Rippon Pinot Noir ‘Tinker’s Field’ Mature Vine 2020

A unique parcel within Rippon, Tinker’s Field is a gentle, north facing slope formed by an ancient ejection cone of coarse schist gravels and is home to the oldest vines on the property. It is named after Rippon’s visionary founder, Rolfe Mills (Tink to his friends), and the land that he had dreamed of farming since childhood.

Picked by hand into small, 10kg cases allowing the fruit to arrive at the winery’s sorting table undamaged and intact. Picked and fermented separately in 2-tonne stainless-steel fermenters.

Each parcel is fermented and matured apart before blending. 25% whole cluster. The winery’s resident yeast population (non-inoculated) took 10-12 days to complete cuvaison. The ferments reached temperatures between 12-30 Celsius.

Total time of skin contact: 17-28 days

10 months of new (17.5%) to 4 year old French oak barrels. The malolactic fermentation went through unaided (non-inoculated) in springtime; it was then racked back into barrel and allowed a second winter in neutral barrels before being run directly into bottle without filtering or fining.

Total time in barrel: 18 months

99 points & New Zealand Wine of the Year
“It’s seemingly endless… It’s complete and moving to taste now. Drinkable even now, but try to be patient. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification. Best after 2026, but already stunning.”
– James Suckling

2020 Rippon Tinker’s Field Mature Vine Pinot Noir
Rating: 97
Drink Date:2023 – 2040
The 2020 Tinker’s Field Mature Vine Pinot Noir is, as per usual, restrained on the nose but concentrated and driven in the mouth. This is a wine immune to hyperbole, and so eloquently of its place, that it is often a wine I am proud to show internationally. It never fails. The tannins are sleek but totally within the wine. The tannins are finely milled, ductile, gray in every respect and delicate but not brittle. The 2020 seems more open-armed than the 2019 before it (not better, not worse—just different), and it is making for pleasurable drinking here today. A beauty. The vines face north and are sheltered and protected behind Ruby Island. The vineyard is warm and on pure schist. 13.5% alcohol, sealed under Diam.
Reviewed by: Robert.Parker.com/Erin Larkin
Source: December 2023 Week 2
Published date: Dec 15, 2023
Wine regions: Central Otago
Color/Maturity/Type/Sweetness: Red/Early/Table/Dry
Variety: Pinot Noir

Rippon, Tinker’s Field Mature Vine Pinot Noir 2020 Central Otago
17 ++
Full bottle 1,305 g. North-facing block where the roots of the biodynamically grown vines reach deep into schist gravels. Hand-harvested, spontaneous fermentation and aged over two winters before being bottled unfined and unfiltered. The vines on this block, named after Rippon’s founder Rolfe Mills, known as Tink, are Rippon’s oldest. Cellaring and decanting recommended. Mid garnet colour with a pale rim. Very perfumed, intense, briary nose and on the palate there is some noticeable tannin. The acidity is the same as on Emma’s Bock but there is more fruit intensity to counterbalance it. A very ambitious wine clearly made for the long term. More ‘serious’ than many a red burgundy. Finishes dry rather than sweet. But I’d wait quite a while before opening if I had only one bottle. 
Jancis Robinson  12th – 20th July 2023

Rippon Tinker’s Field Pinot Noir 2020
Posted on 20 November 2022.
If the Rippon 2019s were firm, structured and for a time in the future, the 2020s feel more pretty, fine, detailed but ready to roll. That being said, this Tinker’s is the most intense and concentrated of the 2020s with pronounced tannin and savoury qualities needing time to resolve. Still, we have an excellent, excellent wine on hand.
Scents of dark cherry, sweet earth, undergrowth, Chinese five spice. The palate feels swishy, dark fruited, sappy with graphite tannins and Fernet-like bitter, savoury finish. While brooding and generally dark as a pinot, it lifts beautifully, tightens to freshness and lingers with stony, savouriness with great persistence. There’s an autumnal feel here, and very strong mineral characters. Serious stuff, but with vitality in tow. Hard one to pin down, but in that, the hounding of the glass says it all. It’s beautifully done.
Rated : 95+ Points Mike Bennie