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For Your Pleasure
"For your pleasure
In our present state
Part false part true
Like anything
We present ourselvesThe words we use tumble
All over your shoulder
Gravel hard and looseThere all night lying
With your dark horse hiding
Abhorring such extremes" - Bryan FerryCategories
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Category Archives: Pinot Noir
2013 Lerida Estate Cullerin Pinot Noir
I like this more than the flavourless, acidic Chardonnay…but not much more. The wines are poles apart. Stewed plums, desiccated cherries. Dry red territory. Spiced chocolate oak. Finishes thin and hollow. As Iggy and The Stooges might say, “no fun”. … Continue reading
2010 Pegasus Bay Prima Donna Pinot Noir
Heftier, oakier and more tannic than the standard Pegasus Bay Pinot Noir (which I prefer). Totally balanced though. I just feel it doesn’t have the dynamics I find so attractive in the less expensive offering. Puffs out its chest and … Continue reading
2013 Howard Park Flint Rock Great Southern Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir from the Great Southern in Western Australia has never impressed me greatly. Worth noting that it’s early days yet though. Grapes are from the higher altitude of the Mount Barrow Vineyard in the Mount Barker subregion. A wine … Continue reading
2012 Port Phillip Estate Red Hill Pinot Noir
Now a range of single vineyard Pinots, much like the Kooyong examples. So silky in the mouth; texture is the highlight for me. Immaculate acidity and mild tannin. Ripe with a caramel subtext yet agile and only just medium-bodied. Black … Continue reading
2011 Pegasus Bay Pinot Noir
Wild yeast fermented and aged in French barriques for eighteen months. Remains one of my favourite New Zealand Pinot Noirs. Expressive and dynamic. Concentrated red berry-cherry fruits, cinnamon, dark chocolate and pepper. Vibrant yet integrated acidity. Sappy edges and a … Continue reading
2013 Stoneleigh Rapaura Series Pinot Noir
Single vineyard. Ain’t terroir marvellous? Chocolate covered cherries, plum, cinnamon, iced coffee and warm spice. Very ripe. Fairly obvious toasty oak, fairly obvious wine. Pert acidity. Touch of bitterness to the tannin and that aftertaste lingers. Okay I guess although … Continue reading
2013 Stoneleigh Marlborough Pinot Noir
Marlborough Pinot can impress…but not in this particular case. Smells glossy, prickly and sweet with any evidence of polish absent on the palate. Pointy acid, thin, mawkish. Plums, raspberries, nail-polish, chocolate and spice. Sappy green and herbal edges. Lacks cohesion, … Continue reading
2012 Ten Minutes by Tractor Estate Pinot Noir
If there was any doubt over Ten Minutes by Tractor’s place among the upper-echelon of Peninsula producers then the 2012 releases should put that to bed. I tasted this very briefly in January and it’s really settled into its skin … Continue reading
2013 The Story Henty Pinot Noir
Sourced from two vineyards this year. The Warrnambool site and another parcel from Drumborg picked at a lower baumé to retain freshness. Doesn’t display the same smoky pan juices of the previous release. It’s more delicate and accessible with a … Continue reading
2013 Ten Minutes by Tractor 10X Rosé
Sophisticated Rosé made entirely from Pinot Noir. Wild yeast, three months in old French barriques. Slightly pillowy on the tongue before gentle ‘hand on shoulder’ tannin to close. Bone dry. Enticing aromatics of strawberry marshmallows and red cherries with undertones … Continue reading