Taking cues from Pinot Noir's homeland of Burgundy, the Rippon estate makes naturally pure and expressive wines, but they do it from the shore of a glacial lake, Wanaka, at the foot of the Southern Alps. Just looking at the landscape, it's no surprise that this is a place for distinctive wines: cold nights and extra-long, temperate days throughout Summer imbue the wines with layers of clear and intense aromas and sleek textures energized by mineral sensations.
The Rippon estate began as a true labor of love for founders Rolfe and Lois Mills since the Central Otago didn't have the booming commercial wine scene it does today. After some toes-in-the-water trials, the couple planted their first Pinot Noir vines in 1982, making it Central Otago's first commercial vineyard in around 100 years. Given the mostly untouched landscape, it was only appropriate that they farmed organically from the start. When their son Nick took up the torch in the early 2000s, he brought lessons learned from his time in Burgundy (Domaine Confuron and Domaine de la Romanee-Conti) and Alsace (Albert Mann) to the vine-growing and winemaking at Rippon, even making it a certified biodynamic estate. The vitality in the soils and maturity of the vines give Rippon's wines great natural depth and grace, though bottle production is naturally quite limited.
JAMES SUCKLING 97 POINTS - "Lovely ripe berries and strawberries with some juicy fruit and forest flower aromas that follow through to a full body with layers of fruit and fine tannins that spread across the palate. Oyster shell and granite-like undertones. Warm fruit character yet cool in the mouth. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification."
WINE ADVOCATE 94 POINTS - "The 2021 Rippon Mature Vine Pinot Noir is a representation of the flavor of the estate. The wine spends two winters in barrel and two in bottle prior to release, and as usual, the wine here today expounds mineral freshness and detail in spades. On the palate, the tannins set in in a manner akin to wet chalk. They are silty and fine and tend to settle on the palate and linger long through the finish. I love this wine: the detail and freshness of it and the flavors of pomegranate, crushed shells, raspberry seed and white tea. Yields were very low, and it was a difficult year in terms of the logistical challenges thanks to COVID-19. "I kept it simple this year; there was so much going on in our lives at that time," says Nick Mills. Vines were planted from 1982 to 2000, mostly unirrigated (aside from new vines) and on own roots, and no adjustments were made to the must. This is gorgeous. 13.5% alcohol, sealed under Diam."
The Rippon estate began as a true labor of love for founders Rolfe and Lois Mills since the Central Otago didn't have the booming commercial wine scene it does today. After some toes-in-the-water trials, the couple planted their first Pinot Noir vines in 1982, making it Central Otago's first commercial vineyard in around 100 years. Given the mostly untouched landscape, it was only appropriate that they farmed organically from the start. When their son Nick took up the torch in the early 2000s, he brought lessons learned from his time in Burgundy (Domaine Confuron and Domaine de la Romanee-Conti) and Alsace (Albert Mann) to the vine-growing and winemaking at Rippon, even making it a certified biodynamic estate. The vitality in the soils and maturity of the vines give Rippon's wines great natural depth and grace, though bottle production is naturally quite limited.
JAMES SUCKLING 97 POINTS - "Lovely ripe berries and strawberries with some juicy fruit and forest flower aromas that follow through to a full body with layers of fruit and fine tannins that spread across the palate. Oyster shell and granite-like undertones. Warm fruit character yet cool in the mouth. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification."
WINE ADVOCATE 94 POINTS - "The 2021 Rippon Mature Vine Pinot Noir is a representation of the flavor of the estate. The wine spends two winters in barrel and two in bottle prior to release, and as usual, the wine here today expounds mineral freshness and detail in spades. On the palate, the tannins set in in a manner akin to wet chalk. They are silty and fine and tend to settle on the palate and linger long through the finish. I love this wine: the detail and freshness of it and the flavors of pomegranate, crushed shells, raspberry seed and white tea. Yields were very low, and it was a difficult year in terms of the logistical challenges thanks to COVID-19. "I kept it simple this year; there was so much going on in our lives at that time," says Nick Mills. Vines were planted from 1982 to 2000, mostly unirrigated (aside from new vines) and on own roots, and no adjustments were made to the must. This is gorgeous. 13.5% alcohol, sealed under Diam."
