Rippon Vineyard - Pinot Noir Mature Vines 2020 (750ml)
Price: $77.99
| Producer | Rippon Vineyard |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Region | New Zealand |
| Varietal | Pinot Noir |
| Vintage | 2020 |
| Sku | 201197 |
| Size | 750ml |
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Rippon Vineyard Description
The Rippon vineyard site has been in the Mills family for four generations. The story began in 1912 when Sir Percy Sargood bought a high-country station on the western flanks of Lake Wanaka, spanning all of what is central Wanaka today. When he died, much of the land had to be sold to cover death duties. Thirty years later, Percy’s grandson Rolfe was a submarine lieutenant in the Second World War. While on duty, Rolfe spent some time off the Atlantic coast of Portugal. The schist slopes of the Douro valley reminded him of home and sparked the first beginnings of an idea.
After the war, Rolfe returned to the family import/export wine business. It wasn’t until 1975, thirty years after his time in Portugal while running the farm as an angora goat stud, that he and his wife Lois decided to plant some experimental vines. Seeing that they had taken, the family – Rolfe, Lois, and their three children– moved to France for a year to try their hand at winemaking.
They returned to New Zealand and in 1982 began the commercial planting of the 15ha (approximately 37 acres) that today comprise Rippon. At the beginning, around 30 varieties were planted, including Pinot Noir, Riesling, and Gewürztraminer which are today their flagship grapes. Lois and Rolfe Mills are recognized as part of the ‘first five’ pioneers of the modern Central Otago wine industry. Their son, Nick Mills, has been winemaker for Rippon since 2003.
The farm voice of a distinct parcel of land: Rippon. On the western board of Roy’s Bay, Lake Wānaka, Rippon’s north-facing escarpment forms the meeting point of terminal moraines and coarse gravels, all based in schist, on which some of the region’s earliest vines were planted. Rippon is a wine issued from all of the fully developed Pinot Noir vines growing in this land.
Wine Advocate: 93+ Points
The 2020 Rippon Mature Vine Pinot Noir is restrained on the nose, with an earthy (i.e., of the earth, gray rocks, etc.) countenance that I find highly engaging. In the mouth, the fruit comes alive with cherry and cranberry, pomegranate pearls, graphite and pencil lead, layers of black tea, coal dust and brine. This is dark without being heavy or dense, and it’s very fine. The silty tannins linger through the finish and seem to settle on the palate, which is pleasurable. It's fresh, and it's restrained and composed. An exciting wine.
Vinous: 92 Points
Mellow and tender, the 2020 Pinot Noir Mature Vine gently slides across the palate. Seamless and suave, it is concentrated, complex and balanced. There's juicy, approachable fruit within its cherry fruity, savory core with an herbal element joining spiced, cedar characters on the finish. Fine pinprick-like tannins provide a gentle layer of texture on the scented finish. The 2020 can be approached in youth, but it has the integrity to evolve gracefully in the coming decade.
