Reviews - Puriri Hills Pope
Puriri Hills Pope 2010
Decanter Magazine 2018 Reviews by Rebecca Gibb 95 points.“Puriri Hills is truly different from other New Zealand producers. A Bordeaux blend specialist, it releases its wines five to eight years after the vintage, ensuring that the newly launched wines are ready to drink upon release. Flagship wine, Pope, is a blend of 54% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc and 17% Carmenere. It’s a ripe-fruited, dense expression from a dry and warm vintage, starting to show its middle age through its softening mid-palate and savoury development. There’s lots of fruit-filled concentration, with cocoa powder-like tannins that coat the mouth. Flavours of tobacco, black fruit and pencil lead linger on the long finish. Drinking Window 2018 – 2025.Michael Cooper’s Online Buyer’s Guide to NZ Wines: 2015: “Deeply coloured, it is mouth filling and supple, with substantial body and deep, lush blackcurrant, herb, spice and nut flavours, framed by fine, silky tannins. Showing lovely richness and texture, it’s a drink-now or cellaring proposition. Outstandingly lush and complex, with ripe, supple tannins and very deep plum, spice, herb and slight liquorice flavours, it shows great potential. 5 stars – a potential classic”Gourmet Traveller Wine (Feb/Mar) 2015 - 98 points. “Dense yet elegant red with an intriguing mix of savoury and berry fruit flavours together with a suggestion of floral and anise . Beautifully structured with obvious cellaring potential, although the wine can still be appreciated now. Drink now – 2025Bob Campbells Online Wine Reviews Oct 2014 - 97 Points. Puriri Hill’s top wine in an outstanding vintage. Dense yet elegant red with an intriguing mix of savoury and berry fruit flavours together with a suggestion of floral (violet?) and spice/anise. Beautifully structured to give obvious cellaring potential although the wine can still be appreciated now. I opened a bottle of the 2008 Pope for comparison. It’s a magnificent wine and all the better for a little bottle age. Is the 2010 a better wine? Potentially yes but the 2008 is hard to beat right now.
Puriri Hills Pope 2008
Gourmet Traveller Wine (Aug/Sept) 2012 - 98 points. “Dense but not heavy. It defines subtle power. A very seductive red indeed, with wonderful perfume and spicy complexity. Layers of fruit, spice and hints of flowers. Best of all is the wine’s rich and seductively smooth texture.” Drink now – 2022Michael Cooper’s Buyer’s Guide to NZ Wines: 2012: “Deeply coloured, it is mouth filling, fresh and supple, with substantial body and deep, lush blackcurrant, herb, spice and nut flavours, framed by fine, silky tannins. Showing lovely richness and texture, it’s already approachable"; drink now or cellar. 5 stars What magnificent, elegant, full-bodied, intensive, silky-fine and fresh Claret. Initially calls to mind the red wine from Saumur (because of the Cabernet Franc), but then one moves away from the Loire and is approaching the Gironde, but to place oneself on the right bank, rather in Saint Emilion than in Pomerol. Splendidly clear and precise, sweet bouquet of ripe black berries, liquorice, cherries and graphite. On the palate, dense, meaty-intensive, perfectly ripe, with dark cherry and berry aroma, silky tannins. Perfectly ripe material, but the wine is fresh and rich in finesse, silky like a Pinot, peppery and tangy like a Cabernet-Franc, juicy (lush) like a Carmenėre. Perfectly balanced. Animated and long-lasting Cassis–finale with chilly tanginess. A great concentrated wine of remarkable finesse and elegance, but also a remarkably deep fun-wine of the very highest level. One should put it to the test among the finest St. Emilion wines, amongst which one wine should not be missing: ‘Cheval Blanc’. Unfortunately the challenger does not come cheap, but is worth the money: Translation of article by Stephan Reinhardt that appeared in Weinwisser magazine, 25th June 2012Bob Campbell MW Reviews - Dec 2010: 98/100: Predominantly Cabernet Franc with a wonderful perfume and spicy complexity. Dense but not heavy. It define subtle power. Very seductive red indeed. Should clear well. Layers of fruit, spice and hints of floral.