Carrick Excelsior Pinot Noir 2019 from Bannockburn in Central Otago is a powerful yet finely detailed single‑vineyard Pinot, drawn from the Cairnmuir Terraces and made as Carrick’s flagship red. Only a small amount is produced, with careful selection and extended élevage giving real depth and age‑worthiness.

The nose is intense and complex: red and black cherries, plum, raspberry and boysenberry, with florals, wild thyme, baking spice, flinty minerality and classy, toasty barrel notes. The palate is concentrated but not heavy – sweet‑fruited core, savoury earth and herb notes, roasted cashew, polished tannins and vibrant acidity driving a long, layered finish. It’s a wine that really benefits from decanting and will reward cellaring over a decade.

At the table, Carrick Excelsior Pinot Noir 2019 is superb with roast lamb, pork belly, game birds, duck, mushroom dishes and slow‑cooked casseroles, as well as hard cheeses and charcuterie. Stylistically it sits in that modern Central Otago sweet spot – ripe and generous, but structured, savoury and genuinely complex.