The most perfumed nose of white pepper, wet pebble and red berry. These soaring aromatics are toned down on the taut and firm palate, still tightly coiled. This is a paradigm of balance, of seamlessness, of elegance. All of Otago's wilderness is distilled here in a serene, delicious and utterly harmonious beauty. Biodynamic.

A blend of parcels across the property, this has a deeply spicy array of mixed fruit, framed in aromas of flint, dark stones, pepper, woody spices, wild herbs and fresh earth. Texturally, this is super fine and taut, which reflects the schist soils found here. Very fine, powerful and athletic with sustained fruit flavors that are typical of pinot noir. Long aging potential. Drink or hold.

Tasting Rippon wines young is not always a fun exercise. The 2015 Mature Vine Pinot Noir, in particular, wasn't happy at being roused from its bottle. Like a surly djinn, it pouted, griped and sulked, grudgingly offering up muted aromas of berries and spice. Yet this medium-bodied wine shines in the mouth and will surely emerge from its funk within a few years' time. The texture is dense and fine, with the feel of high thread-count bed linens, and the long finish shows hints of the black cherry fruit and complex spice notes that await the patient. - Joe Czerwinski