Review by
Michael Cooper
Wine writer·New Zealand Listener·
23 Oct, 2025 05:00 PM3 mins to read
Michael Cooper has 45 wine books and several literary awards to his credit. In the 2004 New Year Honours, Michael was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit.
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Neudorf in Nelson and Black Estate in North Canterbury are highly regarded producers. Photo / Getty Images
From the start, the 2024 vintage was described by winegrowers as exceptional. During the vines’ flowering period, variable weather reduced the potential size of the crop, but a shift in December to an El Niño weather pattern brought dry, settled conditions ideal for ripening a small crop of flavour-packed grapes.
Neudorf in Nelson and Black Estate in North Canterbury are highly regarded producers with some of the oldest vines in the South Island. Their recent 2024 releases justify the early fanfare.
Neudorf Rosie’s Block Moutere Chardonnay 2024
★★★★★
Delicious in its youth, this Nelson wine was estate-grown at Upper Moutere in Rosie’s Block, planted in 1999. Bright, light yellow/green, it is weighty and rich with fresh concentrated flavours, shows excellent complexity and has a very harmonious long, savoury finish. Certified organic. (14% alc/vol) $55
Neudorf Home Block Moutere Chardonnay 2024
★★★★★
Powerful but not overblown, with intense flavours woven with lively acidity, this multi-faceted wine has built a reputation since 1982 that is second to none among New Zealand chardonnays. Certified organic, this classy, immaculate wine has a long life ahead. Concentrated, savoury and vigorous, it reveals lovely delicacy, complexity, poise and richness. (13.5% alc/vol) $95
Black Estate Damsteep North Canterbury Pinot Noir 2024
★★★★★
Certified organic, this impressive red was estate-grown and hand-harvested in the Damsteep Vineyard planted at Waipara in 1999. Deep ruby, it is a weighty, concentrated, well-structured red with deep, vibrant, red berry, plum and spice flavours. It is complex and savoury with refined tannins and an invitingly fragrant bouquet. (13% alc/vol) $65
Black Estate Home North Canterbury Pinot Noir 2024
★★★★★
This is a top vintage of this organically certified red. Estate-grown at Omihi, it was hand-picked from vines planted mostly in 1994. Mouthfilling, it is highly concentrated with rich, ripe cherry, plum and spice flavours and is structured and lasting. A savoury, “serious” red, it’s worth cellaring. (13% alc/vol) $45
Black Estate Netherwood North Canterbury Pinot Noir 2024
★★★★½
This rare organic red is from the first hill-grown vineyard in North Canterbury, planted in 1986. Deep, bright ruby, it is a medium to full-bodied savoury red. It is vibrant and supple with strong, ripe cherry, plum and spice flavours woven with fresh acidity. A graceful, youthful wine. (12% alc/vol) $75
Wine of the week
Neudorf Tiritiri Nelson Chardonnay 2024
★★★★½
This refined wine is part of Neudorf’s “grower series”, based on grapes bought from specialist growers in the Moutere hills and on the Waimea Plains. Partly barrel-fermented, it is fragrant, full-bodied and vibrantly fruity, with excellent depth of ripe stonefruit flavours and well-integrated oak adding complexity. Already enjoyable. (14% alc/vol) $29
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