The Doctors’ Marlborough Pinot Noir

I’m over the moon – we’ve been blessed with a perfect Pinot Noir which comes in at an easy 9.5% ABV and costs under £12!  WHAT IS NOT TO LIKE?  This is the Lighter Drinker’s Shangri-la,  proof that the circle can be squared and surely that God likes red wines.  I’d feared that I’d never find a lower alcohol red that I could really enthuse about, but here it is, The Doctors’ Pinot Noir from Marlborough, New Zealand.

You may recall, that the good doctors John and Brigid Forrest have been leading the New Zealand programme to bring the world naturally fermented wines that come in with lower ABVs but which are uncompromised in taste or feel.  Well this is their first red wine and they’ve hit the jackpot.

Their 9.5% Pinot Noir has everything you would expect from a full strength Pinot Noir.  Medium bodied, silky smooth tannins perfectly balanced with a little acidity, it tastes of bright, red summer fruits with lifted floral notes, followed through by a rich palate of dark cherry and raisins with a nutty, savoury undertone of wood smoke.

This wine is just beginning to be available in the UK – rush out and buy it!   And do also look at the wine’s twin sister, the Mountain View Pinot Noir sold exclusively by Virgin Wines in the UK.  This has been created by Beth Forrest, John and Brigid’s daughter who works with them at the Forrest estate.  It has a little more tannins than this version, which some will prefer.