Budget pinot noir – no it doesn’t exist. I’ve always thought that’s probably true but I have drunk a couple of wines recently that come close to fitting the bill exactly.
The Trentham Estate 2009 pinot got a rave review in a recent Age Greenguide. It is justified rave. This is a big wine with farmyard odors early on and a slightly, unpleasant stewed feel to it. It needs to breathe for an hour or so whereupon it settles into a solid pinot with strawberry elegance and a fragrant though fairly thick nose. Remarkably it has complexity and depth. It will be better with a year or so in the bottle but it is still great drinking now provided you decant. I got mine at Dan Murphies for $13-60. At that price it is an absolute steal.
I got cold-called by a discount wine vendor that I buy from occasionally (getwinesdirect.com) and they offered me a New Zealand Peter Howland Marlborough 2008 pinot for $11-99 delivered free. In a moment of madness I bought a dozen – you sit back and think – you did get suckered you silly bugger. But no, this is a special wine too. A conventional and deletable pinot nose with a gentler strawberry finish than the Trentham. Very good clean pinot with a fresh acid finish and a cherry-strawberry mix of flavors. I tried to get more but they are sold out.
Ever tried Pinotage?
No I have not. I know it is a controversial South African wine that some praise as a new world innovation and others decry as having a bad nose.
They also grow some in New Zealand.
Budget pinot noirs certainly exist but I’ve never tasted a good ‘budget’ pinot. An interesting assessment of the Trentham Estate pinot – having tasted it recently I was not that impressed, even in terms of ‘value’. I agree it “is a big wine” but its “elegance” escapes me. Alcohol at 13.5% is too high for a good pinot – that’s a personal view.
Anyway, after the first couple of bottles I’m not sure it really matters much!!
Ennui, Did you decant it and leave to breathe for an hour? The elegance doesn’t show upfront.
Harry,
No, didn’t decant – straight to the glass, so to speak! I don’t tend to decant quaffing wines as it’s not usually worth the effort. To be fair we had just finished a Neudorf pinot so it was hardly a fair comparison – though both 13.5% (I think!).
what price is “budget”?
IMHO, the Hoddles Creek 06/07/08 ($18) and Stonier ($20) are lovely, complex and rewarding PNs. I shall give the Trentham Estate (gorgeous winery too, thoroughly recommended to anyone in the Mildura area) a go using the decant. Like Ennui, I would not decant at this level normally, but should be a fun experiment.
But again, the two wines I proposed are quite stunning at their price-points.
“farmyard odours”, eh? So it smelt like shit.
In response to both Via and Ennui – I decant and allow to breathe any wine that tastes a bit stewed and is a bit pongy. Many Australian reds are overextracted and breathing definitely improves them. The ridiculous situation is that in Australia you have to pay so much more for a non-aggressive red. Compare the magnificent French quaffers.
I once bought an expensive California red while holidaying in Hawaii and cursed the waste of money immediately. It had the bouquet of Dynamic Lifter and a taste that (I imagine) wasn’t a lot better. I let it breathe for an hour and gave up – it remained undrinkable. The following morning I rose and recalled the opened bottle on the kitchen sink. It had blossomed overnight into a beautiful wine which I consumed with my cornflakes and coffee.
Via. Agree – two good ‘value’ pinots (to be distinguished from ‘budget’). I’ve noticed that Boccaccio Cellars has been plugging Hoddles Creek for sometime (at $19).
HC Regarding your Californian red, personally I think I would have hung out for an early lunch, perhaps even brunch!!
Harry,
Hard to find good and affordable pinot. Here are a few things to consider though.
First – I’d second Via Collins excellent suggestion re the Hoddles Creek.
Then – In the same price range (esp after 30% discount) would be the Saddleback Central Otago pinot noir and also the Ballewindi (from Vintage Cellars – quite a light and style though).
If you can find it the Lowburn Ferry – from NZ is excellent, but closer to the $35 mark.
The second wine from Ata Rangi – Crimson is also good, but in the $25-35 range depending on discounts.
Slightly higher up in price but worth investigating is a mixed dozen from the Pinot shop in Tassie.
I’ve included a link. I’ve been trying to resist the urge to buy, but look longingly at their mixed dozens every few weeks.
http://www.pinotshop.com/products/the-sip-no-2-quarterly-pack
Cheers.