Oakridge winemaker David Bicknell issued a little challenge with the four ‘Local Vineyard Series’ Pinot Noirs released from the 2011 vintage:
“Perhaps, before you taste, line the four wines up and look at the colours. Give them a sniff. Now rank them from the warmest to the coolest site. I’ll bet most of you will get it right.”
So, in the spirit of the game, I’ll play along and review them in order of what I considered to be warmest to coolest site. All wines were tasted and ranked blind. Mr Bicknell is busy chairing the Royal Melbourne Wine Show 2012 at the moment but should I discover that I’ve erred in my judgement, I’ll publish an edit once I’ve been informed. After all, we should all be able to learn from any mistakes I make.
Fuller and more forward than the other Local Vineyard Series wines, though it’s still clearly the result of a cooler vintage. Smells of strawberry jam and cherry blossom with a mere suggestion of darker plum. Between light and medium bodied with vital acidity and a bit of fine tannin structuring the silken palate. Some spice, a hint of chocolate and bitter herbs see out the red fruits on a pleasing note. 91 Good
Region: Yarra Valley
Alcohol: 13.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Price: $38
Tasted: October 2012