* * * SILVER MEDAL * * * NZ International Wine Show 2010

Pinot Noir 2008

5 stars - 95 points, Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, Oct 2011

The wine is gloriously fragrant and complex displaying dark cherry, game, spice and truffle characters on the nose. It's concentrated and richly textured on the palate with a sumptuous mouthfeel and velvety finish backed by plenty of fine-grained tannins. The wine is weighty and powerful, yet beautifully elegant and poised for further development. Grapes were grown on the Martinborough Terraces (2 vineyards, 5 clones, vine age up to 22 years), hand harvested and small batch fermented with hand plunging. The finished wine was matured in French oak barrels (15% new) for 12 months, and bottled without fining or filtration. At its best: now to 2020. 14%. Screw cap. (2009)

91 points, Dan Sogg, Wine Spectator (USA), Nov 2008

Layered and concentrated, with great depth of roast duck, Asian spice, black cherry and black pepper flavors. Spice, gravel and fruit nuances harmonize gracefully, with game meat carpaccio and green tea lingering on the finish. Drink now through 2012. (2006)

5 stars - 94 points, Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, Dec 2010

This wine feels like a classic Martinborough Pinot, with its stylish elegance and savoury notes. The nose is hedonistic and complex displaying dark cherry, game, mushroom and spicy oak characters. It’s delicately expressed on the palate with silky texture and plenty of fine-grained tannins. The palate flows beautifully to a lingering dry finish. The wine is not big but superbly structured and balanced for gradual development. Grapes were sourced from three vineyards in Martinborough Terraces (5 clones, vine age up to 21 years), and the wine was matured in French oak barrels (20% new) for 10 months, then bottled without fining or filtration. At its best: now to 2017. (2008)

90 points - David Lawrason, Toronto Life, 27 May 2010

This deeply coloured pinot has a lovely, lifted nose of raspberry and cherry with touches of earth, menthol, coffee and juniper. It's mid-weight, firm and well structured; quite tannic and warm. Excellent length. A couple of years aging will help smooth it out. Best 2012 to 2017. (2008)

36 Top Summer Wines, Tim Atkin, The Observer, 21 June 2009

Is it any wonder so many people are switching to pinot from New Zealand? This deep red is structured yet fruity, with a hint of sun-dried tomato and a lovely texture. (2008)

wineblogg.com, Per-Olof Diderot, 27 Aug 2011

The Swedish Systembolaget in August finally released the new vintage of this extremely affordable Pinot Noir golden nugget. The wine has a seductively beautiful ruby red colour and the fragrance is like sticking my nose in childhood home made strawberry juice in concentrated form, in combination with a fresh forest scent. The taste is spectacular with hints of raspberry, toffee, strawberry, blueberry and slightly smoked meat ending. A bargain wine back in stock again and it's perfect for this autumn cooking experiences. (2009).

Full blog at wineblogg.com/#post95 (Engish) and diderot.se/#post267 (Swedish)

* * * * * GOLD MEDAL - International Wine Challenge 2008 * * * * *

Bright crimson colour. Raspberry, plum, nutmeg, toast and silky tannins. Full bodied, with balanced aromas. Plenty of sweet fruit and a long, warm finish. (2006)

92/100, Joe Czerwinski, Wine Enthusiast (USA), July 2007

An atypically lush, full bodied Pinot, this harkens back to the winery's excellent 2001 in style, ripe and plummy, yet with complex notes of coffee, meat, dried herbs and cracked pepper. Long on the finish, where hints of black tea emerge. (2005) - Top NZ Pinot in issue

92 points, Wine Spectator (USA), August 2007

Serves up a formidable core of spicy black cherry, pomegranate, black pepper and crushed stone flavours. The firm, lively structure, green tea tones and nicely integrated oak extend through the lingering finish. Drink now through 2011. (2005) - Top NZ Pinot & top NZ Wine in Tasting

4.5 stars, Michael Cooper, Winestate Sep - Oct 2010

From vines up to 21 years old, this is a classy, young red, mouthfilling and richly varietal, with deep cherry, plum and spice flavours, fresh, ripe, savoury and supple. Open mid 2011 onwards. (2008) - also Best of Michael Cooper's 2010 Release, Annual Issue 2010/2011

5 stars - Top 10 NZ Pinot, Cuisine magazine, Nov 2008

Experienced Gary and Annette Voss have won plaudits for their Pinots around the world. This latest effort is balanced and lively, with enduring ripe, sweet notes. (2007)

4.5 stars, Michael Coopers Buyers Guide to New Zealand Wines 2011

Voss is a small winery with a big, instantly likeable Pinot Noir. The 2008 was grown at three sites on the Martinborough Terrace, where the vines are up to 21 years old, matured for 10 months in French oak barriques (20 per cent new), and bottled unfined and unfiltered. A classy young red, it is mouthfilling and richly varietal, with deep cherry, plum and spice flavours, fresh, ripe, savoury and supple. Open mid-2011 onwards.

93 points, 100 Best Wines of the Year, Wine & Spirits (USA), Nov 08

When first poured, this seems compressed, warm and thick in its beetroot and strawberry scents. Floral notes emerge at the end of the finish, hinting at the gracious wine underneath. With air, the compression unfolds to tension, florals arrive and evaporate into the kind of strawberry transparency that makes a fine Pommard so appealing. An illusionist of a wine, in keeping with that character trait of Pinot Noir (2006).

5 stars - 94 points, Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, Nov 2009

Yet another stunning wine from one of New Zealand's finest Pinot Noir producers. A delightful and complex nose exhibiting dark cherry, plum, thyme and floral characters. The palate is concentrated and succulent showing satin smooth texture, superb mid palate weight and gently firm tannins. It's beautifully balanced and structured with a promise to age magnificently. At its best: now to 2013. 13.5%. Diam cork. (2007)

92 points, Michael Franz, www.winereviewonline.com

If you have heard great things about New Zealand Pinot but haven't yet tasted what all the fuss is about, this would be a good bottle with which to get your start. Ample and deeply flavored but still exquisitely delicate, it marries plush dark cherry fruit with subtly bright acidity and delicate notes of toast and spices. The texture is totally winning, with a soft, rounded dimension but also some grip and definition from tannin and oak. (2005)

5 stars, Michael Coopers Buyers Guide to New Zealand Wines 2009

Voss is a small winery with a big, instantly likeable Pinot Noir. The 2006 is a top vintage. Grown at three sites on the Martinborough Terrace, where the vines are 10 to 18 years old, it was matured in French oak barriques (30% new), and bottled unfined and unfiltered. Depply coloured and enticingly scented, it is deliciously ripe and velevty, with highly concentrated cherry, plum and spice flavours, earthy and savoury notes adding complexity, and a finely balanced, well-rounded finish. Drink now or cellar.

91 points, Editors Choice, Wine Enthusiast (USA), 1 Nov 2008

This small Martinborough producer continues to excel. The 2006 is a little less savory than some past vintages, but compensates by offering pure black cherry fruit framed by vanilla and cinnamon. Pinot Noir's elusive texture is captured by silky waves across the palate, which take on a velvety edge on the finish. Drink now-2015.

92 / 100, Joe Czerwinski, Wine Enthusiast, Special Anniversary Issue (USA)- Sept 2003

Convincingly demonstrates that a wine can be rich and well extracted, yet retain a sense of balance and elegance. Ripe, plummy fruit is framed by dry spices and toasty oak; the wine is full bodied but seems almost weightless. An intriguing herbal thread winds through the wine from start to finish, offering a compelling note of complexity. (2001) -Top NZ Pinot & Top NZ wine in the tasting

Michael Franz, The Washington Post, 23 February 2005 - Outstanding

Seamless and impressively symmetrical, this gorgeous wine features complex aromas, deeply flavored fruit, well-measured wood and a very persistent finish. (2002)

5 stars, John Saker, Sunday Star Times, 7 Dec 2008

Martinborough got it right in 07, and Voss Estate got it very right. This sensual, lively wine's flavours will harmonise smashingly with the anise of the fennel and squid.

5 stars, Sue Courtney, www.wineoftheweek.com, 2 Nov 2008

Voss Estate Martinborough Pinot Noir 2007. I noted this as having deep-pink purple hues to the dark red colour, a savoury smoky nose and a velvety cloak of rich, funky, savoury nuggety flavours that parts to reveal bright purple fruit, aromatic herbs and some exotic spice. A very 'gamey' style in the line-up of the Cuisine top 10 wines, this was rated five stars and number 10 by Cuisine. I'd rate it 5 stars too.

4 stars, Michael Cooper, Winestate, Jul-Aug 2011

Ruby hued, supple and sweet-fruited, with fresh, ripe cherry, plum, spice and nut flavours, showing good complexity. Finely textured wine, already drinking well. (2009)

5 stars, Michael Cooper, Winestate Mar-Apr 2008

A top vintage. From mature vines (10 to 18 years old), and bottled unfined and unfiltered, it is deeply coloured and enticingly scented. The palate is deliciously warm and velvety, with highly concentrated cherry, plum and spice flavours, earthy and savoury notes adding complexity, and a finely balanced, well-rounded finish. Drink now or cellar. (2006) - Top Pinot in the tasting

90 points, Joe Czerwinski, Wine Enthusiast (USA), Nov 2009

Starts with a woodsy, slightly fungal scent, but also waves of black cherry aromas, and those both continue through onto the palate, offering excellent complexity on the long finish. The wine is on the full side, with crisp acids and a firm structure that should see it develop well through 2015. (2007)

5 stars, TiZwine.com Tasting: July 2004

TOP TIP: All three panellists marked this wine well, with one giving it the highest score of the tasting. Its success is in the perfect balance between lightly charred oak and chocolate-edged fruit on the nose, and the smooth but mouth-filling texture. Yum! (2002) (2nd highest scoring wine of the year, out of 107 tasted)

Jancis Robinson MW, The London Weekend Financial Times, 10th –11th February 2001

Wines to grab if you can…Voss Estate 1999…

5 stars - 94 points, Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, Sep 2007

This well-established Martinborough producer has fashioned another winner with this offering which came from 3 vineyards on the Martinborough Terraces, where vine age ranges from 10 to 18 years with 6 different clones. Small-batch ferment then matured in French oak (30% new) for 11 months. Bottled without fining or filtration. A luscious bouquet displaying super-ripe plums and cherries. The palate is impressively rich and sweet with an expansive mid-palate finishing with soft, fine tannins. Lovely balance and gorgeous mouthfeel. Initially the wine was showing off its plush fruit sweetness; then savoury complexity quietly moved in with time in the glass. It's immensely appealing yet thought-provoking. Sensibly priced too. At its best: now to 2009. (2005)

4.5 stars, Michael Cooper, Winestate Mar-Apr 2009

Deep ruby, very fresh and fragrant, with rich, vibrant, well-ripened cherry, plum and spice flavours. Deliciously complex, savoury and smooth-flowing, with the potential to mature well. (2007) - also Best of Michael Cooper's 2009 Release, Annual Issue 2009/2010

Steve Tanzers International Wine Cellar, Sept 2005

Deep medium red. Smoky red fruit aromas perked up by pepper and herbs. Sweet and dense, with moderately delineated flavors similar to the aromas. Finishes with torrefaction notes of chocolate and coffee, and a lightly meaty quality. (A bottle sampled in Martinborough showed sappy berries, black cherry and coffee bean on the nose; a smooth, silky palate brightened by primary peppery fruits; and a finish featuring fine-grained tannins and very good length.) (2003)

4.5 stars, Restaurant Wine (USA), Issue #100, March/April 2004

Fine Pinot Noir, in a full, round, rich, Nuits St. Georges style. It is well balanced and long on the palate, with a persistent finish, tasting of blackberry, cherry, tobacco, humus and pepper [2005-2007]. (2002)

Michael Franz, The Washington Post, 17th November 2004 – Wines for Thanksgiving

Complete and convincing in every respect, this was the top performer from an astonishing contingent of New Zealand entrants. (2002) (His favourite Pinot out of 200 Pinot noirs, Pinot blancs & Rieslings tasted)

Phillip Rich, The Australian Financial Review Magazine, May 2001

Even better is the 1999 Voss Pinot Noir made (partly) from vines planted in 1988. Perfumed, gently spicy and delicate, yet with enough depth of fruit and concentration, it’s a Martinborough pinot to rival the best.

4.5 stars, 93 points, Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, Sep 2007

A vibrant and fresh Pinot showing pristine aromas of ripe cherries and floral notes. The palate is youthful and juicy displaying soft texture and crisp acidity. Fine tannins provide a nice, dry finish at the end. A wonderfully structured young Pinot needing time to express its full potential. An attractive Pinot Noir better suited to light red-meat dishes. At its best: now to 2010. (2006)

4 stars, Michael Coopers Buyers Guide to New Zealand Wines 2008

Voss is a small winery with a big, instantly likeable Pinot Noir. The 2005 vintage was grown in three vineyards on the Martinborough Terrace, matured for a year in French oak barriques (30 per cent new), and bottled unfiltered. Deeply coloured, floral and supple, with plummy, spicy flavours, good texture and harmony, it's a silky, elegant wine, still youthful and maturing well.

4 stars, Restaurant Wine (USA), Issue #118, Jul/Aug 2007

Round and full bodied, this is a firm, lightly toasty wine, with complex character (humus, toast, plum, herbs), good depth of fruit, and a long, lightly tannic finish. (2005)

Sue Courtney, www.wineoftheweek.com, 28 August 2005

But Voss Estate Martinborough Pinot Noir 2002 took the taste experience to another level. It is savoury, earthy, smooth and velvety with a touch of forest floor good acidity from the tamarillo / guava-like fruit that gives the peacocks tail flare to the finish and the aftertaste is long and cherryish with a fruit-cake spice overtone. I loved the interesting complexities were being introduced into the wine with the extra age and the long, svelte finish. "Wine of the Week"

Steve Tanzers International Wine Cellar, Sep/Oct 07

Dark red. Crushed raspberry, celery seed, rooty sassafras and a whiff of black pepper on the nose. Juicy, spicy and classically dry, with flavors of wild strawberry, celery seed and earthy, spicy underbrush. Not a fruity style but very Martinborough in its soil tones. The clean, fresh finish shows more acids than tannins. (2005)

Matthew Jukes & Tyson Stelzer, Taste Food & Wine 2008

The Best 365 wines of 2008 - Hello, boys, have we got a Pinot for you! Leave the perfume and roses to the ladies and step up to something with biceps. Voss is a concentrated, full-bodied Pinot Noir with powerful black cherry and spice. It might be buff, but at just 13.5% alcohol. It’s clearly kept itself off the ‘roids. If you’re looking for something to go with Aussie Rules on Ch 10, Voss is your exact wine to play. (2006)

Steve Tanzers International Wine Cellar, Sept 2005

Medium red. Old-school aromas of cinnamon, nuts and sweet, earthy underbrush. Fat and plump, with resolved flavors of plum spice and earth. Drink soon. (A bottle sampled in Martinborough showed more fruit-driven aromas of strawberry and raspberry and lively, sweet flavors of dark berries, black cherry, chocolate and licorice; it finished with good breadth, ripe tannins and classic dryness.) (2002)

4 stars, Michael Cooper, Winestate, Sep-Oct 2007

 This deeply coloured red is floral and supple, with plummy, spicy flavours, good texture and harmony. Silky and elegant, it's still youthful and maturing well. (2005)

4 stars – Best of the Bunch, Bob Campbell MW, Cuisine Magazine, March 2002

Concentrated juicy cherry flavours interwoven with charry oak. One of the wine’s best features is its soft and silken texture. (2000)

4 stars, Cuisine Magazine, November 2007

Another showy wine with aromas of fresh fruits and baked plums. Ripe and generous in a very masculine style. (2006)

4 stars, TOP 10, Cuisine Magazine, Nov 2004

Graceful Martinborough wine with an array of plum, cherry, herb and spice flavours. Rich and ripe, with a silky elegance and attractively scented bouquet. (2003)

4 stars, Ray McVinnie, Sunday Star Times, 19 Dec 2004

A well chosen bottle of wine could be the perfect gift for that really hard-to-please friend. This graceful, rich, ripe red Martinborough wine with lots of fruit and spice flavours and aromas is sure to please. (2003)

4 stars, Michael Cooper’s Buyer’s Guide to New Zealand Wines 2006

Voss is a small Martinborough winery with a big, instantly likeable, reasonably priced Pinot Noir. The 2003 vintage (4 stars) was matured for a year in French oak barriques (30 percent new - a stronger new oak influence than usual). It's a graceful wine with an array of plum, cherry, herb and spice flavours, ripe and rich, a silky elegance and attractively scented bouquet.

4 stars, 17 points - www.GeoffKellyWineReviews.co.nz

Ruby, carmine and velvet, deeper than pinot noir needs to be. This is another wine in the deeply aromatic Villa Maria or Felton Block 5 style, with oak more apparant than florals on bouquet. Palate is more dark cherry and plum, and total winestyle is lighter and a little more oaky than the Block 5. But in truth, it would be hard to separate them in consistently, in triangulated blind tests. (2003)

Sue Courtney, www.wineoftheweek.com, 28 August 2005

Voss Estate Martinborough Pinot Noir 2003 has lots of immediate appeal with a velvety texture, earthy savoury fruit and a long rich finish. I thought it very, very good, liking that way the oak had integrated and the palate had evolved since last my tasting of the wine - ten months before.

4.5 stars (“Judges Dozen”) - John Saker et al.,– Capital Times (NZ), 22nd October 2003

Rich, sweet rhubarb aromas along with a hint of earth. Light, silky texture and firm structure. Plenty of sweet notes come through on quite a grunty palate. (2002)

88 points, Wine & Spirits (USA), October 2004

Oriented towards soil flavours, this wine’s dark tones bring funky farmyard and forest floor scents to mind. The tannins are slightly bitter, needing roast lamb or other gamey meat to bring out the fruit. (2002)

Jancis Robinson MW

Deep, healthy crimson. Round and winning on the nose though perhaps a little bit too developed and charming at this early stage? Good tannin structure underneath. (2003)

Paul White et. al., The Dominion Post, 12th October 2002

The panel split here over matters of taste. Rich & concentrated in the mouth, it’s packed with big, grippy tannins and sharp acids. Full of dark berry fruits with tarry, raisined notes, stylistically it sits boldly at the super ripe end of the scale (rated 5th out of 12 wines). (2001)

Jancis Robinson MW from www.jancisrobinson.com

Substantial. Thick depth. Quite luscious. Vibrant. Drink 2003-2007. (2001)

Sunday Times (UK), “Style”, 6th January 2002

It’s still early days for pinot noir in New Zealand but the Voss Estate in Martinborough was one of the first to plant it. Seductive fruit and textbook silky texture. (2000)

4.5 stars, Michael Cooper, The Listener 31 Jan 2009

Voss Estate Martinborough Pinot Noir 2007 (4.5 stars, $39.95) is fragrant and vibrantly fruity, with impressive complexity and depth.

Paul White, The Dominion, 6th October 2001

Topping the heap of the premium $30-to-$50 range was Voss’s 2000, scoring two gold votes to one silver. I was keen on its integrated toasty oak, black cherry and mushroom aromas, complexity, concentration, balance and length. Simon thought it the best of the lot: ”Lovely, cuddly and labrador-like”. Raymond liked its lifted fragrance, cherries and violets.

Szabo & Szabo Wine Newsletter (Canada)

Burgundian in style with very focused acidity and tannins, well made. Foie gras infused veal tenderloin. (2003)

John Saker – Capital Times, 5th September 2001

The 2000 Voss Estate Pinot is the best pinot I’ve yet tasted from the winery. There is an impressive, elegant seamlessness to the 2000. Built around a firm acidic spine and fine tannins, it exhibits sophisticated spice and leather flavours and has interesting length. It is immediately approachable, but will also develop well in the cellar.

90 points, Mary Ewing-Mulligan, www.winereviewonline.com

This wine combines the weight of ripeness - full body and high alcohol - with delicacy of aromas and flavors. Fine herbal notes contrast with rich, ripe, black fruits on the nose and palate, to echo the same rich-yet-delicate theme. The wine has good concentration of fruit character and very good length across the palate. (2003)

John Saker – Capital Times, March 7th - 2001

The weeks following Pinot Noir 2001 have brought nothing but cheer for Martinborough’s Voss Estate. After Jancis Robinson gave the 1999 Voss Estate Pinot Noir a recommendation in her Financial Times piece on the conference, interest (and orders) have come in from around the world.

88 points, 100 Top New Releases, Gourmet Traveller Wine, Autumn 2005

Rich and concentrated Pinot Noir from a good Martinborough vintage. Strong black cherry and Black Doris plum flavours give pronounced varietal character while assertive tannins provide a solid structure for maximum longevity. (2003)

Bob Campbell MW - Air New Zealand Magazine June 2005

10 best value pinot noir - Voss Estate 2003 Martinborough Pinot Noir, $34.

Ken Sternberg, Accent (USA), March/April 2006

Complete in every way a fine pinot needs to be, this wine is young, fresh and vibrant. Bright, up-front fruit comes forward immediately, progressing to a delicious complexity. (2003)

Silver Medal, NZ Home & Entertaining, December 2004

Dense, plump Pinot Noir with firm, drying tannins. Solid balanced wine with impressive concentration. Strong black cherry and Black Doris plum flavours give pronounced varietal character. 88 points (2003)

Shine on Perfect Pinot Noir - Lay & Wheeler (UK), July 2005

The 2002 Voss has great freshness and purity. The nose is dominated by layers of vibrant fruit, floral notes and a clove and spice element beneath, while the palate displays firm tannins and a pure core of earthy plum and damson. This is classy Pinot that will prove hard to resist.

Sue Courtney, www.wineoftheweek.com, 28 August 2005

Voss Estate Martinborough Pinot Noir 2004 is an alluringly aromatic wine with lovely pinot charm on the nose. Rich without being over-powering with cherry / guava / bittersweet pinot fruit, just a hint of chocolate and a long savoury aftertaste. It has a silky graininess to the texture and though young, it looks like it has great potential.

The Fine Wine Delivery Company - April 2005

This is leading Martinborough Pinot Noir. Silken and rich, it is layered with blackberry, cherry and boysenberry threaded with smoky oak and delicious savoury characters in a persistent finish leaving you wanting more of this fantastic Pinot Noir. Enjoy now through 2008/9. (2003)

89 / 100, Steve Tanzer, International Wine Cellar (USA), September/October 2003

Bright, dark red. Expressive nose combines black cherry, blackberry, currant, chocolate and espresso. Sappy, rich and pliant; a fairly sizable pinot with concentrated berry fruit complicated by hints of fresh herbs and violet. Boasts impressive palate presence and dimension. Finishes with fine tannins and excellent length. (2001)