From a vineyard planted 30 years ago to a mix of clones, the 2017 Te Rehua Pinot Noir is one of the stars of a difficult vintage. It follows McLenna's recent strategy of including a large proportion of stems, but it balances that element with ripe, black-cherry flavors. It's medium to full-bodied, rich and concentrated, with firm but velvet-coated tannins and a long, long finish.

Of celebrated Pinot winemaker Larry McKenna's three single-vineyard wines, Te Rehua is perhaps the most the most fruit-forward up-front sipper of the lot, though there's still bags of complexity. Stoney minerals drape like a string of pearls around delicate red and black fruit and spice, smudged with tar and smidgens of smoked meat and earth. The mouthfeel is broader in comparison to the others, yet savory, fine tannins still knit it together like a needlepoint. A spicy finish lingers. Drink now thorugh 2027. Christina Pickard