Thanks to GK prompting here, I found some of this in the Twyford village Waitrose in Berkshire. I did a ring around, 4 other stores had this wine de-listed on their order replenishment sheets.

None in my bijou store, if there was any on the bin end - the staff, or those close by, grubbed-it-up. £13.99 on a multi buy in Maj (£16.99 retail, which is too strong)

About the wine. First and foremost, for lovers of pinot noir, you have to play about with serving, airation and decay induction, to get what you want.

On 1st opening, the wine has incredible spice - impressive ! But then after 15 minutes that spice dies, and a Benilyn Cough mixture medicinal note hits you right between the eyes - and you say bugger ! Not again

You can get rid of most of that, treble decant, splosh and splosh, and leave in an open carafe in a warm kitchen. Try the wine 3 hours later, and some of the medicine has gone and fruit pops up. OK, big deal.

Right.

Leave this another 24 hours after putting back into the bottle and sealing with the cap, but not in the fridge, leave on a stone floor or other cooler place, hoping some mold and oxidation starts to work on opening it up. Yep, after further time, whilst the nose is fairly benign, it is at least pinot noir fruit now (not cough mixture). Fill and leave in the glass for further opening. Ah ha - you now have a rich wine, ripe dark cherry, damson and some spicy french oak integration, and a tiny bit of leaf mold decay......We are getting somewhere now, the french oak is nice, the wine is concentrated, vanilla, lots of dark skin on the fermentation cap - the fruit is too super ripe for a villages burgundy (like 2003), but not OTT and simplistic, and therefore satisfactory for NZ.

Yeah, I got my £10 quid bargain in the end, and the last glass, although too sweet for the dimension of back palate flavours to come to the fore, was pretty satisfying. Good in the mouth after all this messing about, a nice spicy cut to the tongue, tannin coming up more firmly as well.

I scored a few of these, so I will hold now for at least two years, knowing that I will only have to mess about in the morning, if I am to enjoy with supper.

So far this year (after messing about) the best NZ Marborough Wairau PN for a bin end tenner.

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Duncan

Im saving mine for taking down the cottage in a couple of weeks, the Welsh mountain air should help.

Come home to a REAL fire

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Four wheels move the body - 2 wheels move the soul.

There were 6 bottles in my store at 9:30 this morning - none all week. Huh - they must have found a box in the storeroom at the back. I bought another one, to give me 3 for laying down. A bit miffed about having to drive around Berkshire last Sunday - I did ask them to check store stock !

No '09 Brouilly on offer.

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Duncan

Nearly - 2 years later :

Hmnn - The multi buy Buying price of this wine has not changed for 3 years ! Infact Waitrose were charging £15 for the 2007 three or so years ago ! Majestic today for the 2010 is £9.99 PB multi.

WH Pinot Noir 2008 has French oak barrique treatment, don't know what the percentige is ? But it is employed nicely in the 2008 vintage

The wine is jolly good now. For a tenner and now aged to half way through its **potential evo, I'm quite impressed. The colour is clear garnet now. The oak has totally integrated, and there is some smokey notes to be enjoyed. Acidity I'd say was a wee bit high for a well balanced wine. On 1st off, 1st gum washing, that citrus acidity is slightly perturbing, but is does subside with glass twirling

Ok .....It's predominantly dark cherry, then blueberry and some earthy herbie business going on. Not complex, but a good PN effort. The medicinal (benylin) nose you get with NZ pinot has very very nearly gone.

Yeah - Good sub tenner stuff.

I have quite a few of these, so will review again in Summer 2013. I'm slightly concerned by that acidity, yet the fruit is **full-on, tannin for me appears a tad low, but I don't think the "wrong sort" of brett is coming.

May report back what sort of development has occured overnight - I'll then know better what the future is.

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Duncan

May report back what sort of development has occured overnight - I'll then know better what the future is

I don't know much better ! Acidity has toned down, otherwise almost unchanged. a good airing has bought back more of that nuisance, the medicinal nose, more twirling did shift it a bit. For pinot noir, the bouquet is a tad critical for me.

No, I dont think this wine is going to make it into my gallery of memorable sub tenners. Nevertheless, a good effort.

Re visit ? Next Summer it is then.

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Duncan

We are now onto the 2010 vintage, £12.75 at Majestic, £11 at Waitrose, majestic gives 25% off a pair.

it is 16th June 2014

I found some 2010 in Waitrose, thinking, Ok, 2010 PN is supposed to be a good vintage for PN, so why not with the 25% discount.

Duh......... don't go there. Naff. The fruit in the wine is dying fast, yet the acidity is high as you would expect. Plenty of cough medicine aroma ! Annoyingly so. These cheap Marlborough pinots do not seem to hold, and I would advise anyone wishing to experiment with laying down for complexity at this price level to forget it. Don't.

Not good. Fed-up with this style. Don't buy them, try Casablanca Chilean, could be more realistic.

Wither Hills pinot may have gone downhill. It is going back.

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Duncan

That's a shame, I think its right to expect better at this price. I noticed Morrisons are selling the Villa Maria Celler Selection Pinot Noir in store for £9.99 (IIRC), I was tempted but walked away, NZ PN does not wow me any more.

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Yep, Im still here.

Wither Hills 2010 PN.

Hi GK, and to other folks

I'm sorry, I was overly severe with my complaint. The wine has openned now, and is a whole lot better than I said. I meant to edit the post before shutting down last night.

Like you, the wow factor has gone for now, and given that Marlborough PN is so well established, i do feel that they are resting on their laurels. The medicinal benelyn aroma though, does get up my nose - annoying. This nose makes me over critical - I swear that some kind of dose & syrup (chaptalisation) is added for the fermentation in many of these sub £15 bottles ?

The wine is not going back - I bought it, and it is representative of the style.

Now that we are getting some salad crops from the garden, my palate is getting super critical of anything that tastes souped-up.
I had the misfortune of finishing my grandson's well known supermarket branded tinned spagetti hoops the other day - they are truly disgustingly sweet, slimey and pappy, the sauce is bright orange ?

BTW - thanks again for the Chateau Bournet '10 Gaillac rouge tip - good wine.

I will calm down a bit.

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Duncan

Wither Hills Pinot Noir 2008 Wairau Valley.

Right, it is the vintage '08 so nearly 6 years after release.

Not bad at all. If I could rid the sugary confection - that will not be resolved with further evolution, I could then taste a more grown-up pinot noir.

Yep, this could be jolly satisfying, but fatally for me! flawed with too much sweetness smothering the good underlying flavour.

How much sugar do you need in your tea ?

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Duncan

My sweet tooth is tingling, sounds lovely to me

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Yep, Im still here.

I'm pretty sure you'd be up for this on 1st pull. A wee bit De Kyper cherry B, particularly on the nose, and only 14% Alc, allegedly!

On day 3, I've got a tarty, smokey and musky number that would be more at home in the velvety parlours of Soho.
I think I prefer the dusty musky number A new world Vaudeville cuvee' if you like, blousy, sweet and scented.

I have a Martinborough vineyard Te Tera '07 PN to try soon. I am hoping that it is not such a sweet full busted creature. That does not sound PC ! Somehow, but fits perfectly, sincere apologies to all.

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Duncan