TN: Montalto Pinot Noir 2015

[Waiters Friend]

Double decanted 2 hours before service.

Ruby / garnet in colour. An expressive nose, with dark cherries dominating, and a merest hint of mushroom / forest floor. Delicate, yet very present.

The palate followed this theme - good acid underneath developing fruit characters, and tannins noticeable but fine grained. There's an intensity to the palate despite the wine being quite light bodied overall.

Halliday sometimes refers to the "iron fist in the velvet glove" when talking about pinot noir. It's not 100% accurate in this case, but I understand what he is suggesting. It was certainly well received by my fellow tasters.

Cheers
Allan

[Mahmoud Ali]

Did Halliday really use that phrase for a Pinot Noir? I would have thought it was more suited to a Shiraz or a Cab-Shiraz blend, or maybe a fortified wine like port.

Mahmoud.

[Waiters Friend]

This has developed somewhat in the past year, and filled out nicely. This was tasted with three friends, and they all made very positive comments without knowing what it was (they knew it was pinot noir).

The nose opens with the aforementioned cherry, and is well accompanied by spice, porcini and some forest floor. Complex and interesting as a result, far more than a year ago.

The palate has filled out, and is richer and more intense, without having become heavy. The fruit carries the palate, but the secondary and savoury elements provide excellent counterpoint. I can't describe this as light bodied any more - it has length and some palate weight - and shows a variety of characters on different parts of the tongue and palate. Acid is freshening, tannins are integrated and fine, and the overall balance is there - very good indeed, and possibly at its peak - certainly an improved wine on a year ago.

One bottle left in the cellar.

[Michael McNally]

Thanks Alan

Fan of their standard wines. Good value I reckon. None have survived to this age in my cellar.......

Cheers

Michael