TN: 2003 Hoddles Creek Pinot Noir

[Adair]

2003 Hoddles Creek Pinot Noir - 13.2% - Yarra Valley, Victoria

Smoked meats and slight bandaidness on top of ripe plums and cherries of very good depth and weight with slight truffled undergrowth and Chinese spice. Lovely complexity. Lacks slightly on the back although nice focus throughout the wine. Very fine tannin. Acid is fine and harmonious but is starting to fall out of the wine. Needs to be drunk as the savouriness will also start to dominate. 16.2/20, 87/100.

I like the 2004 better but am happy to have tried the 2003.

Adair

Edited once due to misspelling of Hoddles (Hoodles)

[The more the better]

I have recently tried the 2004 Hoddles Creek Pinot and was not that impressed. It obviously need more time to settle. Still very tart and seemed high in acid.

[Adair]

The 2004 did not blow me away but I did enjoy. I did find it needed time to open up and suspect (maybe not) that your bottle may have improved with air time. However, my tasting of two bottles of the 2004 makes me think that bottle variation is not just a "cork" thing... as TORB has noticed in other wines.

My note for what it is worth:

2004 Hoddles Creek Pinot Noir – Yarra Valley, Victoria – 13.2%

Very ripe red fruits including sweet strawberries, without getting into the dry red dark and brooding spectrum, infused with musky spices and hints of sap. Generous and silky palate with no holes and very good depth across the whole palate. The wineÂ’s structure is fully integrated to the rich fruit with tannins and acid barely noticeable. Nothing profoundly complex at the moment but immensely enjoyable. Definitely great value at less than $20 and perfect for the impromptu wine loving guest. Drink from now to 2009. 17.2/20, 90/100.

A second bottle seemed more lean and green. 16.5/20, 88/100.

Both under screwcap.

Kind regards,
Adair