Johner Estate Wairarapa Pinot Noir 2023

Johner Estate Wairarapa Pinot Noir is the entry point into a Wairarapa winery built on proper Burgundian instincts. German winemaker Karl Johner, who ran a respected estate in Baden before settling near Gladstone in 2001, set out to make Pinot Noir here with the same layered, savoury approach he brought from home - never chasing upfront fruit for its own sake. This bottling shows why: silky and supple in the mouth, with red and dark berry fruit wrapped around gentle spice and soft, well-integrated tannins, all lifted by a seam of fresh acidity that keeps things lively. It's approachable now, though there's enough structure here to reward a year or two of patience. A good, honest way into Wairarapa Pinot Noir.

What the winery says:

Johner Estate's Wairarapa Pinot Noir is sourced from vineyards around the estate's Gladstone base and matured in French oak for close to a year. It shows a bright ruby to garnet colour, with red and dark berry fruit layered with savoury spice. The palate is silky and supple, with soft, well-integrated tannins and fresh acidity that keeps the wine lively. It drinks well now, with enough structure to develop further over the next year or two.