2021 Bell Hill Pinot Noir

The Bell Hill Pinot Noir consistently cements its reputation as one of New Zealand’s most revered and collectible wines. The 2021 vintage threw some serious challenges at the team, with spring frosts causing up to 35% damage and a drawn-out flowering period significantly reducing yields. However, mild weather running into harvest, combined with painstakingly long hours on the sorting tables, ensured the remaining fruit was of exceptional quality.

This release is a masterful 13-barrel blend drawn from the Shelf, Quarry Rootlings and 10/5, Roadblock, and Slope parcels. The winemaking approach is highly focused: relying on natural vineyard yeasts, the fruit was mostly destemmed and spent between 28 to 33 days on skins. It was then basket-pressed straight to 100% new French oak for 12 months of maturation, before resting for a further eight months in tank to refine its texture.

With a minuscule 3,729 bottles produced, this is an incredibly rare and compelling Pinot. It opens with a pure, earthy bouquet of hibiscus, dried thyme, wild strawberry, and smoke. The palate is densely fruited and velvety, delivering ripe black raspberry and a bright hit of sour cherry. It wraps around you with warmth and flavour, driven by fresh acidity. As the Bell Hill team perfectly sums it up: "this wine is talking".

98 points & No. 6 in James Suckling's Top 100 Wines of New Zealand
"Stupendous and complex aromas of dried strawberries, smoke, oyster shells and rust follow through to a medium body with dusty, velvety tannins that give length and lift. Spicy at the end, with cloves and gunpowder."
- James Suckling

97 points
"Reticent and broodingly closed, this only reluctantly unfolds with extended time in the glass despite its age."
- Stephen Wong (The Real Review)