2022 Valli Vineyards Bendigo Vineyard Pinot Noir 375ml

97 POINTS

Sam Kim - Wine Orbit

This is terrific; the captivating bouquet shows dark plum, sweet cherry, cedar, game and rich floral aromas, followed by a superbly weighted palate offering plush texture combined with delightfully melded tannins. Opulent and powerful, while remaining refined and sophisticated, making it hugely appealing. www.valliwine.com.

96 POINTS

James Suckling

A very structured pinot with blue fruit, flowers and slate with hints of graphite on the nose and palate. It’s full-bodied but tight and hemmed in. Very precise and focused for a really big pinot, but comes off agile and energetic. This will age well. Beautiful follow up to the 2021. Drink or hold. Screw cap.

96 POINTS

Dave Brookes - Halliday's Wine Companion

Such a seductive smelling wine. Dark cherry, wild strawberry and raspberry coulis tones with hints of pressed wildflowers, shiitake broth, wild thyme, amaro, spice, distant tobacco and Chinese barbecue shop and a sinuous, schisty undercurrent. The nose seems deeper and gruntier than its stablemates but the palate fans out and opens up with fine, powdery grip, plenty of umami and savoury facets and a bright, sapid line of acidity. A beautifully made wine of great restraint and elegance.

95 POINTS

Erin Larkin - Wine Advocate

The 2022 Bendigo Vineyard Pinot Noir is lovely, every which way. The fruit is concentrated and supple, and it has liveliness and freshness from the acidity, but the tannins bring that forth in the mouth as well. This is a beautifully shaped wine, more curved and flowing than static or straight. A wine of substance, it is also a wine that has restraint and space. It's skillfully handled and super impressive. 14% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.

94 POINTS

Decanter

Valli’s single-vineyard wines are a brilliant lens through which to examine the various subregions of Central and North Otago. It has produced a Bendigo wine since 2010, but this vintage was the first from the 310m altitude Lakefront Terrace Vineyard, with younger vines (planted in 2017-2018). An attractive melding of red and black fruits with a spicy floral lift from whole bunch fermentation (35%), this has good richness and carry across the palate. Fine fruit and oak tannins provide backbone, and it has a long, savoury palate. A very assured style. Emma Jenkins MW

91 POINTS

Rebecca Gibb MW - Vinous

The 2022 Pinot Noir Bendigo Vineyard marks a new era for the cuvée with a vineyard change. It's not as big-boned as it used to be and is now more honed in terms of its muscular shape. The fruit is pure and focused, with dried herbs and cherries. There's mouthwatering acidity here, and the combination of this acid and tannins provides a brace holding the wine in its place.