December 2020

Joe Czerwinski | The Wine Advocate

Escarpment's 2018 Single Vineyard Pinot Noir's have recently been reviewed by Joe Czerwinski in The Wine Advocate. 

Escarpment Kupe Pinot Noir 2018 

94 Points 

From close-planted, slightly younger vines than the other single-vineyard bottlings, Escarpment’s 2018 Kupe Pinot Noir ratchets up the intensity. Floral, oaky notes complement the wholebunch aromas, while the berry and black-cherry fruit is crisp and even a bit edgy at this age. Medium to full-bodied, with velvety but plentiful tannins and a long, dusty finish, I expect this wine will benefit from a couple of years’ cellaring, then evolve positively for up to a decade after that.

Escarpment Te Rehua Pinot Noir 2018 

93+ Points
Once again, this 30-year-old vineyard has delivered the goods. The 2018 Te Rehua Pinot Noir has some slightly over-prominent stemmy notes on the nose at this early age, but there is so much substance here that I’m confident they’ll integrate nicely over time. Even now, they lend a slightly herbal-briary edge to the raspberry and cherry fruit that makes those flavors more savory and complex. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, generous and richly textured, with terrific concentration and length on the mocha-tinged finish.

Escarpment Kiwa Pinot Noir 2018

91 Points
The 2018 Kiwa Pinot Noir is a blend of Pommard clones originally sourced via
University of California, Davis. Like other recent vintages, there’s a notable wholebunch component, which comes through on the nose when the wines are young. Beyond that, there’s some black cherries and a stolid earthy character, ample weight and concentration and a long, dusty-tannic finish. This should easily age up to a decade, even if it lacks the flair of its single-vineyard stablemates.

Escarpment Martinborough Pinot Noir 2018

89 Points 
Escarpment’s 2018 Pinot Noir is firmly in the house style of solid, age-worthy
wines. There’s a whack of mocha-scented oak, a dose of stemmy tannins and flavors of earth and black cherries. This medium-bodied effort does take some time to open up, so if you’re drinking it over the next year or two, be sure to give it a splash in a decanter prior to serving.