Establishing 14 ha of Pinot Noir in the Lowburn district of Central Otago 12 years ago, David Hall-Jones and PM Chan have slowly grown their Surveyor Thomson brand, named in tribute to David’s great-great grandfather John Turnbull Thomson who was New Zealand’s first Surveyor General. True to his forebear’s craft, David and PM have truly got the lie of the land and are now beginning to explore it. The addition to the team in September 2011 of sales and marketing specialist Claudio Heye, who did a sterling job at Gibbston Valley winery for many years, is a key part of the plan to take the Surveyor Thomson wines to the wider market.
The Surveyor Thomson Pinot Noir 2009 shows a little garnet to the colour. Very attractive development has occurred since I last saw it. Ripe red fruit aromas are now complexed by secondary notes of mushrooms and game. The palate has excellent ripeness and a degree of lusciousness, well-balanced by tannin grip, negating any overt sweetness. Layers of secondary detail grow in the glass. This has become considerably more interesting as a wine. Around 1.500 cases are made every year, so it’s not a lot for the world. www.surveyorthomson.co.nz
