Reviews

NICK STOCK
NEW ZEALANDS CLASSIC AGE OF REFINEMENT
JAMES SUCKLING.COM
NOVEMBER 13, 2017

Bell Hill Pinot Noir 2014 The sense of majesty here is pretty much irresistible, as this wine unwinds a wealth of beautifully interwoven ripe red cherry, redcurrant, blueberry and red plum fruits, dressed in cooler herbal accents and framed in spicy, well-chosen oak. The palate has almost unending length delivered in an elegant, flawless run of fine tannins. The purity of fruit shines through with an array of spicy red cherry and red plum flavors. Brilliant wine. Drink now and for some years to come. 98 Points

Bell Hill Chardonnay 2014 This has cleverly-played winemaking influence and oak cast against concentrated lemon-grapefruit citrus as well as yellow nectarine and flinty, stony notes. The palate has plenty of power and depth with intense pithy citrus fruits, lemon curd flavors and some warmer toasty oak built into the pithy, long finish. Drink now. 97 Points

Bell Hill Old Weka Pass Road Pinot Noir 2014 A very meaty and savory pinot noir in which the oak has claimed central position. Smells of mocha, roasted and caramelized game meats, abundant dark cherries and blueberries below. The palate has a silky, supple and very even-handed texture. The same array of oak and fruit-derived flavors hold long and fine. The oak is at the very upper limit here. Best from 2020. 93 Points

BOB CAMPBELL MW
WINE OF THE WEEK NZ
THE REAL REVIEW
NOVEMBER 09, 2017

Bell Hill Pinot Noir 2014 - Tasted alongside the second label Old Weka Pass Pinot Noir, this wine clearly has greater intensity and complexity. Elegant wine with more savoury, spice and stem character. A wine of subtle power with a typical chalk and mineral influence from limestone-rich soils. Impressive now but with serious potential. Drink now to 2024, 98 points 

Bell Hill Old Weka Pass Road Pinot Noir 2014 - Bright, gently aromatic pinot noir with red cherry, violets, red rose, spice, anise and an unmistakable vineyard signature of chalky mineral character. An elegant wine with appealing purity and drive. Very attractive. Drink now to 2022, 95 Points

JOHN SAKER
DEMYSTIFYING CHARDONNAY
YOUR WEEKEND
OCTOBER 28, 2017

Bell Hill Chardonnay 2014 - Grown on limestone, this chardonnay is energy-filled and mouth-wateringly zesty. Citrus, apple, and a touch of flint come through; the fruit generosity grows with time in the glass. Hard to get hold of, but a must-taste if it's ever in close proximity.

CAMERON DOUGLAS MS
THE SHOUTNZ
JULY, 2017

Bell Hill Chardonnay 2014 - Beguiling, distinctive, engaging and alluring bouquet; aromas include ripe citrus and white fleshed fruits; noticeable layer of flowers, mineral, sulphides and oak. On the palate - youthful, fresh, fruity, highly textured, noticeable oak with a cashew nuttiness, mineral, plenty of acidity and a lengthy dry finish. Tense and youthful still, layered and complex. Drink now if decanted, best drinking 2020 through 2030. 97 Points

AIR NEW ZEALAND
FINE WINES OF NEW ZEALAND AWARDS 2017
BELL HILL PINOT NOIR 2013

CAMERON DOUGLAS MS
THE SHOUTNZ
JUNE, 2017

Bell Hill Pinot Noir 2014 - Complex and immediately engaging bouquet of mineral, wild red flowers, ripe red berry fruits then oak and spice. On the palate - youthful, tense, poised, ripe, mineral and spice combinations, firmly textured chalky tannins and a back bone of acidity. An excellent example. Drink from 2019 through 2030. 96 Points

Bell Hill Old Weka Pass Pinot Noir 2014 - Quite a complex bouquet, fruity, loads of personality and pinosity, vanilla and clove spices of oak with a light toasty edge, appealing and engaging bouquet. On the palate - crisp, firm, youthful and dry, a dried herb and red berry fruit combination, fine tannins with some youthful tension, a floral rose tea-like layer, loads of acidity, longish finish, needs time. Drink from 2018 through 2026. 92 Points

TYSON STELZER
AUSTRALIAN & NEW ZEALAND WINES OF THE YEAR 2017
TYSONSTELZER.COM
JUNE, 2017

In 2012, Marcel Giesen and Sherwyn Veldhuizen produced just 1,788 bottles of this wine from the vineyard they close planted on limestone derived soils at a 1920s lime quarry in the Weka Pass, North Canterbury. The result is a pinot noir that effortlessly melds the depth of black cherry and dark berry fruits with the fragrant lift of violets and the airy, energetic structure that only comes from the mineral influence of limestone soils. It is at once deeply, profoundly complex and yet at the same time light on its feet, with all of the gloriously medium-bodied restraint of great pinot noir. All of this is overlaid with an exotic spice of exuberant complexity, lingering on a palate of profound persistence and undeviated line. Tannins are super fine, chalky and silky, confident yet soft. An astonishing wine and a stunning vintage for Bell Hill. Drink 2016-2022, 96 points.

ALDER YARROW
NEW ZEALAND'S HEART OF LIMESTONE
VINOGRAPHY.COM
APRIL 6, 2017

Simply put, their Pinot Noir is among the very best made in New Zealand, and, dare I say it, the entirety of the Southern Hemisphere. As an expression of the place they come from, they are delightful. As an indication of the potential for New Zealand Pinot Noir as a genre, they are revelatory. 

2013 Bell Hill Chardonnay Light greenish gold in the glass, this wine smells of lemon curd with a hint of pineapple on top. In the mouth, lovely lemon curd and lemon juice flavors mix with citrus pith and wet stones and a hint of yellow herbs. Fantastic acidity and precision. Closed with screwcap. 13% alcohol. 1429 bottles produced. Score: between 9 and 9.5

2013 Bell Hill Old Weka Pass Road Pinot Noir Medium garnet in color, this wine smells of wet stone and forest berries. In the mouth, wonderfully savory notes of herbs mix with the red raspberry and other forest berry flavors that are buzzing with excellent acidity. Notes of herbs and dried flowers linger in the finish with a hint of aromatic cedar and citrus peel. Very faint, nearly imperceptible tannins hang on the edges of the mouth. Closed with screwcap. 13% alcohol. 1056 bottles produced. Score: between 9 and 9.5

2013 Bell Hill Pinot Noir Light to medium garnet in color, this wine smells of lavender, wet earth, and redcurrant. In the mouth, beautifully dynamic flavors of redcurrant, fresh herbs and a touch of wet earth mix in a vibrant dazzle of acidity. Gorgeously savory, with the fruit welded to this herbal earthy core of the wine, with high notes of sourish redcurrant lingering in the finish. The tannins are quite fine and stony in quality, lingering along with the wet chalkboard, slightly saline quality in the finish. Closed with screwcap. 13% alcohol. 4458 bottles produced. Score: around 9.5

2002 Bell Hill Old Weka Pass Road A slightly cloudy medium ruby in the glass, this wine smells of wet leaves, dried red apple skin, carob and vegetable ash. In the mouth the wine's fruit has faded to a hint of redcurrant and dried raspberry, with herbs both fresh and dried, as well as a touch of wet leaves and forest floor. The wine has a gorgeous soaring finish in which the fruit emerges along with dried leaves. There's still that faint sense of minerality that marks these wines, but softer. Faint, putty-like tannins. Still good acidity. A fun look at the history of this plot of land. Closed with screwcap. 12.5% alcohol. 900 bottles produced. Score: between 8.5 and 9

JANCIS ROBINSON
NZ PINOT STYLES EMERGE
JANCIS ROBINSON.COM
MARCH 7, 2017

Arguably New Zealand's most burgundian Pinots come from Canterbury, the sweep of
grazing land east and north of the city of Christchurch, including Waipara and North Canterbury. It's not necessarily the case that all Pinots from here have burgundian complexity and
savour but many of them do, and there is a concentration of producers here whose guiding lights are very obviously
French.

Bell Bell Hill Pinot Noir 2010 Sweet, concentrated and candied violets. Still quite a bit of tannin. Very low crop and
tastes it! Quite high alcohol. Drink 2019-2028, 17 Points

Bell Hill Old Weka Pass Road Pinot Noir 2011 Canterbury Very pale with lots of whole bunch. Light and sweet. Not
as interesting as the 2013. Charming but a bit sweet and simple though with good grip. Drink 2017-2021, 16.5 Points

Bell Hill Old Weka Pass Road Pinot Noir 2013 Oldest vines are 20 years old. Very burgundian nose and exciting.
Very refined. Lovely stuff! So elegant! Very appetising. Drink 2017-2023, 17.5 Points

Bell Hill Pinot Noir 2013 Deeper than the Old Weka Pass Road just tasted – more ambitious and less charming.
Drink 2019-2029, 17.5+ Points

ELAINE CHUKAN BROWN
STAND OUT WINES FROM NORTH CANTERBURY 
HAWK WAKAWAKA WINE REVIEWS
FEBRUARY 2017

One of the stand out Pinots of North Canterbury is no doubt Bell Hill in the Weka Pass. It’s a wine that’s generated a cult following from wine geeks and wine lovers worldwide. We were able to taste multiple vintages of the wine and they share among them a sense of force and concentration that comes in strong at the front of the palate and then spins into a long graceful finish. The 2013 offered poised generosity carrying lightly wild notes in a cultivated frame. It’s a combination that makes the wine memorable and intriguing.

ROGER JONES 
DISCOVERING LESSER KNOWN PINOT HEROES 
THE-BUYER.NET
FEBRUARY 2017

Slightly out on its limb in a hidden-away, picture-perfect gem of a place. I have to admire owner and winemaker Marcel who challenged himself to cook me dinner when I visited his beautiful homestead. German born and a man of quietly spoken wisdom he, together with his wife, Sherwyn produces wines that are rather special.

The 2008 Pinot was a mineral-induced classic Burgundy-influenced wine, with spiced cherries, a fabulous background depth of juicy roast legs of young lamb oozing out of the glass… superb quality and wines that shout out for fine food.

RAYMOND CHAN
PINOT 2017 - DAY ONE ROAD TRIP 
RAYMONDCHANWINEREVIEWS.CO.NZ
JANUARY 2017

Bell Hill North Canterbury Pinot Noir 2013 Light ruby-red colour. This is an amalgam of finesse and intensity, showing cherry and berry fruit with pure floral elements and subtle herb nuances. Is there any whole cluster? If so, very integrated. Brilliant balance on palate with vitality of fruit, red berry and cherry, with fine herb suggestions, a touch of mineral. Very fine extraction, and acid tension and energy. Classical beauty here.

TREVE RING
NEW ZEALAND CHARDONNAY 
GISMONDI ON WINE.COM
JANUARY 2017

2012 Bell Hill Chardonnay: Farmed organically and biodynamically, the limestone sloped North Canterbury site of Bell Hill is one of the most remarkable in New Zealand. Husband and wife Marcel Giesen and Sherwyn Veldhuizen farm and produce the wines in this 2ha site, tucked in an old lime quarry in the Weka Pass. Grapes were picked earlier phenological ripeness, crushed with stems and then basked pressed with 10 percent solids before racking into French oak (25 percent new) for a year, followed by eight months more in tank.

Earthy and savoury, with wild herbs, broken stones, fine spicing throughout the taut, lean and linear frame. Citrus, green apple, subtle quince, green fig and chalk vibrate in a focused core, while light salts and spices linger on the lengthy finish. Memorable and finessed now, and will be even more so with a decade in the cellar. 95/100

JAMIE GOODE 
WINES OF THE YEAR 2016 
WINE ANORAK.COM
JANUARY 2017

Some Top New Zealand Wines Another post rounding up some of the star wines that I tasted and drank in 2016. And I drank and tasted a lot last year. Many of these bottles were consumed in New Zealand in January and February. 15 wines were selected…

Bell Hill Chardonnay 2012 North Canterbury Intense, youthful, vivid nose of citrus, pear, smoke and toast. The palate is concentrated with a touch of fig, some pear, quince and a lovely core of citrus fruit. Very high acidity, with amazing focus on the finish. Needs time. 96/100

Bell Hill Pinot Noir 2008 North Canterbury Supple and nicely savoury with some minerals and expressive red cherries, as well as a bit of meatiness. The palate has lively, bright structure and also good depth. Nice freshness to the structure of this wine, with a silky elegance. 96/100

JAMIE GOODE 
AN EXTENSIVE TASTING OF PINOT NOIR FROM NORTH CANTERBURY
WINE ANORAK.COM
JANUARY 2017

North Canterbury is the new-ish term used to describe the vineyard region close to Canterbury, which includes the Waipara Valley. In the couple of days I spent here, I tasted my way through many of the the wines, and these are my notes on the Pinot Noirs that I’ve tried. It’s a region that I’ve visited a few times, and I really like it. When Pinot hits highs here, it hits real highs.

Bell Hill Pinot Noir 2013 Very fine and expressive, this has substance and also elegance. There’s a lovely freshness to the palate with sweet red fruits and a bright structure that has a lot to do with the well integrated acidity. Fine herbal notes and really fine-grained tannins here, as well as fresh red cherries and a bit of plum. Lovely wine with a long future ahead of it. 96/100

LISA PERROTTI-BROWN
BEST OF 2016 CURRENT RELEASES
ROBERT PARKER.COM
JANUARY 2017

Best of New Zealand In 2016, I continued to see sparks of brilliance among disparate pockets of New Zealand’s Pinot Noir plantings. And the Chardonnays just keep getting more and more impressive. 2013 Bell Hill Pinot Noir, Canterbury: Bell Hill’s unique limestone slope in North Canterbury continues to yield one of New Zealand’s finest Pinot Noirs. Still a newly established site in the big scheme of things, the future of this already highly sought-after wine is very exciting indeed.