The two major issues confronting the regions hit by the great wet in 2011 were under-ripe fruit and unclean fruit. This is an uncommon miss from Port Phillip Estate/Kooyong. Don’t judge their other wines by it.
Swampy, brackeny, salty and grubby with spiky acidity and firm, green-ish tannin. Red fruited and spicy but thin and unconvincing. Bitter tea leaf and herbs. Unfortunately it’s not a wine I can recommend. 85
Region: Mornington Peninsula
Alcohol: 13.0%
Closure: Screwcap
Price: $38
Tasted: June 2013
Yep, I’ve had a lot of pleasure from Kooyong/Port Phillip wines, but this is not a good example. I’m pretty sure the two bottles I have tasted had mercaptans. I’m no fault finding genius, but I seem to be very receptive to this. I thought “rubber”, you say “swampy and grubby”…I suspect your bottle was as poor as mine. At least you didn’t pay for yours! Interestingly CM (who I respect as a taster very much) has given it 91+…must have had a better bottle than me! Bottle variation?
Wish they had sold off as bulk…Mayer Bloody Hill gets my $30 Pinot spend going forward.
simon1980
Hi Simon,
Are you able to give me a call at the cellar door? If the 2 bottles that you received were faulty then I’m more than happy to refund the cost or replace with another 2 bottles for you to try.
Thanks,
Emma – Cellar Door Manager
03 5989 4444
Emma, this is fantastic customer service – credit to a quality operation. As long as Jeremy is OK, I’ll taste another bottle and post a comment on here. Jeremy, I don’t particularly want to offend by crashing your blog…please just let me know if this is not OK…
simon1980
It’s absolutely fine by me. And I concur, excellent customer service from Emma and PPE/Kooyong. Always terrific to see a producer stand behind their wines.
I’m hoping I just got a bad bottle. Was surprised as I enjoyed the Kooyong Estate 2011 Pinot and am a big fan of the producer in general. Mayer’s kicking goals at all levels with his current releases. Crazy good.
He is a superstar in the making, isn’t he. Love The Wanderer’s work also, esp the Upper Yarra. Add in Gembrook Hill, and it’s a pretty impressive line-up from the two young winemakers.
Should keep the big boys on their toes!
simon1980
Unfortunately I haven’t tasted a Wanderer wine for ages but I certainly rated Gembrook’s 2010s very highly. Will be fun to taste the 2012s sometime soon.
His 2011 Upper Yarra Valley is the best wine I have tasted from the vintage (ooh, that’s a big call). I like the “light bodied, yet powerful” style, and this fits the bill. Judging by the performance of Mayer, the 2012 Wanderer wines will be stunning…worth you asking nicely for a sample I’d say.
simon1980
Thanks to Emma at Port Phillip, I have had the chance to taste this wine again. Now, please remember I am no professional critic… However, I am certain that this bottle was NOT affected by mercaptens. The colour is slightly darker than I would expect from the vintage, and pretty murky (no issues for me – I suspect unfiltered). The nose on this bottle was much improved on previous tastings. Not expansive, but some decent red fruit, and a bit of oak evident. The palate initially had a decent impact, but just didn’t seem to “come together”. A little (cherry) red fruit on the start, but this quickly dropped off. Jeremy, I cannot think of a better way of describing it than your “brackeny” comment above. It was just very flat and dilute, not fresh, and a touch hard. I’d probably say 87-88, if pushed (with potential bottle variation).
Many thanks to Emma for allowing me the chance to taste again, and actively encouraging me to post my notes on here (good or bad). As technology allows further discussion and the market becomes ever more competitive, I believe the “winners” in the wine industry will be those that interact with their customer base most efficiently…and I think this is a brilliant example of how to do so. In my (non-professional!) view, this may not be the best wine Port Phillip have produced, but the customer service has convinced me that I will continue to go back to buy again in future vintages. Bring on the ‘12’s!
Simon
Guys, a fantastic interaction to read through. I have only just picked up on this one as I also LOVE PPE and Kooyong wines. Sandro is an amazing winemaker! Here here on the 2012 Mayers! I can’t wait to try the 2012 Gembrook given how stunning the 2008 and 2010 wines were and how BLOODY good the Mayer 2012s are. Currently sipping a 2011 Best’s Old Vine (1868) Pinot Meunier – what a unique and wonderful beast this is. A must try for all Pinot lovers, all lovers of Best’s wines or any wine drinker who thought the only dry Pinots you could drink were Noir, Gris and Grigio.
Simon and David – the interaction with readers is one of the most worthwhile aspects of running a site like this. The opinions of others fill out the picture and provide a lot of food for thought. I’m always grateful to those who take the time to respond.
I haven’t had a Best’s Old Vine Pinot Meunier since 2008, which is a great shame as I think it is an exceptionally unique and valuable wine within this Country’s landscape. A revisit is certainly in order.