"Baked fruit and vanilla aromas. Broad palate with plummy fruit balanced by a fresh and lively acidity." 90, Ronan Sayburn MS, James Doidge, Sarah Knowles MW, Decanter

"The 2020 Pinot Noir Bien Nacido Vineyard comes from across the estate and was matured in about 45% new oak. Grapes were entirely destemmed this year. ""I was really worried about smoke taint,"" winemaker Anthony Avila says. ""It's said that you must discard all the green parts of the plant. It was the right choice, and I'd do it again.""...

"The 2020 Succession Reserve is a new wine from Bien Nacido and the first time the team has worked with Mourvèdre (there is just half an acre planted on the estate). A blend of Mourvèdre, Syrah and Grenache, it has intense aromas of blackcurrants and cherries, violets, tar and pepper, plus savory accents of charcuterie and olive that come through...

"The 2020 Chardonnay Solomon Hills Estate comes from the colder of Bien Nacido's two estates. It's located eight miles west of Bien Nacido and is the westernmost vineyard in the Santa Maria appellation. Vines are planted in beach sand, and there are no mountains to block sea breezes, so it is an especially cold, windy, foggy site. Matured in 40%...

"Initially quite scented, then strangely closed a little in the glass. Subtle tones of cedar, vanilla and dried tobacco, with precision of fresh blackcurrant and a hint of black cherry. There’s an underlying graphite and stone/mineral complexity too. Juicy palate – certainly good acidity here – and a comparatively moderate tannic load, both of which work in harmony to structure...

"This a textbook, elegant style of Marlborough Pinot, with pretty aromatics of cranberry, tobacco leaf, baking spice, red plum and cherry. The palate has layered fruit, nice flow, a touch of oak, moderate tannins and good carry. Fruit is drawn from across the region, including the Southern Valleys, Awatere and the tiny southern subregion of Kekerengu Coast. Winemaker Simon Waghorn...