2022 Waitaki Pinot Noir, Valli

Valli Vineyards, founded in 1998 by renowned winemaker Grant Taylor, is dedicated to expressing the unique terroirs of Central Otago through single-vineyard winemaking. Grant is a four-time winner of the prestigious International Winemaker of the Year award at the IWC in London.  He has been instrumental in shaping Central Otago’s global Pinot Noir reputation over the last 4 decades.  Since 2015, winemaker Jen Parr has collaborated with Taylor, bringing a shared commitment to producing wines that embody honesty, integrity, and a true sense of place.

The 2022 Valli Waitaki Pinot Noir is a wine of striking poise and aromatic complexity, capturing the unique energy of this limestone-rich region. It shimmers in the glass with a translucent garnet hue, inviting you into a beguiling bouquet of wild strawberry, pomegranate, and pink pomelo, delicately threaded with wild thyme, cedar, and a smoky hint of gunflint. The palate is equally compelling, with layers of cardamom, allspice, damson plum, tart cherry, and fresh strawberry unfurling in seamless succession. Sleek and finely tuned, the wine’s lithe frame is supported by silky tannins and a bright, mineral-driven acidity that leads to a long, savoury finish marked by a signature saline lift. Intense fragrance, savoury nuance, and electric vitality define this exceptional Pinot Noir, mesmerising now, with the structure and balance to evolve beautifully over 15+ years.