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There are Pinots that gently introduce themselves, and then there are Pinots that make the room go quiet for a moment: Valli’s Bannockburn sits firmly among the latter. Bannockburn, the original Central Otago subregion for Pinot Noir, is famed for clay-schist soils and sun drenched, cool-climate vines—and winemaker Grant Taylor’s assured touch means every bottle is as much about place as it is about grape.
APPEARANCE >
In the glass, Valli’s Bannockburn Pinot Noir is a vivid ruby—radiant and translucent, flecked with those garnet halos that Central Otago does so well. There’s an immediate visual brightness; swirl it and you’ll notice slow, elegant legs, promising both ripeness and finesse.
NOSE >
Aromatically, this is classic Otago but with impressive restraint. Boysenberry and wild cherry lead; underneath: violet, damson plum, and a delicate framing of thyme. There’s a savoury thread, too—earth, a flicker of cured meat, and subtle spice—suggesting time in French oak and a deft hand in the cellar. Each inhale hints at further depths yet to be revealed.
PALATE >
On the palate, poise is the watchword. It opens with energy: tart black cherry, pit fruit, and a hint of cranberry rush in, woven with sarsaparilla, aniseed, and faintly toasty oak. Tannins are present but silky, wrapped in plush fruit, tapering to a mineral, almost saline finish. There’s complexity here—a wine that keeps drawing you back to decode its matrix of red fruit, fine acidity, and savoury undertow.
PAIRING >
A Pinot of this pedigree is at home beside duck breast or tea-smoked quail, but it thrives with simple roast chicken and wild mushroom risotto, where earthiness and umami find an echo in the glass.
VERDICT >
Move over Felton Road, the Valli Bannockburn Pinot Noir is stella, its a benchmark for Central Otago: vibrant, layered, and brimming with a sense of place. It’s the sort of wine you pull for a meaningful dinner—or just as readily, for a Tuesday dusk when you need to remember the world’s small luxuries. Aging potential is real (cellar 5–7 years if you can restrain yourself), but it’s a beauty even now, crackling with the paradox of power and grace.
