"New Zealand Pinots generally beat those from Burgundy for consistency, power and fruit weight, but its wines still lag behind in terms of complexity, longevity and expression of place. Mind you, on the evidence of Pinot Noir 2010, the gap is closing every year. Tasting the wines at the booths outside, where 100 Kiwi wineries were showing their Pinots, I came up with a list of 25 world class producers: Ata Rangi, Felton Road, Seresin, Neudorf, Pyramid Valley, Pegasus Bay, Rippon, Schubert, Mount Edward, Julicher Estate, Martinborough Vineyards, Escarpment, Bell Hill, Churton, Bald Hills, Gibbston Valley, Craggy Range, Mount Difficulty, Burnt Spur, Grasshopper Rock, Quartz Reef, Wooing Tree, Valli, Ma Maison and Two Paddocks. I told Bob Campbell MW about my findings and he nodded sagely. "In 2001, there were many dogs and a few stars. Now there are many stars and a few dogs." Roll on Pinot 2013."

Read full report on Tim Atkin's website. Here