Reviews

Browse our reviews below.

 

 

Lisa Perotti-Brown MW 
eRobert Parker.com
December 2014

Bell Hill Pinot Noir Canterbury 2011 - Firm but generous, this offers juicy acidity that leads the way for some intense wild raspberry, cherry and blackberry flavors, revealing anise, dried lavender, clove, toast and wilted rose petal notes in the background. The tannins add an appealing mark of firmness on the long finish. Drink now through 2030. 94 Points

Bell Hill Pinot Noir Canterbury Old Weka Pass Road 2011 –Complex, elegant and powerful, with savory overtones of nutmeg, clary sage, mineral, cigar smoke and forest floor. Flavors of wild strawberry, rhubarb and pomegranate form the core, while a supple, creamy texture and a backbone of tannins firm up on the finish. Drink now through 2030. 93 Points


Lisa Perotti-Brown MW
eRobert Parker.com 
December 30, 2014

New Zealand: The Others …I have to also mention that while I didn’t get to visit them this time ‘round, equally impressive are the latest releases of Pyramid Valley’s neighbours, Bell Hill. Having visited Marcel Giesen’s and Sherwyn Veldhuizen’s impressive, close planted slopes of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay on a limestone outcropping (situated on an old limestone quarry) before, I know they too have carved out something very special in the sleepy town of Waikari. Also biodynamic, both are incredibly skilled winemakers with attention to every minute detail. They are only just releasing the 2011 Pinot Noir and Chardonnay now, in minuscule quantities I hasten to add, but for anyone looking to try the very best that New Zealand has to offer – wines that sit shoulder to shoulder with some of the best examples of these grapes from anywhere in the world – it’s worth tracking down Bell Hill.


Bob Campbell MW 
BobsWineReviews.com 
November 2014
& Gourmet Traveller Wine
Dec/Jan 2015

Bell Hill North Canterbury NZ Pinot Noir 2011 5 Stars 98/100 Tasted alongside the Old Weka Pass Road there was a clear family resemblance with both wines expressing similar tautness, purity and minerality but this more expressive label shows significantly greater concentration and structure. Supremely powerful Pinot Noir but the power is delivered with great finesses. Clearly built for the long haul, I would feel a sense of loss if I opened a bottle before 2019 and expect it to continue to give pleasure for more than a decade after that. This tiny property produces some of the country’s most collectible, high-quality pinot and chardonnay.


Bob Campbell MW 
Gourmet Traveller Wine
Dec/Jan 2015

Bell Hill Old Weka Pass Road North Canterbury NZ Pinot Noir 2011 5 Stars 96/100 Very pure and delicately scented Pinot Noir with fine floral, cherry and spice flavours together with the wine’s trademark minerality. It is dry, but certainly not austere and has an impeccable balance. A wine with cellaring potential.


Bob Campbell 
Spotting the Perfect Pinot
Air NZ KiaOra
October 2014

Bell Hill 2011 Pinot Noir, North Canterbury Yes, it is one of the country’s most expensive pinot noir labels, but it also earned the highest score I have ever awarded to a pinot noir. It hasn’t been released quite yet. I suggest you add your name to this tiny winery’s mailing list and move fast when the wine goes on sale. It is seriously good.


Gary Walsh
Winefront AU
September 17, 2014

Bell Hill Pinot Noir 2011 Rare as hen’s teeth and so very good. A tricky situation. Dark cherry, cola nut richness, light creamy oak, dusting of exotic spice box – brooding and complex. Medium bodied, has a strong mineral character, peppery, dark plum and dark cherry, pretty firm tannin – powdery and sure – seasoning of dried herb on the finish. NZ, yes, but with a twist: more mineral and firm than you’d expect. Cocksure. Brilliant wine. Rated: 96 Points Drink 2015-2025+


Steve Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar 
Sep/Oct 2014

2011 Bell Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir North Canterbury 92 Points Bright red. Complex, Burgundian aromas of raspberry, smoked meat, earth and spices. Densely packed, rich and vibrant, with pungent smoky minerality energizing the sappy strawberry and spice flavors. Captivating limestone-driven pinot, finishing with superb breadth and length, classic dryness and dusty but ripe tannins.


Bob Campbell 
Air NZ KiaOra 
September 2014

Kiwi Classics - An international wine magazine is planning a tasting that will feature the best chardonnays outside France’s Burgundy region. I was asked to submit the names of 10 Kiwi wines that might give the French a run for their money. No. 1 Bell Hill Chardonnay. If these wines don’t beat the French, they will at least give them a fairly severe bruising.


2014 Winewise Small Vigneron Awards
Best of Pinot Noir
September 2014

2010 Bell Hill Pinot Noir 4 Stars This Canterbury (NZ) based producer has created quite a stir with a succession of excellent pinot noirs. This one is quite substantial with a decent lick of new oak. The fruit intensity and structure demand cellaring.


Jo Burzynska
Wine Editor Jo Burzynska's guide to the 2014 not-to-be-missed wines on the market,
April 2014

Bell Hill Canterbury Pinot Noir 2010 - The New Zealand Herald, Viva food & drink, 23 April 2014 - The Top 50 Wines of 2014 - Pick of the Crop - Thrilling the senses and reflecting true individuality, the top 10 wines represent the very best of their kind:  From the limestone-rich soils of Waikari in North Canterbury, comes this phenomenally fine and well-structured pinot noir. Built on a frame of firm but velvety tannins, with a focused line of acid and concentrated core of ripe black cherry fruit, this is clothed in an exquisite array of flavours from forest floor, leather and smoke to roasted spices, iodine and mineral.