Not a big fan of Australian Pinot Noir but I know there are some pretty decent wines out there so I attended this event with the aim to try to find some...
What I found was a few producers I hadn't seen...and a few more good BIG Australian Pinots...and a few other Pinots that I thought were really interesting....
Curly Flat "The Curly" 2010
Well known Pinot Noir in Australia...very good structure, decent acidity, but really quite a big fruity Pinot Noir. Well made, good fruit...but I'm not sure I like this style. I had this at an offline and I had the same impression...Good wine, not what I'd buy..
Hillcrest Estate Pinot Noir 2010
Good acid but a bit of a fruity Pinot. Well made. Another relatively big Pinot. I can see what people are trying to do...and yes, this is an enjoyable style...I'm not sure it is what I'm looking for but still well made.
Hillcrest Premium Pinot Noir 2011
I've had the 2010..this was a bit lighter. In general, I think their Pinots are BIG fruit, high acid which gives them the impression they're more medium bodied. They're quite enjoyable...the Premium being a step up in fruit and a step up in acidity and balance as well as complexity.
William Downie Gippsland 2011
Very well balanced Pinot with earthy tones, red fruits, a much more medium bodied but still a little bit on the fuller side. Really nice acidity...This was one of my favorites for the night. Pretty good buy but I they're fairly hard to find as well.
Marchand & Burch "Mt Barrow" 2010
A label made with a Frenchmen bringing Burgundy to WA...they also make a number of Burgundies they bring into Australia. I was a bit surprised as I hadn't had too many Great Southern Pinots..but they're actually quite nice and this is a region to look out for. Really nice complexity, mouthfeel and balance. I bit heavy on the oak but overall, quite nice.
They also had Bannockburn, Lethbridge and a few others...but since I've covered those already I won't cover them here...
On the WEIRD side...
Moss Wood Margaret River Pinot 2009
I have no idea what this is. BIG BIG Fruit, BIG BIG OAK. Medium minus to low acidity...I have no idea what they're doing here...It is a really weird style. The wine is well made in that there aren't any weird flaws..but the style is really odd....I wouldn't call it a Pinot...it is something...
Moss Wood Mornington Peninsula 2010
I'm getting a bit more acid from this but not really....It could be because it isn't quite as big as the MR one...either way, these are really odd wines...They're for people that don't like Pinot Noir and want a big Cab instead......Actually, I'm not sure what the point of these wines are...experimental? I have no idea....
On this night these two out Domaine A'd the Domaine A Pinot..partially cause the Domaine A was probably a little bit corked or something was stripping out some of the fruit...either way....If you like that style of Pinot, there you go...
