New Zealand- Central Otago

One of the powerhouses of Pinot Noir in Central Otago is Valli wines. 

Grant Taylor began crafting wines in the region in 1993 when there were only 20 hectares planted. He established his own label in 1998 and named it after his Great-Great Grandfather who immigrated to New Zealand from an Italian winemaking background. Grant's aim was to capture and master all that the subregion had to offer. 

Valli now produce  single-vineyard Pinot Noirs from Bannockburn & Bendigo in Central Otago and the Waitaki Valley in North Otago, as well as Pinot Gris from Gibbston plus Riesling & Chardonnay from Waitaki. Plus a pretty special skin ferment Pinot Gris orange wine from Gibbston aka 'The Real McCoy'! 

Tastings of the Valli wines are available through the Kinross Cellar Door which is next to the Valli's Gibbston vineyard. The Kinross Cellar Door is newly opened & renovated wow is this place slick! The most beautiful wood finishes greet you as you enter a room with super tall ceilings and masses of natural light which is continued in the tasting room where we worked our way through all eight of the outstanding current release wines. 

The 2016 Out of the Shadows Pinot Noir was particularly special - this was only released in October 2022 and according to Grant 'every once in a while, there are a couple of special barrels a winemaker would like to bottle separately, hide in the warehouse, pull out of the shadows and share once they are approaching maturity'. Ageing is recommended for another 8-10 years to really experience the complexity of this wine. A bottle made it back safely to the UK in our fly with wine suitcase, but only time will tell if we can last that long before opening it!