Catalina Sounds Pinot Noir 2021 - Marlborough, New Zealand

92/100 Bob Campbell, The Real Review 
Bronze - James Suckling 
94/100 CamDouglas MS (2020 vintage)
92/100 Angus Hughson (2020 vintage)
90/100 Bob Campbell, The Real Review (2020 vintage)
Bronze - QWine (2020 vintage)
Bronze - New Zealand Wine Rater (2020 vintage)

5 Stars - Wine Square

Silver - Decanter World Wine Awards 
Bronze - International Wine Challenge 
Bronze - The National Wine Awards of Aotearoa New Zealand
Bronze - Decanter World Wine Awards (2020 vintage)
Bronze - National Wine Awards of Aotearoa 2022 (2020 vintage)
Bronze - Marlborough Wine Show 2021 (2020 vintage)

Bob Campbell, The Real Review "Pale pinot noir in a lighter style with violet, red cherry, vanilla, cedar and spicy oak flavours. Well-balanced wine that is a pleasure to drink now."

Bob Campbell, The Real Review "Bright, vibrant pinot noir with raspberry, red rose petal, fresh herbs, oyster shell and black cherry flavours. Impressive purity and subtle power. Definitely a candidate for the cellar. High energy wine." (2021 vintage)

James Suckling "An earthy pinot with aromas of forest floor, cherries, mushrooms and lemons with hints of licorice. Fresh and medium-bodied with easy tannins and a savory, simple finish." (2021 vintage)

Matt Ward "A bit brooding at first, this takes a minute to open up. Baking spices, blueberry and cassis, reveal lifted red fruits and cinnamon, wrapped up in toasty oak. The palate is medium bodied with juicy red cherries, soft acid and fine chalk tannins. (2020 vintage)

CamDouglas MS "Youthful, varietal, a core of fruit, dark roses and a plush enticing complexity. Equally enticing on the palate with a core of dark red berry fruit flavours - black currant, dark cherry, some plum then toasty barrel spices of clove, vanilla and a touch of cedarwood. Firm tannins and plenty of acidity provide the foundation for ageing and fruit to rest upon. Lengthy finish and a wine that is very youthful and needs cellar time." (2020 vintage)

Bob Campbell, The Real Review "Bright, fresh pinot noir with floral, rose petal, cherry and subtle spice flavours. An appealing, easy-to-drink wine, with an ethereal texture and vibrant flavours. Simple and distinctive. Good varietal definition." (2020 vintage)

Angus Hughson " perfumed aromas and sweet red fruits with a dark, earthy underbelly. Mid to deep cherry in colour, fruits are fleshy and generous. Cherry compote, damp earth and spice with toasty oak in play. The palate is then juicy and savoury – meaty, ground spice flavours over a bed of dark cherry fruits. It’s on the oaky side for pinot noir so best matched up with flavoursome dishes such as coq au vin. " (2020 vintage)

Bob Campbell "Bright, fresh pinot noir with floral, rose petal, cherry and subtle spice flavours. An appealing, easy-to-drink wine, with an ethereal texture and vibrant flavours. Simple and distinctive. Good varietal definition." (2020 vintage)

QWine "Dark cherry, blackcurrants, mushrooms, even a hint of truffle get things on the move. A drying Pinot but there's a lighter side to it. Easy drinking, you'd kick back with this riverside watching the worries of the world float by. " (2020 vintage)

New Zealand Wine Rater "A subtle bouquet with herbal, minty, meaty aroma s, showing sulphides. Dark fruit conserve, bramble, gummy bears, and blueberry notes. A medium-full bodied wine with a fruity, generous mid-palate, and plenty of acidity." (2020 vintage)

Bob Campbell "Gently seductive pinot noir with cherry, plum and other red fruit flavours together with violet, floral, fresh herb and mixed spice characters. Smooth-textured with a backbone of very fine tannins." (2019 vintage)

Marlborough based award-winning winery, Catalina Sounds is known for wines which harness the purity and vibrancy of Marlborough’s climate and landscape. The name Catalina Sounds evolved from the majestic Catalina flying boats that played a vital role across the South Pacific during and after World War II.

Marlborough is by far New Zealand's most important wine region. Situated at the north-eastern tip of the South Island, this dry, sunny region produces around three-quarters of all New Zealand wine. It is particularly famous for its pungent, zesty Sauvignon Blanc - widely considered by critics to be the best Sauvignon currently produced anywhere on the planet. Commercial-scale viticulture began in Marlborough the 1970s – it conquered the world within 25 years!

Pinot Noir is the dominant red wine grape of Burgundy, now produced in wine regions all over the world, including western Germany, northern Italy, Chile, South Africa, Australia and, perhaps most notably, California, Oregon and New Zealand.

The essence of Pinot Noir wine is its aroma of strawberry and cherry (fresh red cherries in lighter wines and stewed black cherries in weightier examples), underpinned in the most complex examples by hints of forest floor. Well-built Pinot Noirs, particularly from warmer harvests, also exhibit notes of leather and violets, sometimes approaching the flavor spectrum of Syrah.