Pale to medium ruby-purple, the 2009 Picnic Pinot Noir has aromas of black cherries, warm raspberry, cinnamon and cloves. Medium bodied and structured with a low to medium level of silky tannins and a refreshingly high level of acidity, there plenty of juicy fleshing the middle and lingering long into the finish. Drink it now to 2014. Since their debut in 1999, Hollywood A-lister and oenophile Sam Neill and winemaker Matt Dicey have fashioned a very natural, almost leafy style of Pinot Noir from their Gibbston and Alexandra Valley vineyards. The wines come across as far less ostentatious than their Central Otago peers and they tend to drink perfectly at 2-4 years of age.No known USA importer.

The 2008 Picnic Pinot Noir displays crisp definition on the nose: raspberry, strawberry and a touch of tomato vine. The palate is medium-bodied and lithe on the entry, very approachable and supple in the mouth with smoky red-berried fruit on the defined, earthy finish that would benefit from a little more persistency. Drink now-2012.