comes from vines along Felton Road. It's faintly herbal and floral yet also plummy and rich, with ripe black cherries, cola and spice elements all mingling harmoniously on the medium to full-bodied palate. The tannins are plentiful but silky, lingering on the finish.

Muirkirk is located in the Bannockburn subregion, next to Felton Road. The 2015 Muirkirk Vineyard Pinot Noir is a slightly darker style than the other Mount Edward wines, with plummy fruit and notions of cola and spice. It's a medium to full-bodied wine, with supple tannins that maybe aren't as silky-fine as those found in Gibbston wines, but they ripen more reliably.

Pale ruby-purple, the 2012 Muirkirk Pinot Noir has a yeasty nose over notes of mulberries, roses and raspberry leaves plus an undercurrent of Provence herbs. Medium bodied with a good backbone of grainy tannins and fresh acid, it finishes long and minerally.

Deep ruby-purple in color, the 2010 Muirkirk Vineyard Pinot Noir is a little reduced on the nose to begin with, dense aromas of tar, black cherries, blackberries and mulberries highlighted by touches of earth, meat and cloves. Medium-bodied and quite elegant in mouth, it is concentrated, crisp, and has a low to medium level of very fine tannins. It finishes long and should age gracefully, cellaring to 2019+. All but one of the Mount Edward vineyards and wineries are operated organically, with the Morrison and Drumlin vineyards also certified Bio Gro organic and the Stevens’ Vineyard sustainably farmed. The Morrison vineyard, located in the Lowburn subregion of Central Otago, has 15-year-old Pinot Noir vines along with aromatic Riesling and Gruner Veltliner vines that are less than 10 years old. The Muirkirk Vineyard is located on Felton Road in the Bannockburn subregion and harvests fruit from 13-year-old vines. The certified organic Drumlin Vineyard has the oldest vines, aged 18 years. Importer: Tamalpais Wine Agency, Richmond, CA.

There is a noticeable difference in fruit intensity between the 2008 Muirkirk Vineyard and the regular bottling. With a judicious 13.8% alcohol, it is adorned with ripe wild strawberry, raspberry coulis, blueberry and black plum vying for attention on the nose. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, not quite the harmony and cohesion of the Morrison Vineyard Pinot, but very delineated with an attractive pointed, bay leaf finish. It reminds me of a fine Auxey-Duresses. Just 80 cases produced. Drink now-2016. Gibbston’s ‘Mount Edward Winery’ deserves a higher profile given the quality of its wines. Alas they are produced in such small quantities they will inevitably be deprive a large audience who can appreciate the winemaking skills of Duncan Forsyth and his team. The special vineyard bottles are fascinating, demonstrating that the Cote d’Or does not have the exclusivity on terroir-driven Pinot Noirs. The scary thing is that Mount Edward’s wines? They are only going to get better. Importer: Tamalpais Wine Agency, Richmond, CA.