Winemaker Notes
The 2018 Sidewood Pinot Noir displays complex aromas of raspberry, sour cherry and hints of forest floor. The palate is seamless and elegant. Red fruits with enticing gamey characters swirl within layers of mushroom and notes of fresh herbs. The French oak adds ample but delicate tannins delivering a generous delightful length.
Superb on its own or enjoy as an outstanding accompaniment to a duck or game dish, alternatively stuffed wild mushroom and pumpkin pasta as a vegetarian option.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Very intense and fresh red-cherry and raspberry aromas here, as well as some florals and oak spice. The palate has a very smooth, soft and fleshy feel with ripe red cherries in abundance. Medium body and very drinkable now. Screw cap.
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Decanter
Charmingly elegant aromas of restrained berries lead on to a savoury palate laced with spice and silky smooth tannins.
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.