Peregrine Saddleback Pinot Noir 2005

This is Peregrine's second label pinot, with fruit from Central Otago and Marlborough regions. I haven't had a Central Otago pinot since returning from New Zealand in May, so was quite looking forward to this one. We had this by itself.

Very promising opening, with a fruity nose composed of that quite distinctive Central Otago "sweet/sour plum" note, as well as strawberries and more floral fragrances. Some savoury, perhaps lightly stalky notes also, although this wine is not overtly vegetal in flavour profile. The palate, though, seemed to be quite subdued relative to the initial nose, lighter in body than expected, lighter in intensity also, with a finish that trailed away too soon (from mid-palate onwards).

I thought perhaps it just needed some time in glass to open up, so we stretched the bottle out over a couple of hours. During that time, the attractive fruity flavours that showed initially seemd to blow off, leaving a wine that lacked substance and weight. To my palate, the wine ended up a bit thin and astringent, with attractive yet tantalisingly elusive flavours that never quite delivered on their initial promise.

I have another couple of bottles of this, I think, so we'll see how the next one goes.