Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
Taken from the famous Côte Vineyard, ‘Robyn Pamela’ is treated to about half the crop being destemmed, and half the wine is matured in new Allier oak barrels. This is my favourite RP vintage to date, and only a couple of Aussie Pinots manage to engender the richness, intensity, gravitas and flair that this wine seemingly summons with ease. Texturally, it is richer and more succulent than any other Aussie Pinot, too.
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.”
Comprised mainly of boutique, family-owned and operated wineries, Geelong is one of the cool coastal wine-growing regions of the Port Phillip Zone of Victoria. Here the elevation and proximity to sea breezes—similar to Yarra Valley, Mornington Peninsula and the southern part of Gippsland—allow the region to produce remarkably vivid Chardonnay Pinot Noir. The elegant Shiraz wines from Geelong also attract attention.