Grand Cru (Perth) tasting – Pinot Noir 2012

[Waiters Friend]

This month’s tasting focussed on Pinot Noir from the 2012 vintage. There were no other limitations – it could be from anywhere in the world, and in any style, provided it was 100% Pinot Noir. It was suggested that Grand Cru Burgundies would be most welcome, but reality was a little different:

Giesen Clayvin Vineyard (Marlborough, New Zealand). Garnet/ruby in colour. The fruit was on the edge between primary and developing – strawberry and red cherries with some cola. The palate showed light tannins, redcurrants, high acid and a medium finish. A couple of tasters thought the 13.5% alcohol showed a little too much.

Daniel Rion Vosne Romanee Villages (Burgundy, France). A light ruby in colour. Confectioned cherry on the nose, with some earthiness and mushroom. There’s also a range of non-fruit aromas: cinnamon, five spice and sarsaparilla. The palate is brambly, with acid dominant especially on the finish. There’s modest velvety tannins on the back palate, and the wine has a solid mid-palate, and finishes medium to long. It was considered to be still improving, not yet at its peak. Well regarded by the group.

Paringa Estate (Estate Pinot Noir, Mornington Peninsular). Not the cheaper ‘Peninsular’ version. Ruby in colour. There’s developed dark fruits, a little earthiness / mushroom, a slight bitterness from stems (?) and roasted meats. The palate shows grippy tannins, charcuterie, bitumen / tar, and is quite acid dominant. The wine has reasonable length. Possibly just past its peak.

Craggy Range Te Muna Vineyard (Marlborough, New Zealand). Red brick colour and almost transparent. The nose shows cola, sarsaparilla, juicy red fruits and rose petal. The palate has strawberries and cream, and the acidity is a little sharp. The finish is linear, and a little short. It improved markedly in the glass and also was well matched with food. Possibly a little past its peak.

King’s Wrath Marisco (Marlborough, New Zealand). Light purple in colour. Modest oak on the nose, along with mulberry, baked rhubarb and five-spice. Both acid and tannins are relatively prominent, and there’s a touch of bitterness on the (short) finish. This was the least favoured wine of the night.

Coldstream Hills Pinot Noir (Yarra Valley). Red / garnet in colour. Sweet, almost jammy and confected red and dark fruits, plus some cola. The palate has raspberry, some clean acid, slight earthiness and grippy tannins. Medium finish. Well regarded by the group.

Quartz Reef (Central Otago, New Zealand). Garnet / ruby in colour. Red fruits, some meatiness initially, cola, all in harmony. There’s sour cherry on the palate, and the acidity is maintaining freshness in what appears to be a still-improving wine. Good length, and the wine is at the tipping point between primary fruit and secondary developed characters. The most balanced wine of the night and highly regarded by the group.

Fromm “Fromm Vineyard” (Marlborough New Zealand). Quite dark ruby. Mulberry, blackcurrant, developed red and black fruits in what was described as a “serious” nose. A touch of VA? The palate was described as big and muscular, perhaps a touch astringent, with jammy dark fruits and softer acid than some of the other wines. Long finish. Well regarded by the group.

Wine of the night was the Quartz Reef, with the Daniel Rion Vosne Romanee a close second.

This was an interesting tasting, as 7 year old pinots were likely to show development as well as primary fruit, and this showed in the wines that might be a little ‘past it’, and those that were clearly still improving. It was also interesting that 5 of the 8 wines were from NZ, and the variance between all of the wines. A good tasting, and one that provoked a lot of discussion during the night, including some fairly strident opinions on style preferences.

Cheers
Allan

[Polymer]

What made people consider the wines past their peak? Loss of fruit?

[Mahmoud Ali]

I'm surprised at how some of the 2012 pinots, and in particular the Craggy Range 'Te Muna', could be "a little past its peak". I've tasted the '09 Te Muna courtesy of a friend and the '09 (Edit: Oops, I meant the '10) which I chose to celler and I thought they had at least a decade ahead of them. I've also had a 2001 Coldstream Hill at 18 years of age and it had matured very nicely and was in no danger of falling over - and it was from a cool vintage that produced no reserve wines.

I may be wrong here but I suspect some of these wines may be entering a dumb phase and are in need of more patience.

Mahmoud.

[Polymer]

Well I think it is more of a case of people's opinion about when a wine is past its peak, is completely subjective...which is why I asked the question because describing why it was considered past its peak provides a context to the statement.

[Waiters Friend]

Good questions. There were nine people around the table providing these opinions, and, although a dumb phase didn't come up in conversation, the fruit certainly did. It was more about development of fruit rather than loss of fruit. That, along with other factors such as acid overpowering the other characters, probably led to the discussion on 'past the peak'.

[Mahmoud Ali]

I'm not sure what is meant by fruit development because over time fruitiness in a young wine diminishes and transforms and sometimes there is an awkward, mute phase where fruit seems to be absent. Seems to that the wines might be past it's peak fruitiness.