Martinborough Vineyard Te Tera Pinot Noir

When it comes to Pinot most of us think Otago – but don’t forget Martinborough! It was this region that put NZ Pinot Noir on the world wine map back in the 80s – and being the first to plant the grape in the area we can pretty much thank Martinborough Vineyards for that.

Their flagship Pinot Noir is top shelf stuff ($60-70) and a world famous name in Pinot Noir. In 2002 they decided to give it a little brother and sitting around the marketing table they scratched their heads wondering what to call the other one. “Eureka! Let’s call it The Other One!” (or “Te Tera” in Maori). Genius.

Te Tera literally means “the other” in Maori. So forget about the last one and get yourself the other. A soft, rich and savoury Pinot full of juicy dark berry fruit flavours.

This latest 2021 release has had a swanky makeover on the label but what’s going on inside the bottle is just as good as ever. Scoring 93/100 with Master of Wine Bob Campbell, Bob called it “A mix of floral and fruit flavours with red rose, violet, black Doris plum, dark cherry, fresh herbs and spicy oak characters. Weighty, textural wine that is deliciously drinkable now but should respond positively to a little bottle age.”