Second video of a set of NZ Pinots I tried recently – the first featuring wines from Nelson, Martinborough and Central Otago is here.

Yealands R3 Pinot Noir 2011, Awatere Valley (£12.99 Marks & Spencer)
Youthful style, almost Beaujolais-like in its bouncy Tigger-like raspberry, loganberry and morello cherry flesh, seems simple to start with, but a more profound earthy side emerges with time. S-

Wither Hills Pinot Noir 2010 (£12.99 Majestic)
Reasonable plush berry fruit with a touch of savoury tomato, but while it’s a decent honest Pinot with a touch of vanilla, its not very concentrated, and already looks a little tired. B-

Marisco ‘The King’s Wrath’ Pinot Noir 2010 Wairau Valley (£17.99 selected Waitrose)
Young, fresh style, again (as with Yealands) sporting those loganberry, raspberry and morello cherry flavours, but here, there’s also a framework of tannin and (smoky bacon-y) oak. Finish is warm, plush and friendly, but its best is still to come. S

Dog Point Pinot Noir 2009 (£26.50 Butlers Wine Cellar, Philglas & Swiggot, Quaff Wine Merchants, Berry Bros & Rudd)
Confident, compelling, youngster, enigmatic as good Pinot should be, changing with each sniff. Warm generous red berry and cherry fruit, combined with an earthy grilled meat tang and subtle oak, fresh but structured, and very promising. S+

Fromm La Strada Pinot Noir 2007 (£19.99 Virgin Wines)
Pinot Noir for Rioja fans, still has some fresh berry and plum edges, but also maturing gracefully and displaying an ever-so-slightly jammy, truffley undergrowth side tinged with notes of earthy vanilla. S