Carrick Pinot Gris 2008

Carrick Central Otago Pinot Gris 2008 $24.50
This wine carries the interwoven strength of the Carrick Bend itself. Unlike many of the pinot gris examples available, this is not a soft, lolly drink. Weaving strands of old French oak and noticeable acidity together has given an underpinning firmness. Splice this with a developing texture, red apple and pear flavours, and you have a fair lead to a harmonious off-dry finish. Fresh off the Carrick, so to speak, this lovely example will continue to develop and should prove to be gorgeous late –summer drinking. So pipe “up grog” and enjoy.
Kent Slocombe, The Press, January 2009

Carrick Riesling 2008

2008 Carrick Central Otago Riesling
A quintessential Riesling exhibiting lime/lemon and fresh frlor notes, with delicious medium sweetness and a lingering finish.
SAM KIM – ‘SAM’S TOP DROPS ‘ Your Weekend NZ Herald 28 Feb2009

Carrick Pinot Noir 2007

Carrick Pinot Noir 2007 (*****) is a serious, complex, age-worthy style with layers of flavour and a foundation of firm, ripe, tannins.
Michael Cooper, Wine - Sneak Peek. The Listener August 2, 2008

Pretty dark crimson. Heady. Jewelly fruit with a spine. Pretty archetypal Central Otago Pinot – and drier than they used to be. There’s something in reserve here, and some very fine tannins. Should age well. 17. Jancis Robinson.

Carrick Central Otago Pinot Noir 2007 *****
This wine got better and better on successive days, developing from a fragrant but tight young wine to a beautifully poised one, showing layers of flavours - bright cherry plums, hints of mushrooms, spice and mineral, all melded with suggestions of toffee, vanilla and toasted nuts, and a long, savoury, satisfying finish. Two or three years bottle age will allow it to develop its full potential. - Five stars (out of five) .- Good value Charmian Smith Otago Daily Times 22 July 2009

Carrick 2007:
Great colour and hue. A broodingly intense nose of real style and presence that entices with dark forest and wet earth, perfume and subtle spices. There is a sweetness and velvet like texture here that just begs you to drink. Maraschino cherry and savoury notes caress the mid palate as it flows across your mouth. Sophisticated and classy. Roscoe Halligan’s Blog “Boozemonkey” -Central Otago Pinots 13 June 2009

Carrick Pinot Noir 2006

Medium red. Fresh, complex nose offers spicy red fruits, fresh rose and a meaty nuance. I might have been in the Chambolle/Vosne neighbourhood. Sweet and dense but sappy and light on its feet, with penetrating dark fruit flavours complicated by a note of bitter chocolate. Intensely flavoured and serious but at the same time lush and sexy. Finishes very long, with a firm tannic spine. Distinctly Côte de Nuit-like in style and quality, and very impressive.
Score 92 - Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar. September/October 2008 Issue 140

This Bannockburn label has emerged as a regional classic. The elegant, densely flavoured 2003 (*****), 2005 (*****) and 2006 (*****) vintages are all outstanding. Matured for a year in French oak barriques (33 percent new), the 2006 is full and youthful in colour, with a fragrant, complex bouquet. Concentrated, sweet-fruited and firm, it has plummy, cherryish flavours, with hints of spice and liquorice, in a warm savoury style, finely poised for cellaring.
Michael Cooper, Buyers Guide to New Zealand Wines 2008

The superior 2006 Pinot Noir is matured in French oak (30% new.) It exhibits greater delineation and joie-de-vivre on the nose with Doris plum, and mulberry, touches of dark chocolate, the palate full-bodied with firm tannic structure and a dry, almost austere finish. I think this will improve in bottle so give it another year or so.
Rating 89 Neal Martin – Robert Parker The Wine Advocate. Issue #176 April 2008

Carrick Pinot Noir 2005

Carrick Pinot Noir 2005 ***** 98/100
My top-rated pinot noir in a tasting of 43 Central Otago wines from this vintage. Lush, rich, dense, fruit-bomb style with appealing layers of black fruit flavours. Softly but appropriately structured, with firm, drying tannins.
Bob Campbell, Gourmet Traveller Wine Dec/Jan 2007

Deep and brooding. This is clearly very young, but very good. Almost as much Rhone-like as Burgundy-like. Stalk and kirsch and pepper and meat, all roped and controlled by quartz-like tannin. Top echelon. Probably too much acid, but I think the wine can handle it. Sweet-smoke in the aftertaste.
Could easily rate higher if tasted on its own. Will age. Confident of this one. Drink: 2008-2014. 93 points.
Campbell Mattinson. Central Otago Pinot Noir 2005: The Reviews (Sneak Preview) Oct 2006

Carrick Pinot Noir 2004

Carrick Pinot Noir 2004 *****
Central Otago wine from Bannockburn. Sound, generous and serious in style, developing quite a richness of fruit and texture. A bold, mouthfilling wine opening very well and showing both complexity and grace.
Winestate New Zealand Palate Regional Tasting July/August 2006

Dark purple/cerise red.
Slightly reserved, but still ripe with fruit and tweaked by a feral lilt.
Juicy, rich, dense fruit impact has a spicy heat to it, and the mid-palate is very rich, thick with ripe fruit and warm, prickly spice notes.
Spreads quite nicely across the palate and finishes with a gentle ruff of tannin that gives it dimension. It seems too young, and holds much promise for the future, when its fruit volume could give way to more complexity and detail. Score 7
Keith Stewart, Taste - Pinot Noir sommnet.com 02 July 2006

Big, juicy, richly fruit-filled wine with a strong, spicy theme and some deft touches of feral funk. It's made to last, and to keep at least until 2010, by which time it will have acquired some detail and subtlety. Available – Yes, but briefly.
Keith Stewart, The Listener, August 5, 2006

Carrick 2003 Pinot Noir

Carrick Central Otago Pinot Noir 2003
Good full red. Perfumed aromas of black raspberry, blackberry, nutmeg, cinnamon and earth. Concentrated, broad and densely packed, with lovely pinot tang and underlying mineral complexity. Sweet, generous, serious pinot, with solid structure and firm, ripe tannins. This is the first vintage of this wine to feature a significant percentage of the estate’s new Dijon clones. 90 Points Stephen Tanzer, Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar.

Carrick 2003 Pinot Noir
For those who have recently emerged from under their rock, the newsflash is the Kiwi's have started to make some of the world's sexiest pinot. Newsflash #2 is that 2003 was better than the raved-about 2002 vintage, with more finesse, more elegance - more of what great pinot should be. Carrick is an up and coming Central Otago superstar and this is the best NZ pinot I tasted all 2005. Do not miss it.
***** Stuart Gregor - "Don't Buy Wine Without Me 2006 - Australia's Best Value Drinking"

Carrick Pinot Noir 2003 *****
Carrick is a relatively new, well-resourced winery located in the much acclaimed Bannockburn district of Central Otago. This is a big, rich, and concentrated wine with bold, ripe flavours that suggest plum, black cherry and dried spice. It offers a good structure of firm tannins which promote a drying finish. Solid, complex wine with lots of potential. 93/100
NZ Pinot Noir – Top 12 Gourmet Traveller WINE Magazine June/July 2005

Carrick 2003 Pinot Noir
My favourite 2003 Pinot Noir from Central Otago.
Bob Campbell's Ultimate Wine Guide 2004

Fine and silky, with a spicy perfume of rose petals and accentuated aromas of red and lack cherries. Oak is restrained and sympathetic. Long and smooth, its sappy and brightly flavoured palate reveals pristine fruit, classy tannins and fresh acids. Best drinking 2008-11.
Three Top Central Otago Pinot Noirs – Jeremy Oliver - Qantas In Flight Magazine April 2005

Carrick Unravelled Pinot Noir 20078

From one of my favourite Otago producers, this little wine is a ripper. A perfumed and pleasant nose proceeds a bucket load of sweet and juicy fruit that play along your palate. Utterly drinkable and a great intro level wine for those who want a look in what this winery can do and at a fraction of the price of their flagship Pinot. Roscoe Halligan's Blog "Boozemonkey" -Central Otago Pinots 13 June 2009

Carrick Unravelled Pinot Noir 2007

This is a superb wine, even more so considering it’s the second label of Carrick, a leading Central Otago pinot producer at Cromwell, near beautiful Queenstown. It has some of the lushness of fruit that typifies Central Otago pinots. Black cherry aromas laced with spiciness lead in to a rich, deep, very intense but supple and rounded palate with soft, silky tannins and effortless balance. Oak is underplayed and alcohol is moderate for this region, at 13.5 per cent. Drink now and for five years plus...
Food Game birds such as pigeon, guinea fowl, duck and quail – but pink roast lamb would do just as well.
Huon Hooke, “Good Living; October 28, 2008 Sydney Morning Herald.

Carrick Central Otago Riesling 2003

Pungent, musky aromas of crushed stone, ginger, cinnamon and petrol, Supple but quite dry, with bracing flavors of quinine, ginger and stone. Firm edged and very dry on the finish, with sneaky persistence and a nutty nuance. 90 Points
Stephen Tanzer, Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

Carrick Cairnmuir Terraces Extended Barrel Maturation 2003 Chardonnay

This chardonnay, having been matured in oak barriques for 18 months, shows a fair dollop of oak. It has the fruit to handle this, with strong impressions of citrus, white peach, and grilled sweetcorn. It is powerful but elegant, and has a backbone of tingling acidity that keeps it tightly knit and focused. Very good now but it promises to be even better in a year or two.
Ivan Donaldson

Carrick 2002 Pinot Noir

Carrick Central Otago Pinot Noir 2002 *****
Built for cellaring, this powerful Bannockburn red is richly coloured and highly fragrant, with spicy French oak aromas leading into a highly concentrated palate with an array of cherryish, spicy, slightly nutty and chocolatey flavours. Sturdy and complex, with a firm backbone of tannin, it offers excellent potential; open 2005+.
Michael Cooper, Winestate Magazine

Carrick is the hot new name, making muscular wines with plenty of tannin and, I suspect, ageing potential. It's '02 is spicy and complex with some foresty elements, very elegant, deep, medium-full bodied with tannin adding impressive structure. Exciting Stuff.
Huon Hooke, Sydney Morning Herald, March 2004

If this is what the heart of Central Otago has to offer, there will be plenty of dark, plummy southern reds to look forward to in years to come. This brilliant red wine is rich in flavour with hints of back cherries and red plums. The oak is prevalent on the finish but it is early days yet for this soft, instantly likeable Central Otago pinot noir.
Available from specialist wine stores , or contact Carrick winery in Central Otago, phone (03) 445 3480.
Joelle Thomson, Wine Column, Viva Magazine

Another among the new wave of Central Otago wineries that are doing great things with pinot noirs, especially those from the 2002 vintage. Eight different clones contributed to this generous, silken blend of berries, black cherries and spice with thyme on the nose.
Warren Barton, Dominion Post “The Joyful Glass - Bartons 100 Wines of Christmas”

Carrick 2002 Pinot Noir

Medium deep colour. Perfumed and ethereal mulberry/rhubarb fruit with some underlying savoury oak. The palate is deep set with mulberry/rhubarb flavours and some ginger snap characters, fine silky tannins finishing long long and flavoursome. Superb wine with wonderful fruit definition and texture. A highlight of 2002 Central Otago vintage 97/100.
Andrew Caillard: langtons.com.au

Carrick Pinot Noir 2001

Soft, rich and long, this is a classy and very skilfully crafted Bannockburn red. Finely perfumed, with rich, youthful colour, it is mouth filling and supple, with lovely depth of sweet, ripe cherry, and spice flavours and velvety tannins.
WINESTATE Nov/Dec 2002 *****

Ripe, well-expressed pinot from a rising star with impressive forest floor, savoury raspberry/black fruit aromatics, a rich, plumy mouth feel neat structure and long flavours
PAUL WHITE - Dominion Post Oct 2002 GSS

One of several highlights in this line up with its delicious concentration, spicy, toasty oak, luscious black cherry, coffee and savoury overtones, fine structure, charm and liveliness, and finishing with well-balanced tannins.
CHARMIAN SMITH - Otago Daily Times Oct 2002 ****+

Lovely rich, dense wine with cherry and spice flavours. Attractive and soft textured with good length of flavour.
BOB CAMPBELL - Best of the Bunch Cuisine ****

A beautifully perfumed Bannockburn red, mouth filling and supple with lovely depth of sweet, ripe cherry and spice flavours and a velvet-smooth finish
Michael Cooper - Sunday Star Times October 2002 *****

Carrick Central Otago Chardonnay 2007

A stylish taut young wine with subtle hints of nuts, toasty oak and a surprising depth of fruit suggesting citrus, but wine is more about restraint, finesse, structure and texture than lush or overt fruit flavours. It will develop with bottle age over two or three years. I tasted it on subsequent days and it just got better and better. - Five stars (out of five) - Good value
Charmian Smith Otago Daily Times 08 July 2009

Carrick Unravelled Chardonnay 2008

"Delicately scented wine with lovely purity. A light and deliciously approachable Chardonnay with good mineral flavours that give it a nod in the direction of Chablis. Subtle oak perfectly matches delicate fruit. Very good value at this price.”
April 2009
83 points - Bob Campbell; BobsWineReviews.com

Carrick Chardonnay 2001

Grown at Bannockburn and matured for a year in French oak barriques (20% new), this is a robust (14.5% alcohol), tightly structured wine with strong grapefruit-like flavours, complexity for oak and lees aging, a hint of butterscotch, and a crisp lingering finish. It's a powerful wine, well worth cellaring.
WINESTATE Nov/Dec 2002 ****

Restaurant Review SAM KIM TOASTS HEAVENLY OTAGO

.....Among the many fabulous vineyard restaurants in the region is the Carrick in Bannockburn. The high-ceilinged, spacious dining room felt cool even on a hot January day. We sat outside looking over the lavender clusters, across a slow-moving azure-green river to the other side of the valley. With their excellent pinot noir I chose roast duck, one of my favourite dishes with pinot. A twist on the classic, the light-golden roasted duck leg was served with a blue cheese-filled pasty, caramelised shallot and crunchy lettuce leaves with a sweet, fruity jus. I generally prefer duck without the sweet sauce but it went nicely with the blue cheese and highlighted the wine’s ripe flavours. The protein rich meat and the cheese absorbed the wine’s fine-grained tannins, effortlessly providing a seamless mouthfeel.....
Sam Kim is a senior wine judge and panel member for Cuisine magazine