Top Pinot Noirs at £30+

When it comes to top end expressions of Pinot Noir, most people’s thoughts inevitably turn to Burgundy, but this roll call of excellence shows that today’s consumer has plenty of other options.

Building on our earlier list of top Pinot Noir wines priced under £30, the following pages show off entries from the drinks business Global Pinot Noir Masters 2015 which managed to scoop a gold medal in the price brackets at £30 and above.

While all entries were tasted blind, this knowledge of price point made judges particularly demanding when assessing these flights. “At over £25 you deserve to see a good depth of Pinot character,” remarked Mark Savage MW, director of UK merchant Savage Selection.

While New Zealand dominated the gold medal rankings in lower price points, and was indeed represented above the £30 mark as well, what was exciting about these medal winners for Pinot Noir fans who are prepared to pay a bit more for their passion was the geographic spread of the top examples this year.

And as for the one Pinot Noir specialist region notable by its absence from this list? The Wine Society’s buyer Sebastian Payne MW summed up the judges’ feelings neatly when he remarked: “Burgundy seems too scared to enter many wines; perhaps they have more and more reason to watch the competition.”

For full results and analysis from this year’s Global Pinot Noir Masters click here.

Leo Hillinger, Pinot Noir “Terroir” 2013

Pinot Noir fans have long been familiar with the enticing expressions of this grape to come out of Australia, but Austria?

Based in the country’s Burgenland town of Jois, close to the moderating temperature influence of the Neusiedlersee, Leo Hillinger is one of modern Austria’s most dynamic success stories. After taking over his father’s wine business in 1990, Leo Hillinger invested heavily, both in building export markets and buying high quality vineyards in the region.

Just tipping over the £30 mark in the UK, this “Terroir” Pinot Noir is one star from a broad portfolio of high quality wines backed by this producer’s stylish contemporary packaging. 

Giesen Single Vineyard Selection, Brookby Road 2012

Since it was founded by the Giesen brothers back in 1981, this Marlborough estate has established a strong international following for the region’s trademark Sauvignon Blanc. With this entry, the family showed what it can achieve with an altogether different grape variety at the highest level.

Forming part of the producer’s limited edition collection, this £42 a bottle Brookby Road is one of Giesen’s four single vineyard Pinot Noir expressions. With around 700 acres of Marlborough vineyard now under its control, since 2011 the Giesen team has stepped up work to identify sites with a particularly distinctive character in order to create a single vineyard collection.

In line with the aims behind this project, each of these single vineyard wines is fermented using wild yeasts and minimal winemaking intervention. Depending on the conditions in any given year, not all of this collection will be made every vintage, so expect wines of real charisma and class when one of these expressions is produced.

Mario J Burkhart, “Rarus Noir” Blauer Spätburgunder 1st Gewächs 2012

German Pinot Noir – or Spätburgunder – has been creating some ripples of enthusiasm beyond the local market in recent years, as wine lovers wake up to the quality on offer from a country that is, after all, the world’s third largest producer of this grape variety.

One particular Pinot hotspot is Baden, a warm region in the south-west corner of Germany, just across the border from Alsace and Switzerland. It is here that Mario J Burkhart, former winemaker for well known local producer Huber, makes beautifully crafted Pinot Noir from a small 1.6 hectare vineyard plot.

The grapes are grown on a limestone and silty loess soil base, not far from the Rhine river that runs through so many of Germany’s great wine regions. While Burkhart also produces other wines, Pinot Noir shines out as his real passion, with his attention to detail on such a boutique-scaled project more than justifying this wine’s higher price tag.

Castelfeder, Pinot Nero Riserva “Burgum Novum” 2011

From Germany to another corner of Europe that few people would immediately associate with Pinot Noir: Italy, and specifically the country’s northern Alto Adige DOC.

In this mountainous region close to the Austrian border the Giovanett family who run the 50 hectare Castelfeder wine estate specialise in the production of local varieties such as Schiava and Lagrein, but have also made room for this international superstar.

Burgum Novum is the name of a prime vineyard site within the Castelfeder holdings from where, in the years when this region’s changeable climate provides the right conditions, the producer’s top Pinot Noir expression comes. The vines are an intriguing mix of traditional Pergola-trained plots planted between 1948 and 1960, and younger vines trained on the more easily managed Guyot system. In short, this is a fascinating option for Pinot Noir lovers seeking to expand their horizons.

Moorooduc Estate, The Moorooduc McIntyre Pinot Noir 2010

Another top Pinot from yet another country, this time Australia flexes its muscles with a reminder of the success with which this corner of the world can turn out ambitiously high quality wines alongside its established big volume brands.

Down in Mornington Peninsula, Richard and Jill McIntyre have been producing an expanding range of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Shiraz-led wines since they set up the winery in 1982. The McIntyre Vineyard was planted right at the beginning of their venture in 1983 and a grafting programme since then has built up a wide mix of Pinot Noir clones here.

Just 120 cases of this particular wine, priced at around £38 a bottle, were produced in 2010, using the vineyards oldest Burgundy clones. With quantities in such short supply, tracking down this vintage may prove tricky but well worth the hunt.

Eileen Hardy Pinot Noir 2012

Accolade Wines may be one of the largest wine producers in Australia, but with this wine the group proves that its historic Hardys brand can lead followers up to the very highest level.

Named after the Hardy family matriarch who did so much to build this brand, the Eileen Hardy Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Shiraz collection was launched to mark her 80^th birthday.

In keeping with a wider shift from both Hardys and many other high end Australian producers, recent years have seen the £37 Eileen Hardy Pinot Noir draw on fruit from the cool climate hotspot of Tasmania.

Bouchard Finlayson Tête de Cuvée Galpin Peak Pinot Noir 2012

Finally, it’s time for South Africa to throw its hat into the ring with this exciting, ambitious Pinot Noir from Walker Bay producer Bouchard Finlayson, a long-acknowledged specialist in this challenging grape variety.

In his quest for that elusive combination of delicacy and richness, since 1996 Peter Finlayson has created this special blend from the top barrels of a particularly promising vintage.

Summing up his feelings about this grape, Finlayson remarks: “Pinot noir is like opera! When it is great it is pure seduction almost hedonistic. There is no middle road.” The judges’ decision to award a gold medal to this £55 a bottle expression points to his success in hitting these operatic heights.