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Australian
Pinot Noir
Session 9 of the Landmark Australia Tutorial
This
session was tutored by Tom Carson, who chose to make the tasting
blind. It was an interesting exercise that kept us on our toes,
especially seeing as a nasty ringer had been thrown in, as well as a
less nasty one.
Tom
gave us a briefing on Pinot Noir, including the interesting fact
that it’s called Pinot because of the pine-shaped bunches. It has
been grown in Burgundy since at least the 11th century,
possibly older. It’s thought that there is a 2000 year history
with the variety.
The
church ran the vineyards in Burgundy from the 14th/15th
centuries, but the revolution changed this and the vineyards split
up.
It’s
James Busby who brought Pinot Noir to Australia in December 1831.
The cuttings were taken from Clos Vougeot and labelled MV6.
Clones
are important for Pinot Noir. It’s estimated that there are 2000
clones, of which 200 have been registered. Pinot Noir is genetically
quite unstable. Compare this with Cabernet Sauvignon, for which
there are fewer than 20 clones.
It
wasn’t until the 1970s that the first commercial bottling of
Australian Pinot Noir appeared. But Maurice O’Shea had made some
in the Hunter Valley in the 1940s to temper Shiraz with, and Seppelt
made it in the late 1960s.
The
first Australian bottlings were by Yarra Yering and Tyrrells. Most
of the good Pinot vineyards in Australia are younger than 25 years
old.
Tom
says that the widely held perception is that with Pinot Noir, unless
the climate is the same as Burgundy, the wine can’t be good. So
many people look for:
-
A
continental climate
-
Limestone-based
soils
-
Cool
climate
-
Northerly
latitude
-
Old
vines (50 years old)
-
Selection
massale
But
this isn’t the only way to make great Pinot Noir. Tom also pointed
out that the mean July/January (equivalent) temperatures show that
Burgundy is hotter than many Australian and New Zealand regions
where Pinot is grown. He comments that, ‘terroir involves
everything to do with the parcel of grapes, right through to the
people making the wine.’
In
total, Australia has 440 hectares of Pinot Noir, which is 2.6 of the
vineyard area in the country.
On
clones: the Dijon clones 114 and 115 have been a little
disappointing. 115 is better than 114. They ripen a bit earlier,
which may be an advantage in Burgundy, but not in Australia. 667 and
777 are showing promise. The Abel clone, also known as the Ata Rangi
clone, is good. This is the one smuggled from Romanée
Conti, which was confiscated, and then propagated by the guy who
confiscated it.
The
wines we tasted were an interesting bunch. I felt that the older
wines didn’t show too well, while the younger ones were excellent.
The DRC was disappointing.
THE
WINES
2007
Stoney Rise The Holyman Pinot Noir, Tasmania
Lovely focused sweet cherry and herb nose is beautifully bright
and aromatic. The palate has precise cherry fruit with great balance
and restraint. Just so pure with some spicy structure under the
fresh, subtly sappy cherry fruit. 94/100
2007
Bindi Wine Growers Block 5 Pinot Noir, Macedon Ranges
Rich but fresh sweet cherry fruit with some spicy medicinal
notes. Cherries, plums, herbs and ginger. The palate is ripe with
soy and cola notes under the red berry fruits. Attractive. 89/100
2007
Yabby Lake Vineyard Pinot Noir, Mornington Peninsula
Highly aromatic sappy cherry and herb nose with a hint of
rhubarb. Still quite elegant, though. The palate is rich with a
herby edge to the sweet fruit. Marlborough style, with rich cherry
and rhubarb notes. 90/100
2006
Stefano Lubiana Estate Pinot Noir, Southern Tasmania
Smooth and broad on the nose with sweet elegant fruit, and notes
of ripe, liqueur-like cherries. Super-elegant palate with smooth,
sweet cherry fruit and some spice and subtle oak. Lovely texture.
94/100
2006
Kooyong Single Vineyard Selection Ferrous Pinot Noir, Mornington
Peninsula
Rich, meaty sweet dark cherry fruit nose. Full ripe style. The
palate is rich and ripe with lovely berry and dark cherry fruit
together with some oak influence. Bold and structured yet retains
elegance. 93/100
2006
TarraWarra Estate MDB Pinot Noir, Yarra Valley
Roast coffee edge to the nose with noticeable oak. The palate is
smooth and ripe with lovely blackberry and dark cherry fruit as well
as toasty oak. Nice purity and elegance, still. 92/100
2007
Felton Road Block 5 Pinot Noir, Central Otago, New Zealand
The first ringer. Deep coloured. Smooth almost lush dark cherry
fruit but well defined. The palate is rich, ripe and bold with
dense, powerful black cherry and spice character. Ripe and
mouthfilling with lots of power. A very rich style of Pinot but not
jammy. 94/100
2003
Ashton Hills Estate Pinot Noir, Adelaide Hills
Very intense, complex herby, lifted cherry and plum fruit nose
showing some evolution. I like the sappiness here. The palate is
savoury with some evolution, showing sweet cherry fruit and herby
complexity. A striking wine: perhaps just a bit too green? But
complex. 90/100
2003
Paringa Estate Reserve Pinot Noir, Mornington Peninsula
Sweet, elegant black cherry and spice nose with a bit of earthy
complexity. Quite lush, with hints of tar and herbs. The palate is
soft-textured, sweet and ripe with mellow oak notes and soft berry
fruit. Quite oaky, showing some age. 91/100
2002
Domaine de la Romanée Conti Romanée St Vivant, Vosne Romanée,
Burgundy
The second ringer. Showing some brown on the rim. Complex nose
is evolved with dried fruits, spice and cloves, as well as sweet
cinnamon notes. Mellow palate is braced by fresh acidity. Quite
meaty and drying with warm spiciness. Fading. An interesting wine
that is odd but still quite nice. 90/100
1999
Mount Mary Pinot Noir, Yarra Valley
Smooth, rich, evolved with roast meet, soya sauce and sweet old
wood notes. The palate is old, complex, earthy and spicy. Quite
bold, but drying out a bit. An interesting wine, now fading. 89/100
1997
Bass Phillip Premium Pinot Noir, South Gippsland
Deep coloured with a brown/red rim. A bit cloudy. Nose of old
wine, soy sauce and sweet wood. The palate is dense with bold,
spicy, earthy fruit. It’s rustic, earthy and spicy, drying out.
Still lots of intensity though. 85/100
1997
Bannockburn Serré Pinot Noir, Geelong
Bricking rim. A bit cloudy. Mature with notes of soy sauce, tar,
cedar and dried fruits. The palate is faded and old with warm spicy
notes. Still quite tasty in that old wine way. 87/100
1992
Coldstream Hills Reserve Pinot Noir, Yarra Valley (magnum)
Warm, rich herb and spice nose is dense and full with broad,
warm flavours. Fading and evolved with sweet earth, herb and spice
notes as well as fresh cherry fruit. Still some structure. 89/100
Landmark
Australia
 Introduction
Visiting
the Australian Wine Research Institute
Session
1 - Regional Classics
Session
2 - Riesling
Session
3 - Shiraz and Blends
Session
4 - Historical Perspective
Session
5 - Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Blends
Session
6 - Cabernet Sauvignon and Blends
Session
7 - An Alternative View
Session
8 - Chardonnay
Session
9 - Pinot Noir
Session
10 - Blending the rules
Session
11 - Sparkling
Session
12 - Fortified
Wines
tasted 06/09
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