Australian (& 1 NZ) pinot noir

In the pure interests of science I have been working my way though some local pinot noir wine over the past week.   Like many pinot tragics I have wasted a lot of money and effort trying to purchase great French red burgundies mostly without a great deal of knowledge or with great success. I’ve scored about as many times as I had rewarding adolescent romances – so I do treasure my miserable track record. Good burgundies are out there but hiding – they are even claimed to exist – at prices that don’t necessarily break the bank – but they are hard to find.

What about Australian pinot?  Most of the following – not all – come after an afternoon attack on Dan Murphy’s liquor store in Melbourne following a read of the 2009 and 2010 versions of James Halliday’s Australian Wine Companion.  I’ve got to say – despite banning advertising on this site – that Dan Murphy’s had many of the top ranked pinots at prices often better than the vineyard. A good source of top  ranking Aussie pinots.

A general observation – Australian pinot provide good if somewhat monotone wines. They don’t have the French pong – read savory character – that appears as a distant (though essential) afterthought in the great French wines. The tradeoff is simple – drinking this Aussie plonk is not giving the same quality as intermediate French red burgundies – although the NZ Mount Difficulty wine was yapping at the heels of the frogs – but the Aussie wines are much cheaper  - and mostly a good drink.

All – except for the Stoniers – benefitted from decanting and breathing for at least an hour.

My preference ranking among those listed – the Mt Difficulty if you can get it (NZ not Australian) #1, Stonier Reserve #2, and, as a straight value proposition, the non-reserve Tuck’s Ridge.   I’ve taken a punt by cellaring a dozen of the Farr Rising for another 4-5 years.  It has the potential to become something special.

Coombend Estate 2005 (East Coast Tasmania).   The only dud wine of all those tasted. Low intensity of flavor and almost no discernible pinot character of the nose. It was cheap ($23) and I could recognize that it was a pinot but that is all.  Not rated by Halliday.  Unsatisfactory – you can get better value than this, see below.  Recommended by a salesperson at Dan Murphy’s – don’t believe these people. 10/20.

Farr Rising Pinot Noir 2007 (Mornington Peninsula).  I had big expectations of this wine.  Halliday gave it 96 points with a suggested drinking horizon to 2017. The Farr’s (wine-makers) have a formidable reputation as winemakers given their role at Bannockburn wines, Geelong.  Get out your Reidel glasses to soak up the class of this one.  Almost unnecessary to drink – the nose is so powerful and the fruit flavors intense.  Excellent palate if slightly mono-dimensional at this stage but it will improve and gain complexity in the bottle.  Decanted and left for 90 minutes strawberry flavors began to shine. Not delicate, complex or elegant yet but a long finish.  At $31-35 a bottle a steal – I exhausted DM’s remaining stocks the following day.   Very good with potential to become great?  16/20.

Tuck’s Ridge Mornington 2007 (Mornington Penisula). The cheaper variant of this vineyard’s renown pinot. 94  Halliday points, drink to 2015, $39 at Vineyard and $20-90 at DM.  Good pinot nose with plum palate and good length.  Excellent value for a budget class pinot.  Blossomed in bottle after decanting which suggests that waiting a few years might bring rewards.  Very good.  17/20.

( I have half a half-dozen of the Tuck’s Ridge Buckle Vineyard 2007 (Mornington Peninsula) which I will leave for a few years before sampling.  Ranked by Halliday as the best pinot in Australia, $80 – an excessively expensive experiment to drink now – their lifetime should extend to 2020.  I got the last of a very limited supply direct from the vineyard). 

Stonier Reserve Pinot Noir 2007 (Mornington Peninsula).  A top ranked wine by Halliday, 96 points and $42-75, drink to 2014.  Gorgeously sweet wine with inviting cherry-plum palate.  Getting there in terms of complexity but, in the main, just a great flavorsome, immaculate, fruity pinot that breathed class.    It isn’t profound – just delicious. The bottle disappears quickly and the tears well up in my eyes as the last gulp gets gulped.  Close to excellent.  18+/20.

Port Phillip Estate  Pinot Noir 2007  (Mornington Peninsula). I really liked this pinot and so did quite a few others.  Garnet-like hue and exceptional flavour and bouquet. It is pretty close to perfection in the Australian approach to pinot.  Fairly acidic and vibrant – my guess is it has a relatively long life ahead of it and will improve with 5 years in the bottle.  A gem – very sound and well-rounded.  Halliday ranks 95 points and drink to 2016.  My grade 18+/20.

(The non-reserve Stonier Pinot Noir 2008 for around $21 has just been released and is a superb inexpensive pinot that you could easily cellar to 2014.  Very clean, fruity, plum-cherry finish with much grip and a refined, fruity nose.  Excellent finish - by no means a complex wine but yummy.  Sends out joyful messages. Drink it and don’t think. Very good  16.5/20.)

Curlewis Bel Sel 2007 (Geelong). An amiable, inexpensive ($23-75) pinot given 93 Halliday points and drink through to 2014.  Fairly light finish, no complexity but attractive medium intensity palate and an inviting nose.  An attractive, pinot that should be decanted and left for an hour or more.  Leave for a few years.  Good.  15/20.

Paringa Estate Peninsula Pinot Noir  2008 (Mornington Peninsula).  I cannot agree with Halliday’s rating of 95 points for this wine but his suggested lifespan to 2014 agrees with the wine-maker’s view.  I found this wine disappointing.  Not much on the nose and the somewhat grippy finish came up a bit short for me.  Not a substantial pinot varietal palate either.  Nor did it improve in the bottle with a couple of hours oxygen feeding unlike several of the others.  It is fairly inexpensive – I forgot to take note but I think it was about $23 – but not recommended – there are better-valued wines in this price range. 12.5/20.

Tamar Ridge Kayena Vineyard 2007 (Tasmania, Tamar Valley). Again a perfectly correct pinot noir that is a very good drink. Flavorsome wine with a strong palate (strawberries and plum) finish and a nose. Halliday gave 95 points with a recommendation to drink to 2013.  I bought for $33-25.   Good.  15/20.

Mt Difficulty Pinot 2007 (New Zealand). Around $44-95 – I assume this was not one of the single vineyard pinots from this place as I drank it by the single glass at a moderate price in Walters Wine Bar Melbourne.   This sort of wine restores your faith in the human race and makes you think twice about the relevance of the earth crashing into the sun in 4 billion years.  If you can get your mouth around this class of wines do so.  Strong elegant bouquet and complex fruit-driven complexities on the palate that give different sensations with each sip – a colleague independently made almost the same description so I am not just verbalizing.  Outstanding – a great pinot. 19/20.