Pinot Noir Tuturi, Alexandra, Wild Irishman 2022

"Wild Irishman" is the Anglo word for a native bush that grows here in New Zealand. "Tūturi" is another name for this plant. The 2022 Tūturi Pinot Noir is composed of clones 115 and 667 planted on the home vineyard in the Alexandra Basin. On the nose, there's blond tobacco, graphite, cranberry, ferrous and fresh blood, violets, Christmas cherry, blood orange acidity and a host of other characters. The wine has energy and life. It's a beauty. 13.5% alcohol, sealed under screw cap. DSrink 2023 - 2035.

The 2022 Tūturi spins an intriguing web of aromas with its savory notes and herbal characters, joining cranberry fruit and black cherry cola. There are oak-derived spices on the scented finish, but it supports rather than fights the fruit. This tranquil wine fills the mouth with a sense of ease and calm, such as its seamless texture and harmony. It's a wine without angles, holding plentiful concentration within its quietly composed core. Assured and becoming, very fine tannins grip the front palate on the medium-long finish. It does all feel rather fragile, however, and I'd probably look at an initial drinking window of now to eight years. 2024 - 2030