What a pleasure to return for the second selection of the Central Dozen. To assess 2023’s wines, I was joined by experienced local winemakers and judges, Jen Parr, Francis Hutt, and Rosie Menzies. We blind tasted our way through 75 wines to a shortlist of 18 wines and then after thought-provoking discussion, whittled down the final dozen. Once again, we were keen not just to deliver the ‘shiniest’ wines, or a list of the usual suspects. Instead, we looked for wines that reflected the essence of the 2023 season, a year that highlighted the thrill that Pinot Noir being grown on the edge can bring – tension, minerality, structure, and vivid regional, subregional and site expression. Of course, the wines still had to justify their inclusion via the usual high-quality parameters (balance, intensity, length, complexity, harmony, and general deliciousness), but we hope that, as with the inaugural dozen, you will also get a sense of what makes this singular region tick. Now with more than four decades of winegrowing under its belt, there is a broadening array of producers who span not only many of the pioneers from the early days but those representing the next generation of winegrowers. There are tiny producers with just few hectares, and some of the region’s bigger players, as well as those who have come from further afield to bring fresh investment, ideas and insight. These differences enrich the landscape of Central Otago, while producers remaining united in their vision and ability to translate the region’s extraordinary growing environment into world-class wines. As with the previous Dozen, I hope you enjoy exploring the 2023 wines, and that they whet your appetite to discover more of an excellent vintage from an ever-evolving world-class Pinot Noir region.

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Emma Jenkins, MW