Reviews
Alana Estate has received recognition for its wines in New Zealand and around the world.
2009 Alana Pinot Noir Lumiere
Four Stars - Michael Cooper
"Ruby-hued, it is very sweet-fruited and smooth... with generous plum and cherry flavours and gentle tannins in an unabashedly fruit-driven style, already delicious."
2009 Alana Sauvignon Blanc
Noel Young Wines, Cambridge, United Kingdom
A delicious 2009 Sauvignon Blanc from Alana. Low yields, handpicked, whole bunch pressed and a warm ferment, all of which help to make this a complex and high quality Sauvignon. Stone fruits, hints of tropical fruit, citrus and gentle herbaceous notes on the attractive nose. It's crisp and fresh, with lovely rich, tangy fruit, peach to the fore with a tangy limey character, good acidity too, but it's weight of fruit is what sets this apart. Really delicious wine with great weight and as the back label says will be interesting to see how this ages, they reckon 5 years, however it is delicious now. Top 2009 for sure. Published: 27 January 2010
Sam Kim, Senior Wine Judge, Wine Orbit, 89/100, 4.5 stars
A gently fragrant nose displaying lime zest, delicate floral and chalky mineral characters. The palate is concentrated and beautifully weighted with fine texture and vibrant acidity. The finish is lingering and pleasantly dry. A stylish and elegant style rather than the intensely flavoured examples we typically see from Marlborough. At its best: now to 2012. $27.00 13% Screw cap.
2008 Alana Pinot Noir
Rusty Gaffney, Pinotfile, Prince of Pinot, California, USA
Grapes were handpicked and 100% de-stemmed. Aged in French oak for 10 months and settled in stainless for an additional 5 months. Unfined and unfiltered. Bottled July 3, 2009. A black cherry bombast in the nose and on the palate. A hint of cola and spice add interest with oak playing a subtle supporting role. The most striking feature of this wine is the velvety texture. Beautifully crafted and perfectly harmonious, this is a complete wine. One of the best Pinot Noirs I have ever sampled from New Zealand.
Barbara Drady, Founder, The Wine Evangelist, Calif. USA
When it comes to Pinot Noir is it ever too late? I’ve been hearing from a whole lot of Pinot producers who didn’t submit their wines to the Pinot Noir shootout this year and have been asking if it is too late to participate in the 8th Annual Pinot Summit. The answer is ….yes, it’s too late to submit your wines if you’re a winery, but it’s NOT TOO late if you want to attend this year’s Pinot Summit.
One winery was incredibly persistent in trying to submit their wines. Alana Estate was not not on my radar screen. The tried like crazy to get me their wine in time to participate in our Pinot Noir Shootout competition.
Unfortunately, their wine was “on the water” (on a container and had not yet arrived in the U.S) Once the wine landed they shipped three wines for me to taste. I decided to taste the Alana Estate 2008 Single Vineyard Pinot Noir from Martinborough, New Zealand tonight as I worked on details for the Summit. I had no intention of writing about this wine but when it comes to Pinot…. I’m hopeless so here it is: This wine is opulent, much more lush than I’m used to finding in New Zealand wines. It’s more delicious than elegant. It’s a great example of well made Pinot. We look forward to
sharing this wine with our judges and Summit attendees next year!
Pigs and Pinot, 2010, Healdsburg
Alana 2008 Pinot was one of 50 Pinots worldwide selected for the Prestigious Pigs and Pinot Food and Wine event held in California in March 20-21 2010.
2008 Alana Chardonnay
Sam Kim, Senior Wine Judge, Wine Orbit, 90/100, 4.5 stars
The nose is fine and elegant displaying stone fruit, cream and a hint of oak characters. The palate is beautifully focused and tightly structured with finely textured mouth feel, tangy acidity and a long finish. A youthful and elegant Chardonnay with subtlety and poise. At its best: now to 2013. $42.00 14% Screw cap
The Wine Muse is Annette Hanami, a wine educator based in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Examples of well-made, classic chardonnay are to be found around the world, but New Zealand chardonnay has a citrus aspect I find particularly appealing. The 2008 Alana Estate Chardonnay, Martinborough ($34.99) was irresistable with a hint of lees and vanilla on the nose and depth of lemond curd and tangerine flavors on the palate. Full-bodied but fresh, with rich mouthfeel and long finish.
2007 Alana Pinot Noir
Scenic Cellars - Taupo NZ, In top 6 Pinot Noirs over $30
5 Stars - Winestate Annual 2010 - Vol 33, Issue 1
Top Equal Scoring Wine of Entire Pinot Noir Tasting - Scenic Cellars September 2009. In this same promotion last year, the 2006 was the top scoring wine of the tasting, and the 2007 has done it again! Aussie winemaker Chris Archer has fashioned another stunning Martinborough Pinot Noir. Jannine loved the wine's persistence and rich, delicate style. Floris was impressed with the great colour and aromatics of vibrant berry fruit and cassis and silky mouth feel. Ian ... well he was just seriously impressed. A great example of Martinborough magic, enjoyable now and over the next 4-5 years.
Sam Kim, Senior Wine Judge, Wine Orbit, 94/100, 5 stars,
A rich and complex bouquet displaying red/dark cherry, spice, game and earthy mushroom characters. The oak influence is discreet and beautifully integrated. It's so seductive on the palate showing silky texture, harmonised acidity and fine-grained tannins with a gloriously expansive finish. This is a beautifully detailed and structured Pinot, more towards the classic Burgundy model rather than the opulent New World style. An outstanding Pinot Noir. At its best: now to 2015. $60.00 14% Screw cap.
Michael Cooper, Martinborough, New Zealand
"I enjoyed a bouquet of tantalizing hints of what was to come followed by a surprisingly subtle balance of flavours on the palate. A silky delivery of earthy chocolate, fruit and spices. In short I would say, a captivating if precocious juvenile of very serious intent. I hugely enjoyed it and certainly intend becoming even better acquainted! Michael Cooper
2007 Alana Sauvignon Blanc
Fleshy, punchy and smooth, with gooseberry and green capsicum flavours, a sliver of sweetness and good weight and depth. $29 (A)
2007 Alana Riesling L'Aperitif
Youthful, light (9% alcohol) Riesling with intense lemon/lime flavours in a lovely late-harvest, sweet, but not botrytis-affected style. Very clean and fresh, slightly spicy and minerally. Well worth cellaring. $39 4 stars
2006 Alana Pinot Noir
Tight, youthful, full-bodied wine with good colour depth and strong cherry/plum flavours, seasoned with toasty oak. Substantial, savoury and firm, with obvious potential. $66 (A, UK)
WineNZ Magazine Winter 2008
In a tasting of over 80 Pinot Noirs from NZ, Alana was honored as the most outstanding wine over $35 - Alana Estate Martinborough Pinot Noir 2006. Dark, deep youthful colour. Youthful too on the nose showing fragrant cherry and raspberry notes. The palate here is just lovely with layers of dark cherry, raspberry, blackberry and earthy-mushroom-truffle flavours. The wine is round, plush and velvety in the mouth showing amazing depth and huge yet perfectly integrated oak and tannins. Dry and minerally right through the finish, Alana Estate Pinot Noir 2006 is delicious wine, a credit to grower and winemaker and a worthy standard bearer for New Zealand Pinot Noir.
2006 Alana Pinot Noir Le Coup
Winestate - July/August 08
Finely perfumed, with deep colour and deliciously concentrated flavours of plum, cherry and spice. Elegant style with fresh acidity, still very youthful, but savoury and complex. Best opened 2009 onwards. $95 (A)
David Berry Green, Berry Brothers Rudd Buyer:
"Tasted your Le Coup 'blind' among 20 other Pinots as part of that MW dissertation tasting - it showed really well...on a par with Dme Drouhin Oregon 05 & outclassing most of the others!"
Jayson Bryant, The Wine Vault TV,
Well Here are some New Zealand Wines to 'Try Before You Die'.
My first wine to taste would be Alana Estate 'Le Coup' 2006. This wine elevated Alana Estate from just another producer making Pinot Noir in Martinborough to superstar status.
The 'La Coup' is very feminine in its quality with gorgeous texture on the palate, which is lacking in most New Zealand Pinot Noirs. There are hints of ripe red fruit, a hint of compost and forest floor and great sweetness from ripe fruit, rather than added sugar, and you are left with a dry aftertaste which compliments this wine.
Alana Estate have made a wine that they should be proud of and will continue to age gracefully for another 10 years .
2006 Alana Chardonnay
Subtle, harmonious wine, deliberately produced in a 'restrained, age worthy' style. Fresh, elegant, tight and youthful, with rich grapefruit and peach flavours and creamy, nutty notes adding complexity. Crisp, delicate and refined. $43 (A). 4 stars
2003 Alana Pinot Noir
Jane Skilton MW. The Wine Kingdom Magazine March 2006
Top 25 NZ Pinot Noirs - Alana Estate Pinot Noir 2003; "The estate wines just get better with each vintage. Although still not as well known as some of the more celebrated Martinborough wineries, this is certainly one to watch. The 1990s wines are already collectors' items, and Alana Estate has begun buying back some of these wines at over twice the original selling price in order to have them available in the future at the cellar door for eager fans."
2002 Alana Pinot Noir
Michael Franz - Washington Post, February 2005
"Surely among the best Pinots available at this price, it is still young enough to show primary fruit notes of cherries and strawberries, but also mature enough to include interesting notes that suggest wild mushrooms and damp earth."
JAL Inflight Magazine, March 2004
"New Zealand Pinot Noir has come a long way in the past two decades... The tiny region of Martinborough leads the way in terms of international recognition. Martinborough earns glowing accolades for its outstanding Pinots, which typically feature strong flavours and great concentration. Alana Estate is a fine example. Sited on the famed Martinborough Terrace, Alana Estate has a Pinot that brims with aromas of black plum, black cherry, violets and smoke, wrapped around a velvety palate of dusky black plum."
2002 Alana Chardonnay
Alastair Dunlop - Air New Zealand Mar 2005
"Congratulations on your success at the recent Air New Zealand Inflight Wine Tasting/Selection. We look forward to showcasing this great wine in Business Class on board our long haul services."
2002 Alana Sauvignon Blanc
Air New Zealand - 2003
Alana Estate's 2002 Sauvignon Blanc was selected for use on the business class routes of Air New Zealand.
2002 Alana Chardonnay
Cuisine Magazine, July 2004
"Alana Estate Chardonnay 2002 - Top Ten NZ Chardonnays - Gold 4 1/2 stars Fleshy, finely balanced wine. Rich and lively, generous and supple, with satisfying body, well-ripened, citrusy fruit characters showing good concentration, subtle oak and good acid balance. A skillfully made wine, worth discovering."
2001 Alana Pinot Noir
Jonathan Ray - UK Daily Telegraph, February 2004
Alana Estate 2001 Pinot Noir Martinborough; "This is high-quality stuff bursting with ripe cherry flavours. Hints of chocolate, cinnamon and cloves are supported by smoky oak and silky tannins. Surprise yourself and try it with seared tuna steaks or pan-fried salmon or, more conventionally, roast duck."
First Glass, May 2004
"Alana Estate Pinot Noir 2001 - Deep and attractive fragrance, velvety textured, plummy blue fruit, some cherry and tamarillo, earth savoury tones, long sweet-fruited finish, still evolving. Lots going on. My favourite of the flight."
Fortnum Mason - 2003
Alana Estate 2001 Pinot Noir and 2002 Sauvignon Blanc were selected by Fortnum Mason as their house wines. This was a first time a New World wine has been selected for this honor by this world renowned and prestigious company.
Decanter Magazine - July 2004
2001 Alana Estate Pinot Noir, 7th out of 102 New Zealand Pinot Noirs Tasted, Highly recommended. "Warm plummy-jammy nose, ripe cherry and raspberry notes."Ripe, concentrated fruit, opulent style, elegant. Oak well integrated."
1999 Alana Pinot Noir
Michael Broadbent - Decanter Magazine, April 2001
"The reds certainly seemed better value, indeed not unreasonable when one realizes what some of the top New World Pinot Noirs are fetching, for example, one of them (exactly half the price of the Volnay Taillepieds), a 1999 from New Zealand's Alana Estate, was selected to represent its grape variety at the Introductory Session of Christie's Course that same evening: delicious, soft, gentle, a distinctive varietal aroma and remarkably attractive flavour."