High toned tunes with pure Pinots
I return to the Pinot Noirs of Pyramid Valley and find that while they have a new winemaker, the terroir still sings the same tune, so I won't have to change my playlist
Putting together a playlist for the opening of the Pyramid Valley cellar door seven years ago, initially seemed like a tough call. Mike Weersing and Claudia Elze had invited me to provide the sonic element to the big day, so I set about assembling a selection of music that evoked something of the essential sensory elements of the four different wines from their Waikari home vineyard in North Canterbury. It transpired that the task was not so hard, given they all shared purity of fruit, ethereal textures, bright acidity, seamless dynamic flow, and a touch of the unconventional that I channelled into my musical choices.
Mike and Claudia sold the estate in 2017, and now Huw Kinch is at Pyramid Valley’s winemaking helm. Late last year, Huw showed me the new 2019 vintages of what are now known as the “Botanical Collection” of wines from the home vineyard, the first under his total guidance. It was an impressive reveal, which confirmed that in his sensitive hands, the distinctive individual voices of the vineyard’s four separate blocks could still be clearly heard, and those salient characters that I’d tuned my initial playlist to, remained.
If I was to make that Pyramid Valley playlist again today, it would not be much changed. On tasting the most recent wines, I was, however, inspired to come up with some individual matches for their pair of 2019 Pinot Noirs. Utopia by Goldfrapp for the gossamer-like, soaring and fragrant, Angel Flower; and Ruinous Splendour by Purple Pilgrims (featuring Roy Montgomery) with the pure fruited, but earthier, more savoury Earth Smoke. If you have access to these beautiful wines, you can try out my pairings, or experiment with the musical suggestions on Pinots of a similar style.
Read on for the detail…