2011 Tarrawarra Viognier, Rousanne, Marsanne

Provided all of the components to this type of blend are made with care, I enjoy a good Australian white Rhone blend. 2011 was a difficult vintage in most regions, including the Yarra Valley, so I was interested to see how this presented on the tasting bench.

The wine has a pretty, slightly sweet bouquet of orange blossom, freshly cut apricots and some citrus fruits. In the mouth the textural qualities of the wine dominate: rounded yet not flabby, the wine spreads across the palate without flooding it. There is a pleasant grassiness on the mid palate, with a savoury, spicy and slightly bitter finish that includes orange peel, some sugared ginger and finely grated fresh ginger.

There are some interesting textural and acidity interplay with this wine that might please or put people off, while the finish is subtly spicy and pleasantly bitter which may also polarize. Regardless, I found this a cleansing, interesting wine from a very difficult vintage.

Rating: 88pts

ABV: 12.5%

RRP: $30

Website:  www.tarrawarra.com.au
 

2010 TarraWarra J-Block Shiraz Yarra Valley

TarraWarra are best known for their premium quality Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, though the J Block Shiraz shows they have many strings to their bow.  The 2010 J Block has a cool climate core of white pepper, mixed spice and some savoury stalkyness on the nose, following throughout the palate.  The wine has pleasing dark cherry and blackberry fruit flavours, wound-up tannin, and an overall savoury finish that suggests the wine is building more power in the bottle. The TarraWarra J Block is an accessible but classy cool climate Shiraz that will still appeal to the warm climate, riper Shiraz fans. Nice result from a very good vintage.

Rating: 91 points

Closure: Screwcap
RRP: $35
ABV: 14%
Website: http://www.tarrawarra.com.au

2010 Tarrawarra K-Block Merlot (Yarra Valley)

From the wonderful 2010 vintage in the Yarra Valley, Clare Halloran has crafted a serious, savoury Australian Merlot. No mean feat. This wine vindicates the decision in 2006 to graft over an old, yet underperforming Pinot block with an Italian Merlot clone.

Put simply, this smells great and tastes even better. The balance of beautiful plummy fruit and a deep, smoky, savouriness keeps you coming back for more. A real spiciness contributes to the sense of texture, and notes of black olive and dried herbs add further interest. Underpinning these great flavours is structure. Fine tannins, nice acidity, and excellent length mark it out as a wine that has an eye to the future. Ultimately it is wonderfully moreish and over two nights was consumed with some gusto.

To my mind Merlot is one of those grapes that eludes cheap and cheerful expressions. You either have to be aiming high, or you may as well not try at all. Tarrawarra have chosen the former, and with the 2010 K-block have joined a very small, but select group of Australian winemakers making memorable Merlot. 4 Stars +

Rated:

+
 
 
RRP: $35
ABV: 14.0%
Closure: Screwcap
Drink: 2012-2022
Website: http://www.tarrawarra.com.au/
 
 
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2010 Tarrawarra Chardonnays (Yarra Valley)

I’m a big fan of Tarrawarra Chardonnay and a big fan of the 2010 vintage in the Yarra Valley. I therefore had high expectations with these wines. Happily, they didn’t disappoint.

2010 Estate Chardonnay - $22 - This is a ripe, approachable chardonnay, that’s good to go now but will be better again in another year or two. The nose is expressive with aromas of pineapple, peach and some nuttiness. To drink you’re offered lovely ripe fruit from the get go, that’s then joined by some spicy oak, grilled nuts, and a creamy texture. The finish turns savoury with some nice bitter pith. Nice wine. 3.5 Stars

2010 Reserve Chardonnay - $50 - The Reserve is an altogether more serious wine, and a noticeable step up from the Estate. Refined, long, and poised, this is what a Chardonnay of real class tastes like. Citrus, stonefruits, grilled nuts, and spicy oak. It doesn’t let up through the long, balanced finish. It can be drunk now with a bit of air, but in reality deserves a few years in the cellar first. Greater generosity and complexity will be the result. It may well match the 2005 given time. 4 Stars +

http://www.tarrawarra.com.au/


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Tarrawarra Estate 2010 Reserve Pinot Noir

Tarrawarra are an impressive, well-resourced winery with a long history of making Pinot Noir in the Yarra Valley. Hailing from the much vaunted 2010 Yarra vintage, this wine was on the tasting bench for 4 days and impressed.


Initially decanted for 2 hours, the wine was a bit closed on the first day of tasting.  When it began to open up, it had restrained red fruits, was tight and textured with impressive length and focus. Interestingly, the savoury, slightly stalky finish provided more fruit impact than was evident on the front palate.
By day two, the wine had opened up elegantly with herbs, cherry / raspberry fruit, and an emerging earthiness. Day 3 was lost due to a late finish at work!. By day 4 the wine was singing: richer overall, with dark spice, red cherry, ripe strawberry fruit a bit of chocolate and fine tannins. The standout feature of this wine - structure and length - was still evident till the end. A lovely wine that needs several years or more in the cellar to open up like it was on the fourth day of tasting.


In a wine blogging world that covets small batch, rare and exotic wines, the Tarrawarra Reserve Pinot stands out proudly like a burgundy-red Bentley in a carpark full of Kombi vans, Holden Commodores and Toyota Prius enviro-cars.

Rating – 94+ Points
Closure: Screwcap

RRP: $60
ABV: $13.5%
Website: www.tarrawarra.com.au

2005 Tarrawarra Reserve Chardonnay (Yarra Valley)

This is a superb Chardonnay, and right down my alley stylistically.

It’s a worked Chardonnay of generosity, and yet ultimately one of restraint. It has a classic nose of grilled nuts, melon, spice, and a lovely milkiness. With a bit of air and close to room temperature, it drinks beautifully. It has tremendous length. You can savour the texture and flavour long after you’ve swallowed. It tastes of melon and citrus, has a lovely spice and nuttiness, and is rounded off by a beautiful touch of creaminess. All of this is underpinned by a fine, yet unwavering acidity. Like many great wines it manages to demonstrate power and elegance all at once. Drink anytime from now through the next 5 years. 4.5 Stars.

Rated:

RRP: $50

ABV: 13.5%

Website: http://www.tarrawarra.com.au/

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2008 YarraLoch Stephanie's Dream Chardonnay (Yarra Valley)

There have been 96 point scores left, right, and centre for this wine, so I was pretty excited to try it. It’s from the 2008 vintage in the Yarra Valley, which was initially called by some as a bit of a heat affected vintage, but from which I’ve subsequently tasted plenty of fantastic wine.

Straight off the bat it had an expressive, complex nose of smoky, spicy, nutty grapefruit, with a touch of coconut cream. The palate, in contrast, is somewhat understated at present. It presents as refined and balanced with excellent length. There’s a touch of creaminess on the mid-palate and an appealing bit of bitter pith through the long finish. It’s a quality Chardonnay, no question, and yet it left me wanting more of something . . . weight, intensity, grip, not sure but it’s a sense I have with plenty of Oz Chardonnay at present. Is the quest for elegance resulting in a loss of character? The optimist in me hopes that these types of Chardys will blossom at about 5 years and beyond, at which point my quibbles will prove to be ill-founded. 4 Stars for now and “+” for a few years down the track.

Rated:
+

RRP:$45
ABV: 13%
Website: http://www.yarraloch.com.au/





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2006 Coldstream Hills Reserve Chardonnay (Cellar Door)

Not a hard job reviewing this wine - I enjoyed the 2006 Coldstream Hills Reserve Chardonnay at the cellar door a few years ago (purchasing a few while I was there) and after a couple of years developing in the bottle it has lost nothing.  The Reserve has a flavour profile I love when done well – subtle melon, just-ripe grapefruit and freshly cut white nectarine fruit flavours, nice acidity that adds freshness, all backed by toasty, cloves/spicy oak. A round creamy texture in the mid and back palate that doesn't go into malolactic overdose adds to the enjoyment. To top it all off, the wines persistence is also noteworthy (flavours lingering long enough for the next mouthful of roast chicken, oven baked fish or whatever other rich dish you chose to pair with this).
A few Sundays ago this was matched very nicely with a seasoned organic roast chicken and herb dusted vegetables roasted in goose fat.
The Coldstream Hills Reserve Chardonnay should continue to evolve for several more years (hense the +), though drinking very nicely right now.

In summary: An impressive weighty expression of Yarra Valley Chardonnay. Complexity matched with drinkability: Delicious.

Rated

+*

RRP: $50
ABV:14%
Website: http://www.coldstreamhills.com.au/

PS .The star (*) is for this wine being an oaked, creamy chardonnay done very well. The Yarra Valley often makes top quality chardonnay and this is an example.

2007 Seville Estate Pinot Noir (Yarra Valley)

Smoke taint has affected what would have otherwise been a very nice Pinot Noir. It has a lovely aromatic nose of cherry, cinnamon, and sap, along with just a hint of smokiness.

On the palate it drinks well, until you get right to the finish. There’s some sweet cherry on the front palate, before it turns largely savoury and sappy, supported by some fine tannins. Where there would have been a persistence of enjoyable flavour on the finish, there is instead an element of ashtray smokiness. It certainly doesn’t make it undrinkable, and indeed I largely enjoyed drinking this wine. However, the smoke taint is noticeable, and you’d think that this is a trait that will become more dominant with age. With this in mind I’d be drinking it now if you have some of this.

Detail
Rated:


RRP: $30
ABV: 14.0%
Website: www.sevilleestate.com.au

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Otto Ristorante, a Mornington Peninsula Chardonnay, and a Yarra Valley Syrah

I had a work lunch at Otto in Woolloomooloo, Sydney last week. Otto is a One Chef’s Hat restaurant at the beautiful location of Woolloomooloo Wharf. It’s an area and a restaurant where you can see some of the “beautiful’ people on a Friday afternoon. Given all this, I feared this might be the type of restaurant that rests a bit on its reputation and location. Happily I can say it exceeded my expectations. The food was superb, with everyone at the lunch commenting on how wonderful their respective dishes were. My highlight was an entree of twice baked pecorino and truffle soufflé with hazelnut and eschalot sauce. In fact it’s the best dish I’ve had at a restaurant all year. It sounds amazing when you read it on the menu, and it was even better to eat. Make sure you order it if you happen to go there.

Anyway, along with the food we had some pretty smart wine . . .



2008 Ocean Eight Verve Chardonnay (Mornington Peninsula, RRP: $35)

This is a tasty chardonnay. It’s in a leaner, almost Chablis style, and has great intensity and acidity. Aged all in old oak.

It has an understated, yet varietal nose, but it’s on the palate that this wine shines. With flavours of lemon and grapefruit it has great drive through the mid-palate, and has a long, somewhat nutty finish. A nice hint of spicy oak. Fruit purity and intensity, lovely texture, and great acidity. Should age very well.



2008 Jamsheed Gruyere Syrah (Yarra Valley, RRP: $40)

I’ve read a lot of great stuff about Jamsheed’s Syrahs, so when i saw it on the wine list it was an easy choice. Interestingly if RedtoBrown employed a scoring system this is the kind of wine I would give a high score to and yet would not be raving about. It’s a quality wine, and I can see why plenty of people have talked it up, but it’s in a cool-climate Syrah style that’s not always my thing.

It has a lifted, fragrant nose, with aromas of cherry pie and pepper, along with some gamey notes. On the palate there is some lovely ripe berry fruit, along with pepper, spice, and some stalkiness. Balanced with excellent length. Very good wine it its style, and if you like this type of Syrah then buy up.


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Hoddles Creek Estate & the 2010 Vintage

Hoddles Creek Estate is a winery that has received a lot of fantastic press over the past couple of years, and personally I think it is all entirely justified. My first experience with Hoddles Creek was when I bought a mixed case of their 08 Pinot Noir and 08 Chardonnay last year. Upon drinking a bottle of each, I quickly popped the rest in the cellar. Their quality was evident, but they definitely need to be aged for a few years before they start to show their best.

While in the Yarra Valley, I met with winemaker Franco D’Anna for a look at the winery and their 2010 vintage.

Hoddles Creek vineyards range over a few consecutive hills in the Southern Yarra, with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir the main grape varieties, along with some Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Pinot Blanc. Most of the older vines go into Hoddles Creek Estate wines, while some of the most recently planted grapes go into the second label, Wickhams Road. Franco reckons that some of the grapes going into the Yarra Wickhams wines are more or less too good for a second label. Upon trying the Yarra Wickhams samples I’d have to agree with him. Other Wickhams wines come from non-estate grapes, including Gippsland, Macedon, and the Mornington Peninsula.

I was given a comprehensive tasting through all the 2010 barrel samples for both ranges of wines. Across the board they are looking excellent. They are characterised by even ripeness, excellent structure, and most noticeably, great natural acidity. The 2010 Hoddles Creek Pinot Noir and Chardonnay should both end up being superb wines, and at $20 a bottle will be absolute no-brainers as purchases. The Chardonnay samples all had a beautiful texture and acidity, while the couple of Pinot samples that will go into Hoddles should produce a wine of complexity and structure.

If the Hoddles Creek wines are no-brainers, then the Wickhams wines are nothing short of ridiculous. At $15 a bottle, i think they will end up being the kind of wines you would happily pay double the price for. I was particularly impressed with the 2010 Gippsland Pinot Noir, which was was beautifully aromatic. They are also producing a new Wickhams Pinot Noir from the Mornington Peninsula, which was immediately identifiable as a Mornington Pinot, and once again should put many more expensive Mornington Pinots to shame.

The first of some of the 2010 wines will come out later this year. Franco happily admits that the wines are released too early, however, this is the only way he can keep the prices down at these low levels. He has no plans of significantly upping his prices, so as long we the consumer are happy to hold onto these wines for a couple of years upon purchase, we’re all onto a winner.

Website: www.hoddlescreekestate.com.au


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2009 Coldstream Hills Chardonnay (Yarra Valley, Cellar Door)

With the heat and smoke taint associated with the tragic Black Saturday bushfires, the 2009 vintage is generally going to be one to avoid in the Yarra. As such, the 09 Coldstream Hills Chardonnay is a bit of a revelation. At only 12.0% ABV and with not a hint of smoke taint that I could detect, Coldstream Hills have not only seemingly beaten the ravages of the vintage, but also produced a lovely modern expression of Australian Chardonnay

Lovely nose of peach, understated oak, and a sweet note of something akin to palm dates. On the palate it provides enjoyable, smooth drinking with flavours of peach and grapefruit supported by spicy oak and good acidity. There’s just a touch of nice buttery texture to the wine as well. The smooth, long finish is excellent. It went beautifully with a Moroccan chicken dish. Fantastic wine given the vintage.

Details
Rated:


RRP: $28
ABV: 12%
Website: www.coldstreamhills.com.au


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2006 St Huberts Cabernet Sauvignon

St Huberts is a winery of real history. It was founded in 1862 and had a rather illustrious history in its first 50 years, but then like the rest of the Yarra it was turned over to dairy in the first half of the 20th century as the effects of the Great Depression hit hard. St Huberts returned in 1966 as one of the first to replant vines in the Yarra Valley.

This is a wine that grew on me as it opened up over a couple of hours. It’s medium-bodied and well balanced. It’s a Cabernet that has a nice bit of style about it. The leafy nose is supported by aromas of blackcurrant, plum, and a hint of Christmas cake. The tasty palate has the same flavours along with some toasty oak. There is a slightly hollow mid-palate, as can be the case with Cabernet, but it has a good, slightly sour finish supported by fine tannins.

Not a wine to be blown away by, but one that fans of Cabernet will enjoy. I think it will continue to improve over the next 5 years, and possibly longer depending on how the cork holds up.

Details
Rated:


RRP: $30
ABV: 14.5%
Website: www.sthuberts.com.au


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2008 Gembrook Hill Pinot Noir (Yarra Valley)

I’ve written more broadly about Gembrook in a previous post, and this is their latest release Pinot Noir.

This is one of the lightest coloured Pinot Noirs I’ve seen and also one of the most impressive. It has a fragrant nose of strawberry, a hint of orange peel (a characteristic that seems to be common in Gembrook Hill wines), and a bit of stalkiness. The same flavours flow beautifully down the palate along with a bit of spice. This is a wine that will just build with age. It’s impeccably structured with a direct line and length, lovely acidity and fine tannins. Oak is beautifully integrated. If you have a few bottles of this it might be hard to keep your hands off them, but I reckon a stint in the cellar for this wine will be well rewarded.

Details
Rated:
++


$RRP: $48
ABV: 13%
Website: www.gembrookhill.com.au


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2008 Coldstream Hills Pinot Noir (Yarra Valley, Cellar Door)

Bought this wine while in the Yarra, and was consumed over several hours last night.

This is a good, varietal Pinot Noir, though the effects of a hot, difficult vintage are evident. Its bouquet smells of cherry and plum along with some hints of forest floor and meatiness. On the front palate it has a nice bit of sweet fruit but then turns largely savoury. It’s stalky, bitter and has a nice bit of spice. It has a long, sour finish that has just a bit of alcohol heat at the end.

Reckon it needs another year or two for those stalky, bitter elements to better integrate into the wine at which point i think it will drink very nicely. That touch of alcohol heat the one issue in a wine that otherwise looks like it should age well.

Details
Rated:+


RRP: $30
ABV: 14.0%
Website: www.coldstreamhills.com.au


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Footnote
I discovered half a glass left in the bottle after it had been open for 3 days. Upon drinking, sweet fruit flavours got further down the palate this time, before stalky and bitter notes took over (in a less aggressive manner than when I originally tried it). Will almost certainly be better with another year or two in the bottle.

Gembrook Hill & the 2010 Vintage

Gembrook Hill is a cold location at the southernmost tip of the Yarra Valley. When arriving there last week, almost to emphasise this point, the temperature dropped suddenly as a huge gust of wind came in, and a wild ten minute storm complete with hail ensued.

While the rain continued to fall we surveyed the vineyard. At just over 300 meters, it’s one of the highest vineyards in the Yarra Valley. It sits on a nice slope over red soils that face North and East, sheltering it from the warm afternoon sun. On the vineyard Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Sav Blanc are grown, with average vine age over 20 years.

The winemakers are Andrew Marks and Timo Mayer. Andrew is the son of winery owners Ian and June, and he was kind enough to take us through all their 2010 barrel samples including those of his own label, The Wanderer, the fruit for which is sourced outside the Gembrook vineyard.


Blanc de Blancs

We tasted the 2010 Chardonnay that will make the Gembrook Blanc de Blancs. It's an elegant chardonnay of lovely texture and excellent length (and as such I am harbouring hopes that Andrew and Timo might siphon a little off into a Chardonnay), and therefore I’d assume it will end up make a lovely sparkling.


Pinot Noir

The Pinot samples I had were all excellent and were in fact a great study in not only the importance of terroir but also of Pinot clones. The Gembrook sample was at the lighter end of the spectrum, but did not lack for any flavour or intensity, with beautiful savoury flavours and great structure and length. The sample for the Upper Wanderer Pinot (which is Upper Yarra but not quite as Upper as Gembrook) was a touch darker and heavier (in relative terms), while the Wanderer Pinot which is from further down in the Yarra was discernibly darker and heavier (once again in relative terms).

This effect of terroir on wine is something I always love to see but nevertheless something I have experienced before. What I hadn’t personally experienced was the difference between Pinot clones from the same site that have been handled in exactly the same way. For the Wanderer Pinot there are actually 3 different Pinot clones (combinations of letters and numbers that I can’t remember!) from the one site that will go into producing the 2010 Wanderer Pinot. All 3 clones would produce distinctly different wines if they were made separately. The clones ranged from the distinctly savoury, through to the obviously much sweeter and fruit forward. In combination I think they will produce a lovely wine.

Overall I was very impressed with the 2010 Pinot Noir barrel samples for both Gembrook and the Wanderer. In time i think they will produce savoury, complex and age worthy wines. Very encouragingly, Andrew told us about how a 1992 Gembrook Pinot was still holding up and drinking well.


Shiraz

Perhaps the highlight amongst the 2010 barrel samples was the Wanderer Shiraz. That it was the highlight was as much a reflection of the fact my focus was on Chardonnay and Pinot while in the Yarra. As it was I was I thought this 2010 Wanderer Shiraz may well end up being a superb wine. It had a beautiful balance between sweet and savoury flavours, and tremendous length. Really looking forward to seeing how this wine turns out.

Everyone I talked to in the Yarra was very excited about 2010, and these Gembrook and Wanderer barrel samples support the case for it being an excellent vintage.


Summary

Gembrook Hill Estate is on a unique site, where all the work is done by hand, to produce wines that are of undoubted quality and are very much an expression of their terroir. With vines of increasing maturity, assured wine making, and a great growing season, the 2010 Gembrook wines could well be something special. The 2010 Wanderer wines, though sourced from different sites, look equally impressive.

Websites: www.gembrookhill.com.au , http://wandererwines.com


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Red's Off to the Yarra Valley

Well I’ve just watched Australia get carved up 4-0 by Germany in the World Cup, but I can console myself with the fact that the missus and I are off to Melbourne and the Yarra Valley for a few days at the end of this week. This will be my first trip to the Yarra and I’m really looking forward to it. While I’ve had a reasonable amount of Yarra Valley wine over the years, it’s not a wine region that I feel especially familiar or knowledgeable about, and at present, apart from some Hoddles Creek wine, it is not very well represented in my cellar.

With many Yarra wineries having released their 08 reds, it seems from most reviews that it’s actually looking like a better than expected vintage, so I’m looking forward to trying a lot of these wines. The 2010 vintage has also had very good early reports, so it will be interesting to get a sense of exactly how these wines are shaping up.

Can’t wait til I get down there!

Red

2006 PHI Lusatia Park Pinot Noir – Yarra Valley (Restaurant)

In the past 6 months I’ve had the three best Aussie Pinots I’ve ever had – the 2006 Stonier Windmill Pinot Noir, 2008 Bindi Original Pinot Noir, and now the 2006 PHI Lusatia Park Pinot Noir. This is partly a reflection of me drinking an increasing amount of this varietal, but also I think a reflection of the ever improving quality of Australian Pinot Noir.

A bottle of this was consumed for our wedding anniversary over dinner at Altitude restaurant in Sydney. Given the occasion, the stunning views of Sydney Harbour, and the superb food, this Pinot Noir was more than up to the task.

My wife kept on remarking on what a beautiful nose the wine had. It’s not an overly obvious or powerful nose but it is a stunning smelling wine with wonderful complexity. It’s delicately balanced between sweet and savoury aromas and over the course of the dinner smelt of sour cherry, strawberry, grilled nuts, rose petals, and a hint of salt. On the palate it drinks wonderfully. Nice acidity, a touch of spice and stalkiness, with a lovely core of sweet fruit on the front and mid-palate, before finishing with an overall impression of savouriness. Great structure with beautiful line and length, and lovely fine tannins. It’s a wine that is great on its own, but went beautifully with food over a number of courses, ranging from fish through to game.

You wouldn’t always say that a $55 RRP wine was good value. However, I’d argue it’s the case with this wine, as a hand-picked, single vineyard Pinot Noir, that delivers such superb quality and will age well beyond the 10 year mark.

Details
Scored:




RRP: $55
ABV: 13.5%
Website: www.phiwines.com

Red

2007 Yering Station Pinot Noir $26 retail

When visiting the Yarra Valley back in 2008 I found Yering Station to have a large and well-run cellar door. The wines were mostly good value for money and the staff were very friendly (even suggesting other wineries where I could scratch my Chardonnay, Cabernet and Shiraz itches). Their Shiraz Viogner is always dependable and I was a big fan of the 2006 Pinot Noir. Unfortunately, this Pinot from 2007 is a clear example of what smoke taint can do to an otherwise above average wine.


2007 was a very tough year for the Yarra Valley, with bushfires and frosts; with a few more years of bottle age from release, this wine smells unmistakably like smoke – that is the first and lasting impression. With a swirl it reveals some nice strawberry and spicy plum notes, and this is backed up on the front palate. The fruit is subdued on the middle palate and overpowered on the finish once again by an acrid smoke taste. The wine finishes with a ‘waking up in the morning after spending 8 hours in a smoky club’ kind of flavour, and lingers long after the underlying fruit fades.

A real shame as there is enough in this wine to suggest the fruit would have produced a very good end product if the region was not hammered by bush fires and smoke taint. Unfortunately for wines of this vintage, the ashtray tastes and smell will only get more pronounced with age as the primary fruit dies down. The joys of Mother Nature I guess.

PS - Parramatta Oscar did not have any of the wine, though he was keen on some....

2008 Hoddles Creek Estate Pinot Noir

Interesting wine . . .

Had this last night with dinner at an Italian restaurant. The first thing you notice is that it's cloudy. Its the light red that you get with a lot of pinot, however you can't see through it because of the cloudiness.

Raspberries and strawberries on the nose, but its reasonably understated and certainly not the obvious nose you get with a lot of Aussie Pinot. Something else was there that I couldn't quite put my finger on but it was possibly a bit yeasty.

On the palate it is savoury, long, and has some soft tannins that I liked. It also had a biterness and/or sourness that I couldn't quite work out whether I liked or not. Generally speaking I quite like sour cherry flavours in wine, and even don't mind a hint of bitterness, but this somehow just marginally crossed the line whereby on some mouthfuls I really enjoyed it, whereas on others it was just a bit too bitter and sour.

So while this wasn't a wine for hedonistic pleasure, it certainly had appeal and had me thinking about the wine the whole way through. Its too young to be drinking it now, but i reckon it might just turn up beautifully in a few years time. Going to put my remaining bottles in a dark corner in the cellar . . .


Red