Fruit for Kupe Pinot Noir comes from Escarpment’s close-planted vineyard on Te Muna Road, Martinborough, vines which have been their pride and joy since being planted in 1999.
19.5/20
This is the most expansive Kupe I have tasted (and I am lucky to have tasted every release). Last year’s 2021 was a revelation; this year’s 2022 release is a more refined and distinguished creature. Before you read on, particularly if you are new to these wines, it is essential to understand that these are not heavy wines. As you climb the ladder in other portfolios, you often find yourself wading in a gloopier pool. At Escarpment, you don’t taste heavier wines, just those with Ultra HD, as opposed to regular HD! Like all the Pinots in this collection, the energy and impact of these wines are collectively interwoven to create complexity and resonance. 2022 Kupe sings, not like Brian Blessed, José Carreras, Chris Cornell, or any belter. It is Lennon, Elliott Smith, John Grant and other artisans (the female analogy is better, but I wanted to start with Mr Blessed because I felt a Pinot version of him would be hilarious), and the musicality, penetration, and not volume, coupled with flavour memory (not earworm, but smile-inducing toe-tapping remembrance) is what makes this wine so unique. With 42% new oak for 20 months, which I cannot see for the life of me, and sensational length and complexity, this is another super-star release. (Drink 2026 – 2038). 2022 ESCARPMENT SINGLE VINEYARD PINOT NOIRS by Matthew Jukes
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