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The medal-winning wines from the Pinot Noir Masters 2023
The results in full from this year’s Global Pinot Noir Masters, featuring outstanding wines from Tasmania and California, along with the Loire, Chile and New Zealand, as well as a wonderful sample from Argentina.
PINOT NOIR is a difficult grape variety. It is notoriously finicky both in the vineyard and in the cellar. Thin-skinned, and with tightly packed bunches, the grapes are susceptible to fungal diseases and climatic events. Once in the winery, producers can struggle to get flavours and colour without stalky tannins and bitterness.
So, judging Pinot Noir is always a bit of swings and roundabouts. Some of the wines show poorly, but there are usually enough excellent expressions for a tasting to be deemed a success, and this year’s Global Pinot Noir Masters results are overall very positive.
The small group of Sparkling Blanc de Noirs range from good to exceptional. The very best are aristocrats: delicate red berry fruits and toasty yeast, with density of flavour and creamy mousse texture, supported by fresh acidity. The expensive prices, for Champagne certainly, match the high quality.
Pinot Noir Rosé wines at affordable prices are light and succulent, with rose petal and wild strawberry character and zippy acidity to balance. Of course, some Pinot Noir Rosés from Bourgogne are expensive, but, as serious gastronomic delicacies with texture and complexity, they are worth exploring.
Unoaked red wines in the under-£20 bracket that have been awarded medals exhibit true Pinot character, with succulent cherry fruit and bright acidity. Simple, but elegant, nonetheless. That said, these are groups of wines that vary in quality, with green or stretched flavours sometimes apparent.
With regard to the oaked red wines, it is delightful to see that most producers are becoming more careful with their use of new and highly toasted oak. Most wines had toast, vanilla and spice notes, but not to excess.
There are some wines to like among the oaked expressions at £10-£15. While perhaps not thrilling, many of these are hidden gems, displaying lovely cherry and strawberry fruit, fine texture and nicely balanced tannins, acidity and alcohol. The kiss of oak adds dimension. Not in any way disappointing at that price point. Unsurprisingly, the finer wines in this bracket tend to come from the New World, with the cooler regions of Marlborough in New Zealand and California showing particularly well.
At £20-£30 the noteworthy wines seemed to be those from cooler California (Monterey or Santa Rita Hills), the Willamette Valley in Oregon, New Zealand, or Australia’s Yarra Valley and Tasmania. As variable in quality as this price group is, though, caveat emptor is the watch-phrase.
As expected, there are a number of wonderful wines above £30: complex, layered, textured with concentrated flavours and fantastic balance with appropriate use of oak.
In California, Monterey and Russian River Valley have some cracking wines, and Australia’s Tasmania and Yarra Valley provide delicious offerings too. Elsewhere, Bourgogne shows its truly classic status with lovely, elegant examples, especially at over £50, including a special Premier Cru from Mercurey producer Maison Albert Sounit. There is also a stunningly beautiful wine from the Valais in Switzerland. Most of the wines need more time to be at their best, but, as is often the case with Pinot Noir, many can be consumed at a relatively early age.
In this tasting, Pinot Noir showed its true colours. Like the little girl in the nursery rhyme, “When they were good, they were very, very good; when they were bad, they were horrid.”
- Scroll down to find out more about the competition, and to see all the medal-winning wines from the 2023 Global Pinot Noir Masters.
Sparkling White Pinot Noir (Blanc de Noirs)
Winery | Name of Wine | Region | Country | Vint. | Medal |
£10-£15 | |||||
U Mes U | 1+1=3 Brut Nature Blanc de Noirs Reserva | Cava | Spain | NV | Silver |
£20-£30 | |||||
Az. Agr. Quaquarini Francesco | Oltrepò Pavese Pinot Nero Metodo Classico DOCG | Lombardy Classes | Italy | 2015 | Silver |
£30-£50 | |||||
Centre Vinicole – Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte | Grand Cru Blanc de Noirs | Champagne | France | 2014 | Gold |
Champagne Gremillet | Blanc de Noirs | Champagne | France | NV | Silver |
£50-£70 | |||||
Champagne Gremillet | Millésime | Champagne | France | 2016 | Gold |
£70-£100 | |||||
Champagne Bollinger | Bollinger | Champagne | France | 2017 | Gold |
Sparkling Rosé Pinot Noir
Winery | Name of wine | Region | Country | Vint. | Medal |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
£100+ | |||||
Centre Vinicole – Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte | Palmes d’Or Rosé Vintage | Champagne | France | 2008 | Silver |
Unoaked Rosé Pinot Noir
Winery | Name of Wine | Region | Country | Vint. | Medal |
£15-£20 | |||||
Wakefield/Taylors Wines | Estate Pinot Noir Rosé | Adelaide Hills | Australia | 2022 | Silver |
£20-£30 | |||||
Wakefield/Taylors Wines | Taylor Made Pinot Noir Rosé | Adelaide Hills | Australia | 2022 | Gold |
Unoaked Red Pinot Noir
Winery | Name of Wine | Region | Country | Vint. | Medal |
Under £10 | |||||
Ruppertsberger Weinkeller Hoheburg | Imperial | Rheinlandpfalz | Germany | 2021 | Silver |
Aldi Ireland | French Pinot Noir | Loire | France | NV | Silver |
Cramele Recas | Zana | Banat | Romania | 2021 | Silver |
Cramele Recas | Sorcova | Banat | Romania | 2021 | Silver |
Gérard Bertrand | Côte des Roses | Languedoc- Roussillon | France | 2021 | Bronze |
Labouré Roi | Bourgogne Pinot Noir | Burgundy | France | 2022 | Bronze |
£10-£15 | |||||
Fecovita | Los Helechos Designado | Mendoza | Argentina | 2020 | Bronze |
Moulin de Gassac | Pinot Noir | Languedoc Roussillon | France | 2022 | Bronze |
Indevin | Neptune Point | Marlborough | New Zealand | 2020 | Bronze |
£15-£20 | |||||
Viña Morandé | Morandé Black Series | Malleco Valley | Chile | 2021 | Gold |
Devil’s Corner | Devil’s Corner Pinot Noir | Tasmania | Australia | 2021 | Silver |
£20-£30 | |||||
Herrenhof Lamprecht | Pinot Noir from Opok | Vulkanland Steiermark | Austria | 2019 | Silver |
Oaked Red Pinot Noir
Winery | Name of Wine | Region | Country | Vint. | Medal |
Under £10 | |||||
Antonin Rodet | Grande Sélection | Burgundy | France | 2022 | Gold |
Viña Indomita | Irresistible | Casablanca | Chile | 2022 | Silver |
De Bortoli Wines | De Bortoli Re-Write The Rules | Victoria | Australia | 2021 | Silver |
Bouchard Aîné & Fils | Héritage du Conseiller | Burgundy | France | 2022 | Silver |
Bouchard Aîné & Fils | Grand Conseiller | Burgundy | France | 2022 | Bronze |
Bouchard Aîné & Fils | Pavillon Grande Réserve Côtes de Beaune Villages |
Burgundy | France | 2021 | Bronze |
£10-£15 | |||||
Marisco Vineyards | The Ned Pinot Noir | Marlborough | New Zealand | 2021 | Gold |
Kenwood Vineyards | Discoveries Pinot Noir | California | USA | 2019 | Gold |
Robert Mondavi Private Selection | Pinot Noir | California | USA | 2021 | Silver |
Cantina La Vis | Pinot Nero Classici | Trentino-Alto Adige | Italy | 2021 | Silver |
Emiliana Organic Vineyards | Novas Gran Reserva | Aconcagua | Chile | 2021 | Silver |
De Bortoli Wines | Regional Reserve | Yarra Valley | Australia | 2021 | Silver |
Marisco Vineyards Limited | Leefield Station | Marlborough | New Zealand | 2021 | Silver |
Three Thieves | Three Thieves | California | USA | 2021 | Silver |
Yealands Estate Winery | Babydoll | Marlborough | New Zealand | 2020 | Silver |
Ménage à Trois | Luscious | California | USA | 2020 | Silver |
De Bortoli Wines | La Boheme Interlude | Yarra Valley | Australia | 2021 | Silver |
Yealands Estate Winery | The Crossings Pinot Noir | Awatere Valley | New Zealand | 2021 | Bronze |
Cavit | Bottega Vinai Pinot Nero Trentino DOC | Trentino-Alto Adige | Italy | 2021 | Bronze |
£15-£20 | |||||
Joel Gott Wines | Pinot Noir | Oregon | USA | 2021 | Gold |
Marisco Vineyards Limited | The King’s Wrath | Marlborough | New Zealand | 2021 | Gold |
Emiliana Organic Vineyards | Signos de Origen | Aconcagua | Chile | 2021 | Gold |
The Last Shepherd | Last Shepherd | Central Otago | New Zealand | 2021 | Gold |
Kim Crawford | Pinot Noir | Marlborough | New Zealand | 2021 | Silver |
Cavit | Brusafer Pinot Nero DOC Trentino Superiore | Trentino-Alto Adige | Italy | 2020 | Silver |
Viña Casa Silva | Cool Coast | Colchagua Valley | Chile | 2022 | Silver |
Church Road | Stoneleigh Rapuara Series | Marlborough | New Zealand | 2020 | Silver |
Domaine Henry Pellé | Menetou-Salon Morogues | Centre-Loire | France | 2020 | Silver |
Jackson Estate | Vintage Widow | Marlborough | New Zealand | 2019 | Silver |
Seaglass Wine Co. | Pinot Noir | California | USA | 2021 | Silver |
ACW | Trisquel Series | Curicó | Chile | 2020 | Silver |
Maycas | Organic Wine | Limarí | Chile | 2020 | Silver |
te Pa Family Vineyards | te Pa Signature Series | Marlborough | New Zealand | 2020 | Silver |
Spy Valley Wines | Satellite Pinot Noir | Marlborough | New Zealand | 2020 | Silver |
Yealands Estate Winery | Yealands Estate Single Vineyard | Awatere Valley | New Zealand | 2021 | Silver |
Meiomi | Pinot Noir | California | USA | 2021 | Bronze |
Krispel | Eruption Rot | Vulkanland Steiermark | Austria | 2017 | Bronze |
Arba Wine | Pino Arba Kazakh | Almaty | Kazakhstan | 2016 | Bronze |
Mission Estate Winery | Glazebrook | Marlborough | New Zealand | 2020 | Bronze |
Brancott Estate | Letter Series T | Marlborough | New Zealand | 2022 | Bronze |
Leth | Wagram Reserve | Wagram | Austria | 2020 | Bronze |
Innocent Bystander | Innocent Bystander | Yarra Valley | Australia | 2021 | Bronze |
Joel Gott Wines | Pinot Noir | California | USA | 2021 | Bronze |
Kendall-Jackson | Vintners Reserve | California | USA | 2020 | Bronze |
Viña Morandé | Morandé Vitis Única | Casablanca Valley | Chile | 2021 | Bronze |
Arba Wine | Pino Arba | Almaty Region | Kazakhstan | 2018 | Bronze |
£20-£30 | |||||
The Prisoner Wine Company | Unshackled | California | USA | 2021 | Gold |
Napa Cellars | Pinot Noir | Napa Valley | USA | 2019 | Gold |
De Bortoli Wines | Riorret The Abbey | Yarra Valley | Australia | 2020 | Gold |
De Bortoli Wines | Estate Vineyard | Yarra Valley | Australia | 2020 | Gold |
Santolin Wines | Family Reserve | Yarra Valley | Australia | 2022 | Gold |
Spy Valley Wines | Spy Valley Envoy Johnson | Marlborough | New Zealand | 2017 | Gold |
Domaine Pascal et Nicolas Reverdy | La Noue | Centre-Loire | France | 2020 | Gold |
Spy Valley Wines | Spy Valley Envoy Outpost | Marlborough | New Zealand | 2016 | Gold |
Cambria Estate Winery | Cambria Julia’s Vineyard | Santa Maria Valley | USA | 2021 | Gold |
De Bortoli Wines | Riorret Lusatia Park | Yarra Valley | Australia | 2020 | Gold |
Bream Creek Vineyard | Pinot Noir | Tasmania | Australia | 2022 | Gold |
Oaked Red Pinot Noir, continued
Winery | Name of Wine | Region | Country | Vint. | Medal |
£20-£30 | |||||
Chamlija | Felix Culpa | Strandja Mountains | Turkey | 2020 | Silver |
Cono Sur | 20 Barrels Limited Edition | Valparaiso | Chile | 2020 | Silver |
Edmond De Rothschild-Heritage NZ | Akarua | Central Otago | New Zealand | 2021 | Silver |
Gebrüder Nittnaus | Burgenland Reserve | Burgenland | Austria | 2020 | Silver |
Church Road | Grand Reserve | Hawke’s Bay | New Zealand | 2019 | Silver |
Viñedos Veramonte | Ritual | Casablanca Valley | Chile | 2019 | Silver |
Seifried Estate | Aotea by the Seifried Family Nelson | Nelson | New Zealand | 2021 | Silver |
Matahiwi Estate | Holly Matahiwi Estate | Wairarapa | New Zealand | 2021 | Silver |
Santolin Wines | Family Reserve | Yarra Valley | Australia | 2021 | Silver |
De Bortoli Wines | De Bortoli PHI | Yarra Valley | Australia | 2022 | Silver |
te Pa Family Vineyards | Reserve Collection Taylor River | Marlborough | New Zealand | 2020 | Silver |
Weingut Wien Cobenzl | Ried Bellevue | Wien | Austria | 2017 | Silver |
Devil’s Corner | Resolution | Tasmania | Australia | 2020 | Silver |
te Pa Family Vineyards | Reserve Collection | Marlborough | New Zealand | 2021 | Silver |
Schmid | Tradition | Niederösterreich | Austria | 2021 | Silver |
Spy Valley Wines | Pinot Noir | Marlborough | New Zealand | 2020 | Silver |
Tamar Ridge | Pinot Noir | Tasmania | Australia | 2021 | Silver |
te Pa Family vineyards | Organic | Marlborough | New Zealand | 2021 | Silver |
Feiler-Artinger | Ried Ruster Gertberg | Burgenland | Austria | 2018 | Bronze |
Nautilus Estate | Nautilus Southern Valleys | Marlborough | New Zealand | 2020 | Bronze |
£30-£50 | |||||
Marimar Estate Vineyards & Winery | La Masia | Russian River Valley | USA | 2019 | Master |
Bream Creek Vineyard | Reserve | Tasmania | Australia | 2021 | Master |
Hahn Family Wines | Hahn SLH | California | USA | 2021 | Gold |
Edmond De Rothschild-Heritage NZ | Akarua The Siren | Central Otago | New Zealand | 2019 | Gold |
Arba Wine | Pino Arba Reserve | Almaty | Kazakhstan | 2014 | Gold |
Domaine Claude Riffault | La Noue | Centre-Loire | France | 2020 | Gold |
Domaine François Crochet | Réserve de Marcigoué | Centre-Loire | France | 2020 | Gold |
Bravium | Anderson Valley | California | USA | 2021 | Gold |
The Prisoner Wine Company | Pinot Noir | California | USA | 2021 | Gold |
Tamar Ridge | Research Series | Tasmania | Australia | 2021 | Gold |
Share A Splash Wine Co | Atelier | Russian River | ValleyUSA | 2021 | Gold |
Cono Sur | Ocio | Valparaiso | Chile | 2020 | Silver |
Haute-Serre | Opuscule de Haute-Serre 127 | Occitanie | France | 2020 | Silver |
Conte Vistarino | Bertone | Lombardy | Italy | 2018 | Silver |
Marisco Vineyards Limited | The Journey Pinot Noir | Marlborough | New Zealand | 2019 | Silver |
Gérard Bertrand | Domaine de l’Aigle | Languedoc- Roussillon | France | 2021 | Silver |
Conte Vistarin | Pernice | Lombardy | Italy | 2019 | Silver |
Winzergenossenschaft Achkarren | Edition A Superselektion Achkarrer Schloßberg | Baden | Germany | 2020 | Silver |
Devil’s Corner | Mt Amos | Tasmania | Australia | 2019 | Silver |
Tapanappa Wines | Definitus | Southern Fleurieu | Australia | 2019 | Silver |
Hahn Family Wines | Appellation | California | USA | 2021 | Silver |
Devil’s Corner | Mt Done Pinot Syrah | Tasmania | Australia | 2020 | Silver |
Tamar Ridge | Reserve | Tasmania | Australia | 2020 | Bronze |
£50-£70 | |||||
Maison Albert Sounit | Mercurey 1er Cru Clos des Montaigus | Burgundy | France | 2020 | Gold |
Domaine Vacheron | Belle Dame | Centre-Loire | France | 2020 | Gold |
Kenwood Vineyards | The Barn | Sonoma Coast | USA | 2019 | Silver |
Tamar Ridge | Single Block | Tasmania | Australia | 2020 | Silver |
£70-£100 | |||||
Bodega Puerta del Abra | Insólito | Buenos Aires | Argentina | 2020 | Master |
Domaine Jean-René Gemanier | Pinot Noir de Vex Clos de la Couta AOC VS Bio | Valais Bourgeon | Switzerland | 2020 | Gold |
Wente Vineyards | nTH Degree | Livermore Valley | USA | 2019 | Gold |
Bemberg Estate Wines | La Linterna Finca Las Piedras Parcela 12 | Uco Valley | Argentina | 2017 | Gold |
Maison Albert Sounit | Mercurey Noblesse | Burgundy | France | 2020 | Silver |
£100+ | |||||
Tolosa Winery | Primera Pinot Noir | Edna Valley | USA | 2019 | Master |
Weinmanufaktur Mario Josef Burkhart | Malterdingen Rarus Willistein | Baden | Germany | 2018 | Silver |
About the competition
With high-quality judges and a unique sampling process, The Pinot Noir Masters provides a chance for your wines to star. The 2023 competition was judged on 16 March at The Footman, Mayfair, employing experienced judges. The top wines were awarded Gold, Silver, or Bronze medals according to their result, and those expressions that stood out as being outstanding received the ultimate accolade – the title of Pinot Noir Master. This report features the medal winners only. Please visit the Global Wine Masters website for more information, or, to enter future competitions – giving you the chance to feature online and in print – please call: +44 (0) 20 7803 2420 or email Sophie Raichura at: sophie@thedrinksbusiness.com
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