Way down on the southern tip of New Zealand’s South Island, Central Otago is rapidly becoming the area for Pinot Noir, and Carrick is in turn becoming the new hot name in the region. Andrew Caillard, MD of the famous Australian Langton’s Guide, gave the 02 Pinot a massive 97/100 and the wine was voted best Pinot at the 2004 International Cool Climate Wine Show.

The main vineyard is located in Bannockburn on the Cairnmuir terraces with the original plantings made in 1994 and extended in 1998. A mixture of gravels and sand, glistening with silica, it lies on a promontory bounded by Lake Dunstan and the Bannockburn inlet. Winemaker Steve Davies has been making Pinot since he started as a winemaker, and he has worked in California, Oregon and Marlborough, as well as Central Otago. Pinot style is richly coloured and highly fragrant, with a concentrated fruit palate of cherry and plum.

But Central Otago is not just about Pinot. These cool climate vineyards also produce a Gold Medal winning Sauvignon; a spicy Pinot Gris with a lovely textured finish; and a Burgundian-style Chardonnay.

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