2010 Ostler, Caroline's Pinot Noir, Waitaki Valley, New Zealand
Critics reviews
..when you taste the 2010 vintage of Ostler Vineyards’ Caroline’s Pinot Noir you know in a single sip why Waitaki Valley is a rare and remarkable region. What’s it got? It has what Pinot Noir lovers around the world know are the two magic words:coolness and limestone I’ve tasted three vintages of the Ostler Caroline’s Pinot Noir (2008, 2009 and 2010), and based on that sampling I can testify that the stunning 2010 is no anomaly. The same features keep showing up in the wine: striking minerality; crisp, refreshing acidity; and a pure, beautifully delineated panoply of the grape’s signature berry flavors.
My Wines of the Year - Matt Kramer - Wine Spectator - Dec-2013
Olly Smith - The Mail On Sunday - March 2014
About this WINE
Ostler Vineyard
In 1998 soon-to-be-brothers-in-law Jim Jerram, a doctor in charge of Student Health at Otago University, Dunedin and Jeff Sinnott, Amisfield (and formerly Isabel) winemaker/Viticulturalist discussed the possibilities of planting grapes on a limestone escarpment in the Waitaki Valley which forms the border between Canterbury and Otago provinces. They eventually bought land in 2001 and planted their first block of Pinot Noir in August 2002. Jim Jerram is the leading pioneer of the developing Waitaki Valley viticultural region. His Ostler label is based in the hamlet of Kurow (where Richie McCaw played his first rugby) and has developed a fine reputation for pinot noir from Caroline’s vineyard (planted 2002) and aromatic whites from a variety of sources such as Blue House Vines.
It is still early days, but the vines have now had just enough time to begin to feel at home in this unexplored environment. Not only did the Caroline's Pinot Noir 2010 win gold at the International Wine Challenge in London but it followed up with a gold medal again at Decanter’s World Wine awards.
The name for the Ostler Vineyard comes from Jim’s great-grandfather, William Ostler, who came from Yorkshire to this area in the 1850s.The Waitaki climate is cooler than Central Otago, thanks to afternoon easterly breezes sucked in from the coast. However the ripening season is longer and so far with lower frost risks.
Stylistically the toothsome Ostler Pinot Noir bears more than a passing resemblance to the crunchy wines of Beaune, than to either of its Kiwi neighbours. There has been a lot of hype about the new wine growing region in the Waitaki Valley, which forms the border between Canterbury and Otago provinces on the South Island.
Waitaki Valley
New Zealand's newest wine region, Waitaki is an breathtakingly beautiful, remote valley between Canterbury and Central Otago. The challenging climate (constant risk of severe frost) has earned the region the distinction of being a marginal viticultural area, with Pinot Noir grapes being the star performer.
The area was first planted in 2001 and the vineyards are mostly small, intensively managed and produce a range of distinctive cool climate wines (Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Riesling and Gewürtztraminer, with a small quantity of Arneis).
Brothers-in-law Jeff Sinnott and Jim Jerram have been the pioneers in Waitaki. In 2002 they founded Ostler Wines to produce distinctive, low-yielding, cool climate wines.
The resulting long and slow fruit ripening process, and the region's complex geological origins (with limestone, alluvial greywacke and schist soils) contribute to wines that demonstrate a distinctive minerality and freshness of fruit flavours.
These wines frequently possess a notable lingering finish on the palate in addition to fragrant aromatics. Gewürztraminer is especially fragrant, with rose petals, lychee, cinnamon & ginger characters.
Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir is probably the most frustrating, and at times infuriating, wine grape in the world. However when it is successful, it can produce some of the most sublime wines known to man. This thin-skinned grape which grows in small, tight bunches performs well on well-drained, deepish limestone based subsoils as are found on Burgundy's Côte d'Or.
Pinot Noir is more susceptible than other varieties to over cropping - concentration and varietal character disappear rapidly if yields are excessive and yields as little as 25hl/ha are the norm for some climats of the Côte d`Or.
Because of the thinness of the skins, Pinot Noir wines are lighter in colour, body and tannins. However the best wines have grip, complexity and an intensity of fruit seldom found in wine from other grapes. Young Pinot Noir can smell almost sweet, redolent with freshly crushed raspberries, cherries and redcurrants. When mature, the best wines develop a sensuous, silky mouth feel with the fruit flavours deepening and gamey "sous-bois" nuances emerging.
The best examples are still found in Burgundy, although Pinot Noir`s key role in Champagne should not be forgotten. It is grown throughout the world with notable success in the Carneros and Russian River Valley districts of California, and the Martinborough and Central Otago regions of New Zealand.
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Description
This cool-climate, east New-Zealand coast wine estate is underpinned by a streak of pure limestone rock, giving the wine a Côte de Beaune feel, yet accompanied by some charmingly complex notes of red currants and raspberry confit over underbrush, dried bay leaves and spices. In the mouth, it has crisp acidity, silky tannins and mineral persistence. This is wonderful and very game friendly.
Cool spring weather led to a small fruit set and tiny berries, but there were no problems later in the year and a warm finish to the season provided excellent conditions to make fine wine. The 2010 has a relatively dense purple red colour, by Ostler standards, but the key to this is the hauntingly beautiful perfume of the bouquet. Fruit and structure are seamlessly integrated on the palate – it is absolutely singing at the moment and should hold together well for quite a few years. Drink now - 2016
Jasper Morris MW, Berrys' New Zealand Buyer, June 2013
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