The final 2013 Mayer Pinot Noir to be reviewed on this site and probably the one that I find the least enjoyable – at least for now.
A thick clip of oak is immediately noticeable and it makes this an altogether different expression to the Close Planted and Bloody Hill versions. More conventional and less expressive. Implied depth. Not that it’s Pinot by numbers. It’s still stalky and smouldering. Florals play a reduced role. Raspberry, blueberry, sour cherry and lavender with plenty of sweet brown spice. Cranberry accented acidity. It’s all smoothed out by barrel work and the tannins are firmer if layered. Less creases, crooks and crannies. Will need time. 92+
Region: Yarra Valley
Alcohol: 13.5%
Closure: Diam
Price: $55
Tasted: April 2014
I’ve got basically opposite notes and scores to you on this and the Close Planted. I guess that says something about our personal tastes! I wish I had a few of this to cellar and fewer of the other (I have 4).
MC
Yes, I really did prefer the Close Planted by some margin. I don’t think Timo’s style translates that well into the Doktor Pinot. Would happily arrange a swap but haven’t cellared any of this
And I was the opposite for the 2012. Didn’t like the Doktor much for that vintage.
MC
I still think this is a very good wine – as the score should indicate. But I don’t rate it as highly as the 2012 release and I wouldn’t be opening either in a hurry. There really is a lot of oak here.
I love Timo’s gear. Some of the 2013 reviews out there back my thoughts; that his 2013 wines are very good and will be enjoyed by his devotees (including I), but that there is no question that the 2012s are significantly more superior. Not a slight on the 2013s, just that the 2012s are breathtaking.
As a self-confessed wine geek and an admirer of Timo’s work I’m very happy to have a few of the 2013 Close Planted Pinots tucked away but I’m even more pleased to have purchased several bottles of all four of the 2012 Mayer Pinots. I crack the odd bottle of the Bloody Hill currently but have high hopes for the other three labels in the future. They were truly special releases in my opinion.