Timo Mayer was in Brisbane yesterday for a trade tasting along with Franco D’Anna of Hoddles Creek and Gary Mills of Jamsheed. Top wines, good times. He’s a fascinating guy with a wicked sense of humour. I’d like to write at length about him sometime but we’ll stick with the wine in question for now.
It’s the only Mayer red from the 2012 vintage that sees Timo stray from his bloody hill (that’s the name of his vineyard if you’re unaware). This is Upper Yarra Valley to the core. Delicate and pretty with mineral focus, precision and rosy florals. Fresh red fruits yes, but what sets it apart is its focus on citrus characters – grapefruit, orange and the like. Not descriptors that are often attached to Pinot Noir but they mark the wine in the best possible sense. If you’re looking for oomph then this isn’t a wine for you. It’s light-footed with a quiet intensity at play. Tremendous clarity too. The more you sip on it the more it grows on you. 93
Region: Yarra Valley
Alcohol: 13.0%
Closure: Diam
Price: $55
Tasted: June 2013
Great notes. I liked the wine too.
When Timo came in to the office here he introduced himself by saying “I make non-oak fucked wines”…
Haha. Classic Timo
I bought another 12 of Mayer wines, this included. I just had to have more of the Bastard Hill 2012 Pinot. For $27 a pop, should be everyone’s house Pinot.
Trade tasting? Do you work in the industry these days? Enjoy.
MichaelC
Hard to go past the Bloody Hill in terms of straight-up value. Wish I could buy more of all of the new Mayers myself. As for the question of trade, I don’t really know. I write for the Wine Companion magazine in a freelance fashion but I don’t have any affiliation with a retailer or a distributor. Whether or not I’m ‘trade’ I’m never really sure. It’s a bit like WWEI. Is it a blog or a website? I think of it as the latter but I’m not fussed if readers want to look at it another way. Either way I’m certainly fortunate enough to have the opportunity to attend some very special tastings these days