Winemaker Notes
Raspberry, cherry and floral on top of underlying savory character. Tannin is ample but very fine and mouth coating. Wine hangs from an almost invisible scaffold provided by the 50% new French oak.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This has a fresh, sappy, strawberry nose with orange zest and fresh red florals. The palate is quite juicy and supple with plenty of fresh, bright, strawberry and cherry flavor. So juicy and open.
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Wine Enthusiast
Fruity notes of strawberry candy and grape jelly bounce joyfully from the glass, followed by stalky, herbal and floral characters, akin to cocktail bitters. The palate is light in feel, with juicy fruit, spice and bright acidity tempered by spicy, grape-derived tannins. Raw, fresh, clean and utterly gluggable, drink this chilled any time of the day.
Editor's Choice
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.