The Auswine Forum

Hello everyone

I have done a bit of a search on this site and can't find a thread on this, but am happy for someone to point me to one.

I am looking for a few pinots to lay down for a few years (say 3-5). My preference for pinot lies more in the deeper, earthy, mushroomy, red cherry spectrum, rather than the lighter, sappier, strawberry side of things.

My price limit is usually about $30. Region/country is not important, though in these dark financial times I would prefer to buy direct from smaller local wineries. Woolies seems to be doing okay at the moment.

I know there are a few fans of Hoddles Creek here, but does it age? I have had a Lilydale Estate (by McWilliams I think) a couple of De Bortolis and a Nuits-St-George that I have liked - though the NSG was out of my price range.

Any suggestions welcome.

Thanks in advance

Michael

Personally I'm quite partial to Will Taylor Wines Pinot - at the pinot night we had a while back, I thought it stood up quite well for its price, punching above its weight (but that's just me ) - (I should point out that I work with Will Taylor, so I may be slightly biased)

Disclaimer: I don't drink much Pinot

Stoneleigh 'Rapaura Series' Pinot Noir 2007 is rather good at ~$25

If you can find a Williams Crossing it might be worth a look at $20-25. Not sure if it fits your bill or not. From Curly Flat, Macedon. Same vineyard, vinified the same as the CF but fruit judged not to be of CF standard. I had a 2001 in 2006 and it was in its window for me.

The Williams Crossing 06 is a great drink now pinot for me. If it ages, all the better!

I'm sure there's a few solid ageworthy $30 Tassie pinots somewhere?

Gavin will sell you some R Wines Permutations 2008 Pinot, this certainly has the goods to cellar 3-5 years, and is certainly on the more complex earthy, mushroomy, dark cherry side. Sub $20 as well, worth getting 6-12, drink 1 third now, and cellar the rest.

Better than Hoddles, and DeBortoli, made by William Downie (who makes pretty nice, complex pinot)!

Cheers
John

Hi Michael! If you go to the "our Pinot Noir" page of the Whisson Lake website, the review of their 2007 makes it sound exactly what you are looking for. tom

If you can find it grab the Delamere 2007 from Tassie, big rap from JO, 96 pts, I thought OK the first night, but a revelation the second. A lighter colour pinot, but great structure, JO says like a Vosne Romanee! I probably got the last bottles in Melbourne, may be try thee winery.

Gazzab

Bream Creek and Home Hill are fuller bodied Tas examples, currently enjoying the 04 Bream Creek which has aged well, had a bottle of the standard Home Hill from 2000 which had held up really well rich ripe cherry and plum.

Does anyone know where you can pick up R Wines Permutations 2008 Pinot in Melbourne, very interested in trying a bottle but not sure where to get from?

Thanks

According to Wine Searcher, no where in Melbourne, lists Victoria Cellars in Sydney. GB

Picardy Pinot Noir from Pemberton. Cracked my second-last bottle of 2004 on Saturday, and it was WOTN (admittedly competition wasn't at the premium end).

At the 'bigger' end of the pinot spectrum, without crossing over into 'full bodied' territory at all - it has the mushroom, cherry, strawberry and slightly earthy notes I would expect from a mid-priced pinot.

Cheers

Allan

I would say Coldstream Hills Pinot Noir. You can't go wrong with it, very consistent performer year after year. Retails around $ 25-28 but never paid more than $ 20. Currently 2002 & 2003 are drinking beatifully.

I had a 2003 Pisa Moorings pinot a few weeks ago and it was very nice indeed - certainly pretty full bodied as pinots go and seemed to be handling a few years very well indeed. That's only about NZ$30.

Thanks everyone for your suggestions and recommendations.

I looked for some of your suggestions and couldn't find them (I wasn't keen to buy a six or dozen on spec, with one exception - below). I was particularly keen on the Picardy and the Williams Crossing and will follow up on them when I get the chance (I have only been to a couple of bottleshops since deciding to do this and the range hasn't been that great). So I have bought:

Geelong
Scotchman's Hill 2007
Shadowfax 2004 and 2003 (the 03 was under some 04s at the back)

Yarra Valley
Toolangi 2006
Lilydale Estate 2007

Tassie
Pirie Estate 2006
Stefano Lubiana "Primavera" 2008 (I expect given the name this might be a lighter style, but...)
Delamere 2007 (the tasting note from JO suggests this could be right up my alley! so I got some - the owner said it was the last and I just went to check what I paid and the site now says sold out.

Yes I know I have missed the Mornington Peninsula and Unzud (and France obviously!) but one step at a time. All these were between twenty and thirty dollars.

I'll post my impressions as I go through them.

Cheers

Michael

I have had some great aged pinots over last two years from Wignall's (Great Southern WA), Diamond Valley and Coldstream (Yarra Valley), Rosemount (Hunter - no kidding, it was a 1987 and superb) and Tasmania.

I'd probably have a go at the Hoddles Creek, the Stefano Lubiana Primavera, the Picardy or the Blind Trail from Central Otago.

The Rosemount was the oldest, but one of the Wignall's was 1993, and I have also had a few mid to late 90's examples from wineries I'd never heard of and I'm not sure still exist which were pretty good.

So when it comes to Pinot for aging, I'd just buy what you like to drink now and put a mixed case or two away.

In my experience some Pinot's that have been five or six years old needed to breathe for a long time before they tasted of anything much, whereas younger ones and much older ones seem to come up fairly quickly after opening (although some of the older ones have had a bit of bottle stink).

Okay

So I have tried the two Shadowfax wines. The 2003 I had on Saturday night and I am drinking the 2004 tonight. Must say i prefer the 2003 but my impressions:

2003 - Quite a bit of brown. Sour cherry, mushroom and beetroot (light) on the nose. Sour cherry dominates the palate in the nice way with a dash of earth for structure at the back there. Savoury and pretty slippery (and quite long). Quite like this, but have absolutely no idea of where this is at in its development as I have tried so few. Very happy.

2004 - Again a tinge of brown, but more red than its older sister. Mushroom over the top of the sour cherry on the nose. Maybe some rhubarb (or what my brain says is rhubarb as I haven't had real rhubarb for a decade or so!). More sour cherry than the 03 on the palate and the acid is more prominent which is to be expected from the younger wine (though this difference is less pronounced later - ie now - that the wine has been in the decanter for 3.5 hours). This has more black stuff happening. Some blackberry notes on the (again quite long) finish. Good stuff. Don't think the 375ml pour off will survive the night.....

Well these already have a bit of bottle age on them so hard to know what that proves. Must try more.

BTW (though at $40 they are above my target range) I ordered a bottle of the Will Taylor at your suggestion PaulG , so I'll write that up shortly.

Cheers

Michael

(note to self: use brackets less!!!)

I must apologise for that - I forgot that I had a staff discount when I bought my bottle, so it was $32ish.

I hope it meets your expectations, and my apologies if it doesn't! (I'm worried now )

(I'm a serial overuser of brackets too, drove my uni thesis supervisor mad ) But if you are still interested in the Curly Flat Williams Crossing Michael, my understanding is that they will ship even a one bottle purchase to you for just $8, all orders over $180 free. The 07 was just released at $24 so if my maths are right, that would make it $32, just outside your bracket.

I have spoken to them about wishing that the WX range were easier to get a hold of via retail but for the most part it seems they have their reasons for limiting retail availibility (although I'm pretty sure they do have a retail arm now, as oppose to just using cellar door/fax/phone/internet orders and restaurants). FWIW anyway.