There’s no doubt about it, this beauty from Palliser Estate is some of the most seriously complex pinot that comes out of Martinborough. And that says a lot, as the region is quickly becoming a rival (and some would say surpassing) to Central Otago for quality pinot out of New Zealand. It’s so immensely aromatic - fennel, anise, cinnamon, orange peel, raspberry, etc. - and continues with this profile on the palate, one that is full of texture, fine tannin, silkiness and minerality.

Attention to detail is the key here, with a blend of five pinot clones, all hand-picked from vines over 20 years of age. Wild yeast is utilised for fermentation with each clone going through the transformation in isolation. Once blended, the wine sees a year in French oak, building character and tension. You might think you’d have to visit Burgundy to taste a wine of this complexity, but skip the jet lag and enjoy something special and memorable at home.

It’s hard to say what hasn’t already been said about this wine, when so many people have written so many glowing reviews! Cameron Douglas called it “youthful yet entirely engaging” and Sam Kim said “richly opulent yet impeccably structured and seamlessly harmonious”. Produced since 2002, and only in the best years, this is Trinity Hill’s absolute statement wine on the ability for the Hawke’s Bay region to excel with syrah. You’d expect nothing less from such a great producer in the famed Gimblett Gravels subregion - it is an absolutely superb expression of the grape. Wine reviewer Joelle Thomson thinks it’s the best vintage yet of the wine, and we agree. For long-time lovers of the wine, you may notice that it’s the first release under screwcap.