It’s my birthday today so I feel like writing up a wine that I adored over two nights earlier this week. Ok, that’s a lie – I’d prefer to be drinking another bottle of it and taking no notes whatsoever…but into all lives a little hardship must fall.
For those unfamiliar with the Circe story, former Mount Langi winemaker Dan Buckle (now heading up operations at Chandon in the Yarra – and about to get a new sound system from which to blare Neil Young albums at the winery) returned to his old stomping grounds a few years back to pursue his dream of great Mornington Peninsula Pinot Noir. He knew that, given the fickle nature of the grape, that dream could easily become a nightmare. Thus the name ‘Circe’. Fortunately for all of us, any possible curses were navigated successfully.
No surprise that the wine is intensely fragrant and very beautiful. Wild strawberry and raspberry with a little sensuous plummy depth. Sublime acidity and a silken mouthfeel to die for. Understated fruit sweetness is kept ably in check by sappy/foresty characters and a hint of anise. Ephemeral and nimble through the palate with considerable, spicy persistence. At first I thought I might like to see a bit more tannin wrangled from the grapes but as I kept sipping at the glass I began to suspect that it would only undermine the purity and precision on offer. Furthermore, it just seems to be coming together after two years and has a fair future ahead of it if you can lay some down. Magical stuff. Excellent
Region: Mornington Peninsula
Alcohol: 13.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Price: $60
Tasted: March 2012