Wine – 2004 Carrick “Unravelled” Central Otago Pinot Noir
I’ve been hearing a tonne about wines from the Central Otago area of New Zealand… and with the Pinot kick I’ve been on for a while, I figured it was high time to give one a try.
The two factors that had been standing in my way of going to town on a few of them are:
- They’re tough to find – I’ve only seen a few in town. C’mon wine buyers, get on the wine trend wagon.
- When I have found them, they tend to be pricey. The cheapest ones run ~$45.
So, after a phenomenally odd career day – another story entirely – I figured tonight was as good a time as any to track down a Central Otago Pinot Noir to try. This was the one I chose.
OK, I’ll get right into it. It’s medium red in colour, has got 14% booze, a nose that is a bit oaky and shows a lot of dark cherry along with some leather and tar (with some fumes from the booze)… and you know what? It has a twist-top. After all the corked bottles I’ve had in the past year, I like that. Traditionalists be damned.
What does it taste like? Well, it is tasty… there’s strawberry, dark cherry, and edge of that tar I already mentioned with some lightly tongue-gripping tannins holding it all together.
It’s a good wine…. just not a blow-me-away wine. Would I buy it again? Probably not, but I’m glad I tried it. This is a great food-friendly sipper – it’s just a bit expensive for what you get in the glass. There are much better wines for less money.
~$40 in private wine shops here in BC.
