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2020 RIPPON 'Rippon' Mature Vine Pinot Noir, Lea & Sandeman

RIPPON

2020 'Rippon' Mature Vine Pinot Noir

IN STOCK
Grapes Pinot Noir
Colour Red
Origin New Zealand, South Island
Other Bio-dynamic
ABV 13.5%

Extremely perfumed with a pretty ripeness and clarity, offering plums and al-dente strawberries. Some cantaloupe, too. It's medium- to full-bodied with juicy fruit that's lovely and open. You want to drink it now. And do. Crunchy yet velvety and caressing in the mouth-feel from the lovely, open tannins. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification. Best in a year or two, but right on. Rating: 97 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Sept 2024)

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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. 13.5% alcohol, sealed under Diam. "2020 is like a fresh, low metabolism year I would say," says Nick Mills, owner/winemaker, with smaller yields and a cooler vintage. "The wines are like the farm voice. It's a Steiner version of terroir, the farm individuality. We farm the land, which has its own individuality. The expression is something we can taste and feel," explains Nick. The vineyard was planted between 1982 and 2000. The wine was all estate fruit, handpicked, biodynamically farmed and micro-fermented, spending 14-28 days on skins using ambient wild ferments. It spent two winters in barrel—15% to 20% new in the first winter and completely neutral oak in the second winter. Bottled unfined and unfiltered, it spent two years in bottle prior to release. Drinking range: 2023 - 2035 Rating: 93+ Erin Larkin, www.RobertParker.com (Dec 2023)

Rippon

Nick Mills returned home after several years away, working with the likes of Alain and Sophie Meunier at Domaine JJ Confuron, and Pascal Marchand (late of Domaine Comte Armand and then at Domaine de la Vougeraie). This experience with some of the leading players in Burgundy fired him up with enthusiasm, and we are already seeing the fruits of his experience in the changes in viticulture (to bio-dynamism) and the increased depth of mineral complexity in the wines.

Nick Mills on Biodynamics: 'Granted custodianship over this very special piece of land, the family's principle goal is to create vins de terroir, wines that are an accurate reflection of their surroundings. It is the micro-life in our soils which, in their ability to metabolise minerals into a form that vines can assimilate, are the link in between plants and the earth. This simple biology is the essential framework in producing a wine which is true to its soil and site. With this understanding comes an absolute respect for the land and life therein and it is for this reason that Rippon is run biodynamically.

Decisions made in the vineyard and winery first consider the effect the outcome may have on the micro-flora of the soils, vines & wines. Rippon does not use herbicides, fungicides, pesticides or soluble nitrogenous fertilisers on the property. All the property's organic waste matter is recycled to make around 40 tonnes of fungal dominant compost every year. This is spread back over the land during the first descending moon after harvest as an inoculation of beneficial micro-flora for the whole property...and thus starts a diverse and vital web of life on which to live and produce.

2025 - New World Pinot

The Smart Money Alternative to Burgundy
Terroir is the concept most often cited to explain why the vineyards of Burgundy capture the imaginations, and palates, of so many wine lovers. Pinot Noir is particularly sensitive to its environment, creating a fascination with how this grape can capture a specific place and vintage so completely.
However, while the die-hard (and increasingly deep-pocketed) Burgundy fan may swear that there’s not much to write home about two hours outside of Dijon, we believe it is short-sighted to assume there are no other avenues worth exploring. With the whole world to choose from, we have assembled a collection that challenges the status quo.
This mixed case is a curated tour of the New World’s finest, making a strong argument for terroir, quality, and, most compellingly, value beyond Burgundy.
What's Inside the Case:
2022 CHACRA Cincuenta y Cinco '55' Pinot Noir, Bodega Chacra (Argentina)
The Named Vineyard. rather than jumping from the glass, this wine dances in it. It weaves cherry with violets, rose petals, and ripe strawberries. Juicy tannins and assertive acidity give the wine a beguiling tension.
2020 RIPPON 'Rippon' Mature Vine Pinot Noir (New Zealand)
The Pioneer of Otago. Nick Mills is a true master of the land, letting the terroir and vintage speak loudly. This vintage is extremely perfumed with a pretty ripeness, clarity, plums, al-dente strawberries, and a hint of cantaloupe.
2021 PINOT NOIR Pauline Vineyard, Illahe Vineyards (USA)
The Sustainable Adventurers. A superb new release with just 253 cases made. Delivers mesmerizing notes of Italian plum, Mount Hood strawberry, raspberry, vanilla bean, leather, and spice.
2021 ONE BLOCK Gembrook Pinot Noir (Australia)
The Former Sommelier. Cool, fresh, and pure. Notes of rhubarb and rose hips flow through a floral, herbal finish with just a whisper of light-touch tannins. Mouth-watering purity.
2023 MOYA MEAKER Pinot Noir (South Africa)
The Star Winemaker. Grown on Bokkeveld shale and fermented with whole berries to avoid pepperiness. This is vivacious with red berry fruit, briar, and graphite.
2024 BARDA PINOT NOIR, Bodega Chacra (Argentina)
The Patagonia Beauty. Vivid, lively, and crunchy. Perfumed with subtle cherry, cranberry, and strawberry aromas and a hint of peaches. Always excellent and super drinkable.

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