Winetastic

Having spent two hours tasting whites, the call went out to say that the “sideways look at victorian pinot” tutored tasting was about to start. There were eight wines in the lineup, with the winemakers from six of the wineries present to discuss their particular regions and objectives.

Before the tastings began, some discussion was heard around the merits of the 02, 03 and 04 vintages. Across the board, most felt that 2002 was a very difficult year for pinot noir in Victoria, however a few wineries had turned out some top class wines. On the flipside, 2003 and even more so 2004 were being talked up as some of the better vintages for some time.

Some very brief tasting notes are listed below along with the lineup, and the order which I ranked them.

1. Austin’s Barrabool Pinot Noir 2004 - Simple and light, rank #7
2. Paringa Estate Estate Pinot Noir 2004 - Excellent length, lots of fruit and tannin, hot in the mouth. $50 RRP, rank #2
3. Paradigm Hill “The Oracle” Pinot Noir 2003 - Excellent length, softer tannin than the paringa, food friendly style, rank #3
4. Lethbridge Wines Pinot Noir 2003 - Earthy nose, less cherry than previous two. Lower alcohol was a relief, less fruity & more earthy tones, $28, rank #1
5. Willow Creek Benedictus 2004 Pinot Noir - Huge nose of eucalyptus and mint? Soft tannin and good length, $50, rank #5
6. Yering Station Yarra Valley Pinot Noir 2003 - Plummy nose, not as overt as the willow creek, $20-25, rank #6
7. Eldridge Estate “Clone 777″ - More subtle again, excellent balance without the heat of many others, darker fruit + earthy characters, cannot buy this wine anymore, rank #4
8. Carlei Estate Pinot Noir 2002 - Huge nose again, mostly bacon fat? Winemaker appeared to be proud of this fact for some reason, couldnt take more than one sip, rank #8

Overall I was not impressed with any of the wines at their price point. Most were around the $50 mark, however the high alcohol content of many, 14-15%, was a big turnoff. The wines were not full bodied enough to carry such a high percentage.

The winemakers themselves were certainly passionate about what they do and firmly beleive they can make some of the best pinot noir in the world. The general consensus from the panel was that the quality of australian pinot had improved dramatically over the last decade, hopefully their passion will translate into further improvements over the years to come.

Overall the tutored tasting was well worth attending, although I had hoped for more in depth analysis of the wines from their makers, specifically the aromas and flavours and how they would relate to the typical varietal characteristics. I did feel that I have a far better grasp of victorian pinot noir than before I set foot in the room.

Coming up tomorrow: Part 3, Red Wines & Conclusions