FROMM Pinot Noir Clayvin Vineyard 2015

Bob Campbell
97 points, 5 Stars             

"From the famous Clayvin vineyard in the Brancott Valley. High density, 18 year-old vines grown organically in heavy clay soils. Very elegant, perfumed pinot noir with power and density. Plum, cherry and spice supported by nutty oak. The wine is easier to read than the Fromm Vineyard pinot despite its backbone of fine tannins. Appealing purity and energy. Very impressive."

Nick Stock, James Suckling.com
97 points 

"Darker hue heralds really pristine ripe purple cherries, raspberries and mulberries, which all sit in a very attractive pose with gentle oak spices. The palate has superb depth and detail. It's a super wine that's really flowing, commanding and marries power with elegance. A low pH vintage. Vineyard greatness in the glass. This is a New Zealand benchmark. Drink from 2020 to 2030."

Cameron Douglas
95 points

"Great core of fruit and varietal signature; dark cherry and berry fruits, floral and gently savory, obvious complexity and minerality, decent oak signature with spice and new oak. On the palate - firm, youthful, intense, great core of fruit matched by oak and acidity; rich and intense tannins - youthfully firm; lengthy finish and plenty of complexity. A wine still very young requiring some lengthy cellar time. Drink from 2018 through 2030."

Michael Cooper
5 Stars

"This acclaimed Marlborough red is grown and hand-picked at the hillside Clayvin Vineyard in the Brancott Valley, fermented with indigenous yeasts, matured in French oak barriques, and bottled without fining or filtering. In its youth, it is more floral and charming than its Fromm Vineyard stablemate. Certified organic, the youthful 2015 vintage (5*) is extremely rare."

Sam Kim
97 points, 5 stars

"This is wonderfully perfumed and instantly attractive. Grapes were grown on this famous north-facing, clay-soil, high density vineyard; gorgeous aromas of dark cherry, raspberry coulis, violet, cedar and mixed spice lead to a beautifully weighted palate that is pristine and powerful at the same time. The wine flows magnificently, and offers huge appeal already. Only two barrels made."

Raymond Chan
5 stars 

"Even, dark ruby-red colour with youthful cerise-purple hues, a little paler on the edge.  This has a gently full and voluminous nose with well-concentrated aromas of a broad array of dark-red and black-berried fruits, showing ripeness and subtle underlying dark herb notes, with dark-red and violet florals, unfolding nuances of spice and liquorice. Medium-bodied, the palate features rich, ripe and lusciously succulent flavours of dark-red berry fruits with a range of florals and subtle herbal nuances at the core.  The palate has breadth and depth, and the fruit is supported by serious, fine-gained, powdery tannin extraction and grip, with integrated ripe acidity.  The structure carries the wine to a long and sustained dry, textural finish of dark-red fruits and liquorice notes.  This is a rich, lusciously succulent, dark-red fruited Pinot Noir with an array of fruits and florals, and considerable fine-grained structure."