If you’d asked me in advance which of these would be my favourites, I don’t think I’d have been too close…

Sol de Sol Pinot Noir 2010, Malleco, Chile (£19.95 Winety)
Very impressive wine, lithe and fragrant, with a fresh and lightly cooked strawberry edge, s touch of leafy eucalyptus and a hint of ironstone. Gentle yet persistent, juicy yet restrained, I like this. S(+)

Shaw & Smith Pinot Noir 21012, Adelaide Hills, Australia (£32.99 Ceci Paolo, D Byrne & Co, The Good Wine Shop, Grape & Grind, Hailsham Cellars, Leamington Wine Company, The Longship, OzWines, Richard Granger Wines, Slurp.co.uk, Winedirect.co.uk)
Another wine that seeks to caress rather than bludgeon, this has plummy red berry, redcurrant and rhubarb fruit pepped up by a light herby character. Dainty yet refreshing, light in body yet full in flavour. S

La Crema Pinot Noir 2012, Sonoma Coast, California (£19.95 www.winedirect.co.uk)
Quite a powerful style, but some of the dark berry, blackcurrant and plum flavours veer towards the over-stewed. Decent enough, with no lack of flavour, but I miss both wildness and finesse. B

Lowburn Ferry Home Block Pinot Noir 2011, Central Otago, New Zealand (£29 James Nicholson, Ellie’s Cellars, South Downs Cellars, Whalley Wine Shop, Clear Black Wines, Daniel Lambert Wines, Grape & Grind, Grape and Grain, Old Chapel Cellars, Rollings Wines, Vinology)
Bit of a 3-chord wine, quite rich and intense, with spicy pippy berry and a hint of tomato, and the finish is a little stewed and simple. B+

Lowburn Ferry Home Block Pinot Noir 2012, Central Otago, New Zealand (from £32 Cambridge Wine Merchants, Grape and Grain, Totnes Wines, Daniel Lambert Wines)
Takes the intensity and spicy berry fruit of 2011, and adds in a minerally backbone and an appealing truffley character. I like this, but being hyper-critical, maybe (again) I expect a few more layers of complexity at this price. S(-)