The 2007 The Tiger Pinot Noir has very good definition and sense of mineralite on the nose with raspberry, smoke and a touch of brambly black berries. The palate is broody, introverted but with some fine tannins. Cranberry, Doris plum in the centre, cohesive towards the finish with a slight meatiness on the finish. It does not have the structure to suggest long-term ageing as fades a little on the finish, but it certainly has character. Chard Farm lies at the far extremity of the Gibbston gorge overlooking the turquoise Kawarau River, the first vines planted by Rob and Greg Hay (the latter parting company in 1996 to establish Peregrine down the road.) Regretfully, I did not cover them in detail in WA176 but I hopefully make amends here. No known US importer.

Made from their vineyard overlooking Lake Dunstan and in memory of their late-cellar door master, the superb 2006 The Tiger Pinot Noir has a very elegant nose: raspberry, strawberry with just a touch of violets. Quite similar to Felton’s Block 3 in fact. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, quite understated, good acidity and very elegant towards the finish. There is prudent use of oak here, allowing the fruit to speak for itself. Supple and lithe in texture, graceful red-berried finish with a touch of spice. Excellent. Drink over the next 5-6 years. Chard Farm lies at the far extremity of the Gibbston gorge overlooking the turquoise Kawarau River, the first vines planted by Rob and Greg Hay (the latter parting company in 1996 to establish Peregrine down the road.) Regretfully, I did not cover them in detail in WA176 but I hopefully make amends here. Importer: Dreyfus, Ashby & Co., Haskell, NJ 07420 www.DreyfusAshby.com