2010 Rippon Emma’s Block Lake Wanaka Central Otago Pinot Noir

14.0% alc., $75. Imported by Station Imports, Colorado Springs, CO. Sourced from mature vines in a unique parcel within Rippon’s vineyard. The parcel is eastward facing on the lakefront with clay reefs running through schist gravels. The block is named after the great-great-great-grandmother of the current generation of the Mills family who own the winery. Aged 17 months in French oak barrels. Unfined and unfiltered. · Dark reddish-purple color in the glass. Penetrating aromas of deep, dark cherries and black raspberries with hints of peat, loam and oak. Richly endowed core of earthy, dark berry fruits underlain with bright acid tension and a substantial tannic backbone, finishing with uncommon length. More savory and earthy than the Tinker’s Field bottling. Very juicy, with well-managed oak. Softer in the mouth with more appeal the following day from a previously opened and re-corked bottle. Decant if you must drink now, but more bottle aging is preferable. Score: 94. Reviewed September 5, 2013

Winery: Rippon
From article: Checking in Down Under