VARIETAL REPORT

Bringing poise to $30-50 Pinot Noir

The producers of the top three wines in our recent tasting of $30-$50 Pinot Noir from Australia and New Zealand reveal how their standout drops were crafted in the vineyard and winery.

DARREN BURKE WINEMAKER LEURA PARK ESTATE BELLARINE PENINSULA, GEELONG LEURA PARK ESTATE 2021 PINOT NOIR (RRP APPROX. $40.00/BOTTLE)

VITICULTURE

The estate-grown block that provides the fruit for this wine is located on Founds Rd on the Bellarine Peninsula, approximately 6km south of the township Portarlington and 6km east of the township of Clifton Springs.

The rows run north-south and the vineyard is slightly south facing which is very rare on the Bellarine Peninsula. The soil comprises 10cm of dark grey volcanic clay, then a further 20cm of medium clays with basalt gravels. The following 60-90cm continues with further clays and gravel.

The period from October to April in 2020-21 was warm and mostly dry, reflecting the cool maritime climate of the region. November, December, January and February all had the odd day in the mid 30°C range, however the monthly means were around 22-24°C. We had modest rainfall in November and December with a good downpour of 40mm in late January setting the vines up for a perfect ripening season with little or no rainfall again until late March.

The Pinot Noir vines were planted in the late 1990s so have a vine age of around 25 years now. The clones of Pinot Noir are 115 and MV6. The trellis system adopted is VSP and the vines are currently spur pruned to two buds. The target double-bud spurs is 14-16 per vine, leading to a target yield of around 2.0-2.5 tonnes per acre. In 2021, the yield for the 115 was 2t/ac and the MV6 a miserly 1.2t/ ac.

Rows are 2.5m apart and vines 1.5m apart. In the 2020-21 season little irrigation was required to maintain vine vigour and health.

Sustainable practices are typically being followed, for example utilising the use of marc compost under vine as required.

Looking forward, this vineyard will undergo some significant re-working with planned conversion to cane pruning in the next two years.

WINEMAKING

The Pinot Noir is machine picked with a super modern Pellenc tow-behind harvester with on-board sorting. As a result, the fruit comes into the winery in great condition with the bins occupied only with whole berries and a small amount of juice with little to no MOG. The fruit is simply weighed and tipped directly into fermenters ranging in size from one tonne to five tonnes. Predominantly indigenous ferments are encouraged with the occasional trial batch of inoculated fruit.

Total time on skins would be around 1015 days. Some batches are held at around 20-25°C for ferment to promote fragrance and freshness, while the remainder would generally get up to around 28-30°C.

Batches are either pumped over or hand plunged once per day when the cap is up.

When dry, ferments are pressed off with the free run kept separate from the pressings. Generally, they are recombined at final blending time for the finished wine.

Post press, the wine is settled for a number of days then cleanly racked to 300L French oak barrels, 20% of which are new. Malolactic fermentation occurs in barrel (combination of natural and inoculated). Post malo, the wine is sulfured, generally around July.

The wine is topped monthly, then after around 10 months in barrel is blended, filtered and bottled. Typically, the wine is released after 12 months in bottle.

MARKETING

The Leura Park Pinot Noir is a premium brand in our range. It is sold mostly in Victoria on and off premise outlets with a small amount exported to Singapore pre- COVID-19.

We also have an active and productive mail order and online sales component to the business.

The label, apart from mandatory requirements, has been unchanged for the last 10 years!

Leura Park Estate winemaker Darren Burke.

ROB DOLAN DIRECTOR ADRIAN SANTOLIN CHIEF WINEMAKER YARRA VALLEY, VICTORIA ROB DOLAN WINES 2021 BLACK LABEL PINOT NOIR (RRP$30.00/BOTTLE)

VITICULTURE

The fruit for the 2021 Black Label Pinot Noir was sourced from a premium single vineyard in Yering, located within the Yarra Valley. 2021 is widely regarded as one of the best Yarra Valley vintages, with cool temperatures allowing slow, consistent ripening of the Pinot Noir, producing perfumed fruit with fine-lined acidity — ideal for current consumption and cellaring.

The Yering vineyard is somewhat of a warmer site within the Yarra and naturally produces a bigger, richer style of Pinot with more structure. The viticulture and winemaking are all about balancing the production of a bigger, richer style of Pinot while still maintaining the elegance that is synonymous with the variety.

We look for some lignification of the stems and phenological ripeness of the seeds, without the sugar levels getting out of control. We find we achieve this at around 13 Baumé (vintage dependent).

WINEMAKING

The fruit is hand harvested. Upon arrival at the winery the grapes are destemmed only to retain whole berries before being put through a two-day cold soak to extract rich aromatics and colour along with delicate tannin extraction.

The wine goes through open-pot fermentation with gentle twice daily pumpovers. Fifty per cent of the pots are inoculated and the other 50% go through a ‘wild’ fermentation. The hard pressings are kept separate from the free run wine. The free run is matured in French oak hogsheads for nine to 10 months with 30% being new French oak from a selection of four different cooperages.

The goal with this wine is to let its bold primary fruit and structural tannin shine. In recent times we have changed our pump-over regime. The longer pump-overs take place prior to and during the initial phase of fermentation. After the first third of fermentation the pumpovers essentially become almost non-existent as the aim is just to wet the cap of the ferment. This has resulted in the wines being much more elegant.

MARKETING

The 2021 Black Label Pinot Noir is part of our bold ‘Black Label’ range. Unique and lesser-known varietals are given their place in the Rob Dolan Wines line-up amongst the Black Label range of wines, which are perfect for the adventurous wine drinker. The 2021 Black Label Pinot shares a label among other varietals such as Arneis and Savagnin and appeals to the wine drinker that wants to branch out and try wines that are given a different approach from vineyard to winery.

The Black Label wines are primarily sold through wine bars and restaurants throughout Australia. We have recently been having export success with the Black Label range.

The Rob Dolan Wines Black Label Pinot Noir is also delicious chilled.

Director of Rob Dolan Wines, Rob Dolan

RACHEL BOYD DTC/EXPORT LUKE WHITTLE WINEMAKER LUCIANO CARAVIA PIPERS RIVER/TAMAR VALLEY, TASMANIA PIPERS BROOK VINEYARD PIPERS BROOK ESTATE 2021 PINOT NOIR (RRP$50.00/BOTTLE)

VITICULTURE

The grapes for this wine came from three different vineyards:

• The Launceston City vineyard - located at the top of hill in the middle of Launceston.

The vineyard blocks are 140 metres above sea level and have a gentle slope of 6%.

This is a high density vineyard with vine spacings of 0.5m. Vines are grown in a shallow, rocky soil where they develop a balanced canopy. The fruit comes from more than 65 different Pinot Noir clones. • Ninth Island Vineyard block D16 - this

Pinot Noir block is clone 115. The vineyard block is at 80m.above sea level. The block is located just 600m from the Tamar

River on a gently slope of 11%. With vine spacings of 1.35m, the soil is a brown dermosol on basalt colluvium. • Pipers Brook Vineyard - the two blocks from where we take fruit have narrow row spacings of 1.8m and are grown on a low trellis. The blocks are at 80m above sea level and contain 35-year-old vines that are non-irrigated and have developed a natural balanced vine canopy. This is a special clone selection from where we are propagating our new developments. They are on gentle slopes of 8% and 4%. The soil is a red ferrosol on tertiary basalt.

The blocks have a target crop of 5-7 tonnes per hectare. The crop is adjusted before veraison to one bunch per shoot, removing agglomeration and fruit on short shoots.

The irrigated vines at Launceston City and Ninth Island receive around 15-20% of evapotranspiration as a reference but this is monitored. Pipers Brook is a dry grown vineyard. All blocks are cane pruned leaving less than 15 buds per kilogram of pruning weight. Shoot thinning is done on young shoots (+/- 50-100mm) to stimulate an adequate shoot spacing and regulate shoot competition. Main diseases are downy mildew and late season botrytis.

A gentle leaf pluck is done manually on basal leaves on the morning side of the canopy a couple of weeks before veraison.

The fruit is hand picked which allows us to do another quality control on our product and select only the bunches that have the standard quality.

WINEMAKING

Fruit was harvested by hand and chilled overnight in a cool room before whole bunches were carefully destemmed to keep berries intact.

Following approximately seven days of cold soaking, fermentation via a combination of wild and inoculated yeast took place in small open vats, with an average of 1015% whole bunch included in the ferment. A combination of hand plunging and pumping over was employed throughout fermentation. The resulting wine was gently pressed in our basket press and the individual parcels aged on lees in French oak puncheons in our cool underground cellars for nine months. Around 25% new oak was used for maturation. It was bottled under screw cap to preserve intensely perfumed aromatics and expressive fruit.

We had some fairly large changes take place around six years ago, both in viticulture and winemaking, which saw a shift in our approach towards Pinot Noir. Since then, recent years have seen a subtle evolution in our practices which have been more about responding to what we have learned from our vineyard sites. This has seen us pick earlier on some sites, change the amount of whole bunch in other sites, change how extractive our cap management is for some blocks, and the list goes on. In this way we have seen our winemaking become more tailored to individual parcels to try and give the best expression of these unique sites.

MARKETING

Pipers Brook Estate Pinot Noir is an icon and one of the most popular of our releases. It’s released with priority to our wine club and premium wholesale customers with limited availability in export markets if available after satisfying our local allocations.

Pipers Brook winemaker Luke Whittle.

Australia and New Zealand battle in $30-$50 Pinot Noir tasting

By Sonya Logan

Thirty-two wines – including nine from New Zealand – were entered in our recent blind tasting of Pinot Noir with recommended retail prices of between $30-$50. The regions represented by the Australian entries included the Adelaide Hills, Geelong, Canberra, Tasmania, Bellarine Peninsula, Orange, Yarra Valley, Strathbogie Ranges, Coonawarra, Mornington Peninsula, and Ballarat.

The panellists for the tasting were winemakers Peter Leske, from Revenir winery, in the Adelaide Hills; Clare Dry, from Seppelt; and Hylton McLean, from Honey Moon Vineyard, also based in the Adelaide Hills.

Peter Leske commented on the diversity of colour in the wines in the tasting, saying, “If you had a line up of lots of other varieties you wouldn’t see such diversity of colour”.

Also commenting on the colour of the wines, Clare Dry said the tasting had highlighted how important it was not to judge Pinot Noir by its colour.

“There were some really intense wines with very pale colour and, conversely, some of the wines that were very deep in colour lacked the nuance and varietal character you want to see in a Pinot Noir,” she said.

Dry said the tasting had also demonstrated that winemakers were endeavouring to add complexity to Pinot Noir.

“You want to see a lot of layering and complexity and some of these wines have done a great job with the use of whole bunch and stalks; and it’s really well integrated. The oak has been bang on with some of them too along with the tannins and the flow.

“Some of the wines perhaps had too much whole bunch and not enough fruit intensity to carry it, especially with some of the older wines,” Dry continued. “There’s some really lovely wines in here.”

Leske said that there was the odd wine in the line-up that was either a little advanced for its age or surprisingly unadvanced, but agreed some were “really lovely”.

“Some of the ‘20s, in particular, are just at that nice point of being ‘drink now’.

“Some wines had really lovely complexity — whole bunch characters and berries as well as oak and a bit of age; restrained but complex drinks.

“There was generally more tannin than I expected which is a good thing because over the last few years there’s been a move towards delicacy in Pinot and I don’t think Pinot should necessarily be delicate. I think they need tannin; they should have some age-worthiness about them.”

Referencing the wines he regarded as being advanced for their age, Leske admitted that it wasn’t always possible to make Pinot that ages.

“Really good Pinots should be hitting their straps and be lovely at two years but should still be fine after four or five years. The serious Burgundies don’t hit their straps for two to three years.

“In some years it is hard to make Pinot that ages – it just doesn’t want to; no matter what you do, after two years they start to trail off,” he conceded, although he didn’t think this applied to any of the vintages represented in the tasting.

Hylton McLean said the better wines in the tasting had “both flavour intensity and layers of flavour combined with quite a satisfying tannin structure which gave you a nice lingering, drying finish”.

Noting the range of styles in the tasting, McLean said this was likely influenced by the fact that Pinot is a notoriously difficult variety to grow and make a good dry red table wine from because of its sensitivity to climatic conditions, and the various clones likely to be represented in the line-up.

“We don’t know what clones these wines were made from so that’s another complex ingredient in trying to make a good Pinot. Matching clones to site is a real hit and miss exercise,” he said.

The three panellists agreed the top wines in the line-up were the 2021 Leura Park Estate Pinot Noir, 2021 Rob Dolan Black Label Pinot Noir and 2021 Pipers Brook Estate Pinot Noir.

LEURA PARK ESTATE 2021 PINOT NOIR

Bellarine Peninsula, Victoria 12.5%v/v RRP$48.00/bottle

Best of tasting: Mid scarlet in colour with a brick red hue. Initially quite closed but complex nose of cherry juice, herbs, some oak and a touch of nice flinty sulfide poking through. Soft, supple and full flavoured palate of ripe cherry flavours and classic powdery tannins; nice amount of flint and stalky characters coming through; good fleshy, spicy and herbal characters. Sweet midpalate backed by a good long palate structure. “Well made and varietal; lovely wine,” noted one taster. ROB DOLAN WINES 2021 BLACK LABEL PINOT NOIR

Yarra Valley, Victoria 13.0%v/v RRP$28.00/bottle

Best of tasting: Mid scarlet in colour with a brick red rim. Good, sweet, obvious Pinot Noir nose featuring intense cherry aromas, mulberry leaf and cedary oak; confit and herbs also apparent. Rich and sweet early on the palate; good blend of red berries and savoury herbs; attractive cedar/vanilla oak. Good structure and tight acid. Velvety, powdery tannins. “Long flavours just carry the acid and tannin,” noted one taster. “Quite Burgundian looking,” wrote another. PIPERS BROOK VINEYARD 2021 PIPERS BROOK ESTATE PINOT NOIR

Pipers River, Tasmania 13.5%v/v RRP$50.00/bottle

Best of tasting: Light garnet in colour with a scarlet hue. Lots of lovely whole bunch characters on the youthful nose which is powerfully herbal and spicy; ripe cherries, ripe plums and violets along with some flint, wet cement and oak. Big ball of whole bunch characters in the mouth where more cherry fruit can be found; palate is layered with stalk influence driving the length but not dominating; cedary oak and velvety tannins. Good structure and intensity and will probably age well. “Showy but well done,” one taster described the wine overall. “Very well made, fresh and tight with plenty of layers,” noted another. BARRISTERS BLOCK WINES 2022 PINOT NOIR

Adelaide Hills, South Australia 13.5%v/v RRP$30.00/bottle

Intense colour of bright ruby. Clean, fresh, simple but attractive nose of cherries, plums and red currants; slight spiciness; touch of stalkiness adds depth. Sweet, dense core of fruits on the palate including cherries, blueberries and plums; gentle but slightly sappy tannins; cedary oak; slight bitterness on the finish. “Reasonable intensity and depth but lacking some layering/ complexity,” noted one taster. “Very fresh and young,” wrote another.

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CLYDE PARK ESTATE 2021 PINOT NOIR

Geelong, Victoria 12.5%v/v RRP$48.00/bottle

Pale scarlet in colour with a slight brick red hue. Intense oak and herbs on the quite stalky nose along with some mint/menthold; strawberry and violet notes also evident along with dry hay and cherry stone. Ripe strawberries on the palate which has a juicy intensity and distinct herbal edges; slight savoury/ developed flavours; soft tannin. “Reasonably well made but fruit is lacking vitality,” concluded one taster. “Lacking freshness,” agreed another. LARK HILL 2021 REGIONAL PINOT NOIR

New South Wales / Canberra District 12.5%v/v RRP$30.00/bottle

Slightly advanced colour of light red with some brown hues. Nose features lifted, varietal notes of hay, compost, sweet organics and intense sweet berry fruit, including Morello cherries and ripe strawberries, and some herbs. A faint caramel note is also evident. Palate is leaner and drier than the nose suggests; lacks some vibrancy and depth of fruit. Low in acid. Some chewy tannins and herbs on the finish. “Starting to show some age already,” noted one taster. PONTING WINES 2021 MOWBRAY BOY PINOT NOIR

Tamar Valley, Tasmania 13.0%v/v RRP$42.00/bottle

YES SAID THE SEAL 2021 PINOT NOIR

Bellarine Peninsula, Victoria 13.5%v/v RRP$50.00/bottle

Youthful colour of mid garnet with a slight ruby hue. Big, sweet, oaky and minty nose which features ripe cherries and some earth, herbs, rhubarb notes. Rich, quite plump palate of plummy ripe fruit and rich cherries. Mint and herb characters echo the nose. Full-flavoured, rich oak drives the mid palate. Velvety tannins. Fine acidity although perhaps slightly raspy. Drying and stalky finish. Good length. “Good depth of colour but a touch over-ripe and lacks some nuance,” concluded one taster. “Good intensity and structure – should age well,” noted another. Very light scarlet in colour with pale brick red hues. Lovely beguiling nose clearly showing evidence of lots of bunch work; intense aromatics of strawberry, cherry, ripe plum and flint. Palate has great density of flavour and layering – bunch characters apparent but are not overwhelming. Good strawberry fruit and soft, ripe plum favours along with some herbs and oak. Slight stewed fruit flavour. Very soft tannins. A touch short. One taster thought the wine was slightly swampy, saying, “There are some nice aspects to this wine that didn’t quite come together”. “Lacking intensity and structure,” wrote another. “A more delicate wine but packing a lot of punch; very well made although I question its ageing potential,” concluded another taster. JACK RABBIT VINEYARD 2021 PINOT NOIR

Bellarine Peninsula, Victoria 13.7%v/v RRP$48.00/bottle

Mid scarlet in colour with a slight brick red hue. Ripe cherry and strawberry notes on the slightly dusty nose along with aromas of dried cherry, roast cherry tomatoes, tomato leaf, herbs, a touch of earth and a lick of oak. Palate is quite full, has a tight structure and generous stalky/herbal fruit. Fresh acidity which is perhaps a little bit low and savoury tannins. “Good – will age,” noted one taster. “Good ‘Pinosity’ but lacking some vibrancy,” concluded another. “Simple, ripe and soft with some freshness of flavour,” wrote another.

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ROSS HILL 2021 PINNACLE SERIES PINOT NOIR

Orange, New South Wales 13.7%v/v RRP$50.00/bottle

Deep garnet in colour with a youthful hue. Complex, interesting and quite ripe nose of violets, plums and cherries with some earth and slightly toasty oak; vanilla/panforte note also apparent; hint of herbs. Lovely rich palate with layers of red and plummy fruits. Dusty oak and chewy and grippy mid-palate tannins. Tight acid. “Great intensity and structure to age,” concluded one taster. “Pinot Noir in the Grenache spectrum; jubey, dense and tight,” added another. “Lacks some ‘Pinosity’; too ripe and luscious – want to see more grit,” said yet another. RAPAURA SPRINGS 2021 SINGLE VINEYARD SOUTH BROOK VINEYARD PINOT NOIR

Marlborough, New Zealand 13.5%v/v RRP$50.00/bottle

Deep garnet in colour with a slight ruby hue. Peculiar and intense nose of dried herbs and sweet spice aromas along with ripe red fruits and stewed plums; minty/menthol note apparent. Full and quite luscious palate featuring plummy fruit and layers of red fruits. Hint of menthol/ eucalyptus. Quite oaky. Drying tannins. “Slightly peculiar flavours but good intensity,” summarised one taster. “Looking for more varietal character; big, ripe and oaky,” noted another. WIGNALLS 2021 SINGLE VINEYARD PINOT NOIR

Great Southern, Western Australia 14.0%v/v RRP$42.00/bottle

Mid scarlet in colour with a brick red hue. Intense, sweet fruit on the nose, including cherries and plums, along with herbs, spices and rhubarb. Attractive palate which is sweet early before spice and herbs kick in; a full mid-palate flows to slightly chewy tannins. Nice red fruit flavours with a touch of leather. Nice depth. Good length. “Good fruit intensity with some complexity,” noted one taster. Another taster felt the wine had prematurely aged. FORREST WINES 2021 PINOT NOIR

Marlborough, New Zealand 13.0%v/v RRP$35.00/bottle

Very deep ruby in colour with a slight purple hue. Brooding, spicy, toasty/ smoky nose which is somewhat onedimensional; violets and intense red fruit characters evident. One taster thought the nose was quite savoury, noting characters of roast beef and piquant cherry juice. Palate is dense, oaky and herbal with flavours of ripe cherries and sweet spice. “An intense wine but with a slight peculiar dried herb character,” concluded one taster. “A riper style lacking some vibrancy and nuance,” noted another taster, adding “unsure about the ageability of this wine.” FOWLES WINE 2021 ARE YOU GAME? PINOT NOIR

Strathbogie Ranges, Victoria 13.6%v/v RRP$24.00/bottle

Light scarlet in colour with orange hues. Fragrant cherry and plum characters on the nose along with some enticing stalky menthol notes, red currants, sweet vanilla/ spice, herbs and a smoky note. Good flow and tension on the palate which has good, even, moderate herbs and spices in keeping with the nose. Fruit spectrum is a touch stalky and lacking. “Well made but the fruit could have been a touch riper when picked to add some more depth and dial back the whole bunch character,” noted one taster. “Understated but balanced – a good drink,” concluded another.

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BLACK GRAPE SOCIETY 2021 THE MASTER PINOT NOIR

Central Otago, New Zealand 13.0%v/v RRP$35.00/bottle

Deep ruby in colour with a vibrant ruby hue. Nose is quite intense, inky and oaky with dark cherry and violet aromas. Vanilla spice and plum cake also apparent. Very intense spicy cherry, red and plum fruits on the palate; “a big ball of fruit before fresh acid and savoury tannin prevail”, one taster described the palate. Good length. Vanilla finish. “A riper style reminiscent of a New Zealand example,” concluded one taster, adding, “Looks more like a lean Shiraz – hard to pick varietal characters”. “Intense but not as complex as it could be,” noted another taster. FOWLES WINE 2021 LADIES WHO SHOOT THEIR LUNCH WILD FERMENT PINOT NOIR

Strathbogie Ranges, Victoria 13.7%v/v RRP$40.00/bottle

Light scarlet in colour with a brick red hue. Slightly stewed and medicinal nose which is looking prematurely aged but some lovely varietal character still apparent; light strawberry note with a woody/oaky aroma. One taster thought the nose was “vaguely reductive and oxidative at the same time”. Palate is less intense than the nose suggests and is somewhat savoury; cedary oak flavours combine with cherry stone, spices, stalkiness and some herbs and spices. Soft tannins; one taster said the tannins had a “fantastic shale-like quality”. Prematurely aged. DIGIORGIO FAMILY WINES 2021 KONGORONG PINOT NOIR

Limestone Coast, South Australia 13.5%v/v RRP$35.00/bottle

Light garnet in colour with a youthful ruby hue. Perfumed nose of ripe plums, cherry, confit, spice, grenadine and slightly smoky oak with red currant undertones. Palate oozes fruit: cherries, plums, berries. Soft, velvety tannins give savoury, tannic length. Good structure. “A bigger style that is pretty well made,” concluded one taster, adding, “Still showing varietal character but would like a bit more nuance and less influence of oak.” “Slightly simple,” noted another. “Nice structure and intensity,” said yet another. QUEALY WINEMAKERS 2021 TUSSIE MUSSIE VINEYARD PINOT NOIR

Mornington Peninsula, Victoria 12.9%v/v RRP$48.00/bottle

Light red in colour with brown hues. Spicy light fruit on the slightly dull nose along with earthy, minty and herbal characters; cedary oak evident. Nose is similar to the palate – slightly dull, chewy and extracted with earthy and herbal notes and light spicy fruit. Unripe tannins. One taster thought the fruit might have been picked too early. BREAM CREEK VINEYARD 2021 PINOT NOIR

Tasmania 14.0%v/v RRP$45.00/bottle

Light ruby in colour with a deep scarlet hue. A moderately intense nose that draws you in featuring cherries, violets, herbs, menthol, vanilla, spice and confit. Sweet, rich and full on the palate which oozes fruit, including red fruit, and has a savoury element. Touch of herbs. Soft, perfectly-weighted tannins. Warm finish. One taster felt a menthol note sat over the top of the palate and detracted from the vibrancy of the primary fruit. “Young and classy,” noted one taster. “Good fruit [but] slightly simple and lacking structure,” noted another.

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QUEALY WINEMAKERS 2021 MUSK CREEK VINEYARD PINOT NOIR

Mornington Peninsula, Victoria 12.6%v/v RRP$48.00/bottle

Light brick red in colour. Oak seems to dominate the nose of this wine at the expense of the interest and charm; slightly stewed red fruit characters along with notes of compost and herbs. Palate is tight, dry and oaky at the beginning and end; some chewy fruits and nice tannins somewhat overwhelmed by herbal notes. CLYDE PARK 2020 PINOT NOIR

Geelong, Victoria 12.5%v/v RRP$48.00/bottle

Light scarlet in colour with a brick red hue. Nose is almost completely savoury with little primary fruit apparent; stewy red fruit and herbs slightly discernible. One taster thought the nose was a good amalgam of aged, bunch and berry characters. Stewed cherries also apparent on the soft, sweet, fleshy and spicy palate which is also somewhat herbaceous and sappy. “Still holding together, but lacking some vibrancy,” concluded one taster. “Nice balance and stage of development; drink now and enjoy,” said another. D’ARENBERG 2020 THE FERAL FOX PINOT NOIR

McLaren Vale, South Australia (Fruit source: Adelaide Hills, South Australia) 13.5%v/v RRP$34.00/bottle

Light brick red in colour. Rhubarb, cherry, ripe plum and distinct herb flavours on the nose along with a slight cedary oak note; menthol from stalks initially detected. Palate has good flow and vibrancy with the acid pulling it through. Well-handled oak with lots of flavour including herbs, straw, strawberries, earth and leather. Fresh acidity and a nice lick of savoury tannin. “Really well made and definitely hanging on well,” concluded one taster. LEURA PARK ESTATE 2020 PINOT NOIR

Bellarine Peninsula, Victoria 12.5%v/v RRP$48.00/bottle

Light brick red in colour. Somewhat simple nose of sweet fruit, including ripe plums and stewed red fruit, oak, spices and mint; a strong whole bunch signature apparent. Some age evident on the palate which is on the leaner side but flows well. Soft and fleshly yet a little hollow and short. Some red currant fruit flavours showing along with a touch of stalkiness. “Well made but lacking some depth; picking the fruit a touch later could have helped,” concluded one taster. RAPAURA SPRINGS 2020 SINGLE VINEYARD LIMESTONE TERRACE VINEYARD PINOT NOIR

Marlborough, New Zealand 13.5%v/v RRP$45.90/bottle

Deep to mid ruby in colour. Closed, brooding and somewhat green nose; aromas of Christmas spice, vanilla, plums, cherries and violets along with smoky oak. Excellent depth of flavour on the palate but is rather overwhelmed by smoky oak. Touch of plum flavour and stalkiness. Soft tannin. “Lacks some structure and freshness,” noted one taster.

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WIGNALLS 2020 SINGLE VINEYARD PINOT NOIR

Great Southern, Western Australia 15.1%v/v RRP$36.00/bottle

Light garnet in colour with a brick red hue. Ripe cherry, rhubarb, confit and stalkiness on the nose along with some herbs and vanilla spice. Attractive palate with generous flavour in the red fruit spectrum; some oak spice also apparent. Velvety tannins albeit drying on the finish. Chewy structure. Slightly herbal finish. “A whole lotta wine,” concluded one taster. “Oak starting to dominate but overall still pretty good,” said another. “Nice fruit and some complexity,” said yet another. YES SAID THE SEAL 2020 PINOT NOIR

Bellarine Peninsula, Victoria 13.5%v/v RRP$50.00/bottle

Light brick red in colour. Flinty reduction on the quite layered and complex nose along with cherries and ripe plums. Soft, silky palate which has good varietal notes and great tannin. One taster thought the wine was not ageing well while another concluded that in spite of its pale colour there were a lot of redeeming characters about it and was well made. ROB DOLAN WINES 2020 WHITE LABEL PINOT NOIR

Yarra Valley, Victoria 13.0%v/v RRP$38.00/bottle

Light brick red in colour with a brown rim. Somewhat simple and spicy nose of ripe plums, some berries and herbs and leather. One taster also detected a rubbery sulfide character. Palate has good flow and is better than the nose but fruit is a little stewed; good herbs and spice. “Good savoury structure with tannic length – drink now,” noted one taster. “Secondary characters starting to permeate,” noted another. TWO DEGREES 2020 PINOT NOIR

Central Otago, New Zealand 14.5%v/v RRP$42.00/bottle

Mid ruby in colour with a dark red brick hue. Intense cherry and beetroot on the nose combined with stewed plums, spice, earth, vanilla, herbs and hints of oak. Nice whole bunch notes flow onto the palate which has an early ball of fruit upfront leading to a savoury, slightly chewy and herbal mid-palate. Primary fruit is quite plummy and a touch stewed. Touch of beetroot. Nice velvety tannins. Good length of flavours. Slightly alcoholic finish. “Not a shy wine but falling away,” concluded one taster. “Good density, well made — fruit starting to lose some vibrancy but still hanging on,” said another. GIESEN 2019 SINGLE VINEYARD CLAYVIN PINOT NOIR

Marlborough, New Zealand 13.4%v/v RRP$49.99/bottle

Mid ruby in colour with a dark, brick red hue. Rich, dark cherries, ripe plums, vanilla and confit on the sweet, spicy nose together with oak and a hint of herbs and mint. Rich red fruits on the dense palate which is slightly extracted but has good length of flavour. Soft, powdery tannins. “Some more varietal notes from stalk and bunch influence would have elevated this wine,” noted one taster,” adding, “well-made but drink now”. Another taster questioned whether the wine had the structure to age any further.

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FORREST WINES 2019 TATTY BOGLER PINOT NOIR

Marlborough, New Zealand (fruit source: Waitaki Valley) 13.5%v/v RRP$45.00/bottle

Dark brick red in colour with a brown hue. Very spicy and herbal aroma; touch of coffee and leather. “Quite stemmy,” noted one taster. Savoury palate which is somewhat developed for its age and very herbal, green and stemmy; notes of leather and compost also apparent. GIESEN 2019 ORGANIC PINOT NOIR

Marlborough, New Zealand 13.0%v/v RRP$39.99/bottle

Mid ruby in colour with a garnet hue. Cherry, rhubarb and sweet spice on the nose along with some oak spice, herbs and mint. Good flow onto the palate which is dense and chalky yet fleshy; lacks some freshness. Flavours of ripe plums and cherries but overall lacks some fruit. Tannins are soft and powdery and add length. “Heading into secondary characters but still a lovely wine; don’t leave in the cellar too long,” concluded one taster, while another noted, “will age”. NINTINGBOOL 2018 PINOT NOIR

Ballarat, Victoria 13.8%v/v RRP$35.00/bottle

Dark scarlet in appearance with a brick red hue. Nose is on the riper spectrum and features confit, cherry and berry aromas, ripe plums, leather and some herbs; slight smoky note. Palate is a bit fresher than the nose and has a good intensity of fruit, again, in the riper spectrum; cherry and rhubarb notes evident along with some herbs, complemented by some lovely tannins. “Nose lets this wine down but the palate ups the ante with great intensity, layering and tannins,” concluded one taster. HONEY MOON VINEYARD 2018 PINOT NOIR

Adelaide Hills, South Australia 14.3%v/v RRP$48.00/bottle

Mid garnet in colour with a brick red hue. Slightly advanced aromas of cola, confit, earth, herbs and menthol; some ripe cherries apparent. Nice, full, soft palate with lots of grainy tannins but lacks complexity; fruit looking a bit tired. CHARLES RUEBEN ESTATE 2018 IAN’S RESERVE PINOT NOIR

Coal River Valley, Tasmania 13.8%v/v RRP$39.00/bottle

Dark garnet in colour with brick red hues. Spicy cherries, violets and oak on the nose. A somewhat divisive wine for the panellists as one thought it had good flavour intensity and length and a nice tannin structure. The other two tasters felt Brett had over-powered the wine and diminished its nuances and depth, noting 4EG and hints of 4EP on the nose and savoury and barnyard characters on the palate.