Which Aussie region consistently produces the best Pinot Noir

[Ozzie W]

Interested in everyone's opinion on this one.

[Bobthebuilder]

I reckon I need a day or two to decide from a shortlist of 4

[Rocky]

Very east coast centric. Although unlikely to pull the votes it would be nice to see Pemberton and Great Southern listed.

[Dragzworthy]

I went Tasmania but it wasn't an easy choice. I like the Mornington Peninsula stuff (notably Paringa and Stonier) but some of them can get a bit too candy fruity and I think Tas are more consistent across the board. I haven't much liked the bulk of the Adelaide Hills stuff - any recommendations there? Admittedly haven't tried much either...

[odyssey]

For my money, producer is more important than region.

That said, the question is not really specific enough, with many possible ways to interpret it. Therefore the answers are going to vary by people's understanding of the question. For example, is it by quantity, by average (which advantages small regions), by ratio of good-to-average producers, by number of good producers...

Answer method 1: Treat the question very literally:

- For me the best Pinot Noir in Australia is Bass Phillip Reserve.
- Therefore Gippsland is the region that literally produces the best Pinot Noir in the country (Bass Phillip Reserve).

Answer method 2: which region has the most number of consistently good Pinot producers?

- Geelong has a number of great Pinot Noir producers (at least 3), many more than Gippsland (1) and, given it's a small region, 3 is a very high ratio.

Also, that question benefits small regions. Regions with a lot of producers (Yarra Valley) suffer because of mass produced commercial gear dragging them down.

Answer method 3: which region do I consistently buy because I enjoy drinking?

- Currently I believe this is Tasmania for me. I enjoy it quite a bit - it's not "The Best", but I enjoy it and can afford it.

[dave vino]

I would not have said Adelaide Hills, who is making good Pinot there?

[Ozzie W]

Some great comments.

Ashton Hills comes to mind for Adelaide Hills.

[dave vino]

Some great comments.

Ashton Hills comes to mind for Adelaide Hills.

I thought of that, but 'one wine doth make the region' - Shakespeare (if he didn't, then he should have ).

Vinteloper is another but is a new one.

When I think of YV or Mornington there are heaps of good Pinots. I just thought it strange given that it is winning right now.

[Ozzie W]

A search on WineFront shows 20+ Pinot Noir producers in Adelaide Hills. I've been impressed by Ashton Hills and Grosset before, but not enough to rank them the #1 region.

[Willard]

I chose Geelong due to high concentration of very high quality producers, in the top echelon of Aus producers, though a small number overall. Perhaps a little swayed due to personal preference ..

Got the nod ahead of Yarra for me, I admit to being a little surprised by Adelaide Hills leading earlier.

Will

[odyssey]

I agree, there are a far greater ratio and concentration of high quality producers in other areas.

Ashton Hills isn't even consistently great. eg. 2010 Reserve looks very ordinary (something I am disappointed about, as I have a few)

[TiggerK]

Agree, Geelong for me too. And Producer (i.e winemaking style) more important than Region.

[Rossco]

I would not have said Adelaide Hills, who is making good Pinot there?

Surely you have heard of Romney Park! (sorry mjs )

Im struggling to name a region that produces the best pinot. I think Odyssey summed up perfectly
that there are sensational producers in each region, but does that mean the region is sensational?

Also its a bit unfair (on other regions) to put the entire state of Tasmania as a 'region'.

Having said that........ I did choose Tas.

[paulf]

How do you define Consistently?
Over what period does a wine or a region have to be consistent? 5 years, 10 years 20 years?
There is a lot of vines that have only been old enough to prooduce excellent wine in the last decade or so.
That makes a difference, particularly with pinot

I think that since about 2010, Mornington might have been the most consistent but I grew up down there so I might be biased. If you go back further then you are probably looking at Yarra, maybe Geelong

Beechworth is not really a pinot region.
No love for Macedon? I think they should be on the list

[winetastic]

I am no Pinot expert, however Mac Forbes is #1 for me, thus Yarra Vote.

[dingozegan]

I voted Geelong based on number of producers making wines that I enjoy over many years.

But odyssey raises some very good points, so to give a more nuanced answer:

Answer method 1: Treat the question very literally

Bass Phillip Reserve, therefore Gippsland.

Answer method 2: which region has the most number of consistently good Pinot producers?

Geelong

Answer method 3: which region do I consistently buy because I enjoy drinking?

Orange - this isn't even in the poll, but I really enjoy Orange Pinot Noir for it's relative lightness, acidity and more (dare I say it!) "Burgundian" flavour profile.

[Scotty vino]

Pinots ive enjoyed include, Grosset, ashton hills, shaw and smith, nepenthe,
tomich (VFM central) and i hear good things from sidewood.
so my vote is Adelaide. It's more locale than anything.
Not having tried 10 minutes x Trac, bass phillip etc im sure i could be swayed given the plaudits these wines have received.

The tassie pinots ive tried also quite good. Freycinet in particular make some really nice gear.

[crusty2]

I would not have said Adelaide Hills, who is making good Pinot there?

Surely you have heard of Romney Park!.

I would also add their neighbors Honey Moon Vineyards. Bigger wine but has structure to last.

Disclaimer: friends of mine

[kaos]

A lot of good fruit comes from Macedon region. I'm thinking Bindi, Curly Flat, Bress, even Passing Clouds

[Mark Carrington]

As a vote for NZ disallowed, opted for Mornington. It’s not clear cut & favourite producers from all over.

[mjs]

I went for Adelaide Hills early on!

Disclaimer ... family (RP) and friends (HMV)

[Ozzie W]

I went for Adelaide Hills early on!

Disclaimer ... family (RP) and friends (HMV)

I'm now questioning if those 5 votes for Adelaide Hills are statistically significant

Great comments/feedback from everyone. Seems there's no clear cut winner here which is a testament to the many good Pinot regions we have in Australia. Producer very important, not just the region/vineyard -- just like in Burgundy!

[mjs]

Yes, the producer is important, You can generalise about the area, but it’s not as simple as that. There’s a lot of YV Pinot that I wouldn’t pay too much attention to, some v good producers though.

Ozzie, perhaps it’s time for another Oz Pinot Tasting??

Ps: I just cast one vote for AH

[maybs]

Adelaide you also have Murdoch Hill who do a decent Pinot and a decent Pinot meunier, or sometimes a blend of the two. Relative newcomers but several vintages under their belt.

That being said, I don't think Adelaide are even close with Tasmania, Yarra, Geelong and Mornington.

Cannot believe Hunter is not here. Come on, Vat 6!

[Chris H]

I love the concept of terroir personally, but I know a guy who imports Burgundy and his constant mantra is that the producer is the most important variable by far.

[Ozzie W]

I love the concept of terroir personally, but I know a guy who imports Burgundy and his constant mantra is that the producer is the most important variable by far.

What I love about Burgundy/terroir in general is the ability to look at a label and know roughly what it's going to taste like. Saying that, there seem to be more exceptions recently with some of the modern winemakers. This is something I miss with Aussie Pinot.