Mornington Peninsula

I had the opportunity to attend the Mornington Peninsula Vignerons event put on by Best Cellars..and while I'm not a big fan of Australia Pinot Noir, I was looking forward to the event.

I'm not sure what it is but I think lately I've been more and more picky.  If a particular wine isn't sticking out as interesting, it needs to be an excellent wine for me to notice it...  Well made but typical wine is getting rather uninteresting.  It isn't that I wouldn't be perfectly happy drinking it or drinking it with food....but certainly I wouldn't go out of my way for it...and that is starting to translate its way into writing about it.  I suppose that will start to make for some poor blog material so I'm not really sure what to do.  I could put short notes on the 100+ wines I tried or I could taste fewer wines and have longer notes...I guess I'll have to wait and see.....

I only had two standouts:

2010 Yabby Lake Single Vineyard Chardonnay 
Lime Flint and Peach on the nose....Bright acidity and good use of oak...  I don't think this has gone through malo but it still has body to it...and the fruit is coming out to be very pure.  A bit of grapefruit and additional minerality showing through.  Focused, balanced and pure...that is probably the best way to describe this wine at this point.  I've had previous vintages of this and this might be the most impressive out of all of them.  I'm surprised but not surprised...impressed but I really shouldn't be, Yabby Lake has been coming out with great Chards for awhile...Retails for $45 AUD which is a pretty good buy. 

2010 Ten Minutes By Tractor Estate Pinot Noir 
Cherry, strawberry, earth and moss on the nose.  I look at the wine and I'm looking forward to trying it...medium bodied?  For an Australian Pinot?   A hit of GOOD acidity makes my mouth start to water.  What is going on?  An Australian Pinot with good acidity....I know they exist but I'm always excited to see it...Nice bright red fruit, forest floor, picking up a bit of stink (but good stink)...and it progresses....spices starting to show through, a bit of orange peel maybe?  Maybe I'm just excited about the acidity....I'm not only excited about the acidity but the I love the fact that this isn't filled with the burnt rubber/asphalt that seems to plague Australian Pinot..maybe it is because this one isn't made like a Shiraz...It isn't burg like..not enough earth/dirt/stink..but it isn't overly fruity like NZ Pinots...Most definitely a New World Pinot but with the acidity and finesse of a burg...minus the dirt...$46 AUD at retail which makes this a good buy.  They also sell three single vineyard Pinots (which make up the estate pinot).  It would really be interesting to try these...

Other notables....

Paringa Estate
A perennial favorite in Australia....It is definitely an Australian Pinot but lacks the burnt rubber so to that extent, it is well made..a good drop.  Both their estate and single vineyard are good pinot noirs...but most definitely not my favorite style wise. I would enjoy drinking these but I'd never seek them out. 

Hurley Vineyard
Their estate pinot was actually quite good..and I enjoyed the fact that they had their 3 single vineyard pinots available to taste...Their estate pinot at $45 AUD is a pretty good buy...

The more I think about it...the more I think I'm just being too picky...I'm looking through my notes and list and I see a lot of pretty good wines...but very few things I'd actually search out and buy....A bit concerned this will lead me to start bashing wines I don't like..I hope that isn't the case...