Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Deep dark cherries and smoky brown spices. A round, deep and flavorsome palate with earthy, spicy and savory flavors. Some game meats, too. Silky, deep and quite bold.Silky pinot tannins to close.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Showing a bit of bricking at the rim and a touch of evolution in its scents of sous-bois, mushroom, beetroot and ripe cherries, the 2015 Reserve Pinot Noir appears to be at its peak. With one-third aged in new French oak, this medium-bodied wine is nicely balanced and supple, just hinting at leather and spice on the lingering finish. Drink it over the next 3-4 years.
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
A narrow band of hills and valleys east of the city of Adelaide, the Adelaide Hills region is a diverse landscape featuring a variety of microclimates. In general it is moderate with high-altitude areas cooler and wetter compared to its warmer, lower areas.
Piccadilly Valley, the part of Adelaide Hills closest to the city, was first staked out by a grower named Brian Croser, in the 1970s for a cool spot to grow Chardonnay, then uncommon in Australia. Today a good amount of the Chardonnay goes to winemakers outside of the region.
Producers here experiment with other cool-climate loving aromatic varieties like Pinot Gris, Viognier and Riesling. Charming sparkling wine is also possible. On its north side, lower, west-facing slopes make full-bodied Shiraz.