2019 Wooing Tree Pinot Noir

Wooing Tree is about as local as it gets – a family-run vineyard sitting just across the road from Cromwell’s Big Fruit. The site is all sand and gravel, open to the sun and breeze, and it’s been turning out generous, fruit-packed Pinots since the early 2000s.

2019 was a dream run – a long, even growing season with no pressure at harvest. The fruit was hand-picked, fermented in small vats and aged in French oak for about a year. The aim, as always at Wooing Tree, is balance and drinkability rather than power for its own sake.

The wine shows bright red fruits, gentle spice and soft, polished tannins. It’s open, easy to like, and a good reminder that Central Otago Pinot doesn’t need to be big to be satisfying.