30-Jul-2020
‘Neck of the Woods’ is the wine brand of AJ Johnson, a television industry man who started his wine journey in the vineyard and working with the wine at Mountford in North Canterbury. AJ flitted between wine and television for around 15 years, before he decided to start his own brand. His model is as a negociant as AJ does not own vineyards, but has good relationships with specialty growers in Central Otago, Hawke’s Bay and Marlborough. The first release was the 2016 Gibbston Pinot Noir. Jen Parr crafted the below range.
Clear, medium amber with an autumn leaf orange-golden hue, lighter on the rim. The nose is bashful with a dense sweet pear scent, mandarin fruit and zest; along with a herbaceous, leafy, nutty note. Medium-full bodied, fair acid hauling of dried flowers, herbaceousness, melded with sweet pear and skin; along with mandarins juice and zest, orange pith reminiscent of Campari to a dry finish. The ripened phenolic provides texture and grip, also dressing the body with weight and structure. The finish lingers with sweet citrus fruit, prickly spices and tannin of a rooibos tea. This is a structured, dry wine with phenolic weight and reminiscent of red tea tannin; showing dried florals, herbaceous, nutty notes; melded with sweet pear, mandarin fruit and zest, pithy scent of an orange. Match with pork loin and red meat carpaccio over the next 3-5 years. 100% Pinot Gris fruit from Dawson's vineyard in Bannockburn. 18.5/20pts May 2020 RRP$32
