Award-Winning New Zealand Wines from Clos Ostler

5 days ago

2 min read

Updated: 4 days ago

Caroline’s and EOS Pinot Noir bottles together on a stone table at Clos Ostler.

Clos Ostler’s recognition begins with the wines and reaches beyond our eight-hectare vineyard. EOS Pinot Noir 2022 brought the Waitaki Valley its first Platinum medal at the Decanter World Wine Awards in 2026, with 97 points. Together with Caroline’s 2021 winning the New Zealand Red Trophy at IWC 2025, it places this limestone hillside in North Otago within the international conversation about fine New Zealand wine.

Three recent results have done that for our estate. Caroline’s 2021 received the New Zealand Red Trophy, New Zealand Pinot Noir Trophy and North Otago Pinot Noir Trophy at the International Wine Challenge in 2025. EOS 2022 received 97 points and Platinum at the 2026 Decanter World Wine Awards, followed by inclusion in Decanter’s selection of fifteen top-scoring Pinot Noirs. Candice Chow awarded our Chardonnay 2025 96 points.

Award-winning New Zealand Pinot Noir

Caroline’s brings together the vineyard’s five Pinot Noir clones. EOS follows a narrower selection, centred on 667 and 777 with a touch of Abel. The distinction begins with fruit harvested and fermented separately, allowing the character of the individual lots to remain clear before blending.

The awards belong to different wines and different seasons. Together, they give substance to the case for following Clos Ostler across vintages. Caroline’s offers the broader account of the vineyard; EOS draws attention to particular qualities of perfume, texture and length within it.

Chardonnay enters the conversation

The 2025 Chardonnay matters to us for the way it carries depth without losing its white-floral fragrance and fresh fruit. Barrel fermentation and partial malolactic fermentation form part of its cellar history. In the glass, our interest lies in the relationship between that texture and the wine’s lift.

Chow’s assessment gives independent recognition to a variety that occupies only a small part of our vineyard. It also widens the picture of what the Waitaki can produce.

Fine wine from the Waitaki Valley

These results have brought a small North Otago vineyard into international company. Caroline’s 2021, EOS 2022 and Chardonnay 2025 each received recognition for their own character. Together with the older vintages in our archive, they give wine drinkers a substantial reason to discover Clos Ostler and follow its wines over time.

At Winetopia and other tastings, visitors have returned to our stand to tell us the wines were among the finest they had ever tasted. For us, these conversations are particularly rewarding when they lead to a discovery of the Waitaki Valley, its distinctive expression of Pinot Noir and the precision, aromatic clarity and texture we seek in its wines.