Tuesday, July 8, 2008

2005 Paringa Estate Pinot Noir and 2006 Penna Lane Willsmore Shiraz

A couple of nights ago we had the above wines at a dinner invitation.

The 2005 Paringa Pinot Noir is another example of a great Pinot from the 2005 year from the Mornington Peninsula. It further confirms my view this is the best Pinot region in Australia. The fruit was very vibrant, the wine had good mouthfeel and an excellent smooth finish.

I had never heard of Penna Lane before, but the winery has a top rating in the James Halliday
wine bible. It is a small operation in the Claire Valley. I therefore expected a highly acidic wine, but this is not what I got. The fruit was complex and quite sweet with a good core which suggests ability for long term cellaring. The wine had a lot of new oak, maybe a bit much for early drinking, but I think the wine will have a good future ahead. I will try it again.

2 comments:

Baz said...

I agree that Mornington is very good for Pinot N and there are plenty of great examples. But what about the Macedon Ranges or Gippsland?

Alontin said...

The Macedon Ranges or Gippsland feature outstanding producers, for example Bindi and Bass Phillip, but as a region are not nearly as consistent.