Winemaker Notes
Brimming with juicy red and blue fruits, along with caraway seeds and truffle oil. The fruit opulence is framed by length-defining tannins, with briary and stalky notes. Under these layers are also cinnamon, cloves and cigar-box. The texture is plush and extraordinarily generous with a very fine, chewy finish.
This wine pairs well with roasted lamb shoulder.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This has pristine aromas of red flowers, red cherries, pomegranate, orange zest and a thrillingly fresh overall impression that is driven by beautifully ripe pinot fruit. The palate is so succulent and smooth-honed with finely layered tannins delivering succulent, long and juicy impact on the finish. Impressive poise here. This is nicely tuned. Drink now.
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Vinous
Limpid ruby. An intensely perfumed, sharply focused bouquet evokes fresh red fruit, exotic spices, potpourri and sandalwood. Lithe, appealingly sweet Chambord, cherry cola and spicecake flavors reveal a smoky mineral flourish. Shows outstanding energy and floral lift on the gently tannic finish, which hangs on with superb, red-fruit-driven tenacity.
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.