Moorooduc Shiraz

 Moorooduc is best known for Pinot Noir. Some time ago they offered a six pack of some of their strong wines, which included a 2015 Moorooduc Shiraz. I was intrigued.

It is immediately pretty obvious that this is not your typical Shiraz. The colour is bright red to start with.

It does not have the depth of South Australian Shiraz, nor the peppery notes of cooler climate Shiraz. Red cherry notes are prominent on the palate, but the wine tastes quite confected and chewy. It was sharp initially, but this disappeared after opening for some time. it did not reach the elegance though, a wine of this style should achieve. The bright acidity kept the wine alive, but also emphasizes the light finish. 

Score: 87/-

Elanto Vineyard

 There are not many high density projects in Australia. The new Bindi vineyards and Place of Changing Winds are perhaps the most prominent. Now we have the first wines from a new, very ambitious project. It is called Elanto Vineyard on the Mornington Peninsula, managed by Sandro Mosele, the former winemaker of Kooyong.

As you can see, it is meticulously planted (in 2018) in eight blocks with different slopes and sun exposure. Interestingly, the soil is the same, namely red volcano. At Kooyong, Sandro planted on different soils, and he found this the most promising.

The first wines from 2023 are now available. I found the Chardonnay had a promising fruit profile, but was still lacking some definition. The Pinot Noir was the better wine, with good complexity, red fruits and savoury underbrush characteristics. Making great wine takes a lot of time and patience. Apparently the 2024 wines are a step up. This will be a producer to watch. 

Australia vs. New Zealand Pinot Noir Tasting

 A couple of days ago, I tasted six premium Australian and six premium New Zealand Pinot Noirs. Who came out ahead? Perhaps surprising, I scored the Australian Pinot Noirs slightly higher. Why? There were clearly country differences. The Australian wines were quite savoury and often with good energy. The New Zealand wines were fruitier and often a little round with not enough to show on the finish.

My top wine, unexpected, was the 2019 Picardy Tête de Cuvée from Pemberton. This is Picardy's best Pinot Noir of the vintage. Some of the fruit is densely planted, and the yields are low. The wine opens quite light on the palate, as the red and dark cherry fruit emerges. This is quite a complex and earthy wine with cigar box flavours underneath. The tannins are fine, supported by 30% whole bunch, and the finish is long (96/+++ points). Just behind was the 2020 Ata Rangi Pinot Noir, quite an intense, dark fruited wine. The mouthfeel is plush and smooth, and very textural. The wine has good persistence and a long finish (96/+++ points). 

In the next level came the highly acclaimed 2022 Ossa Pinot Noir from the Belrose vineyard near Swansea. The fruit is quite young and vibrant, and the wine has good intensity, but feels slightly blocky in the mouth. The 2022 Giant Steps Wombat Creek tasted of red cherry, with medium intensity and fine tannins - overall a more balanced wine. Also impressive was the 2018 Moondarra Sambaside Pinot Noir, a new label to me. This wine was on the lighter side with savoury notes, not dissimilar to the Picardy (93/94 points for these wines).

The next group included three wines from New Zealand, the 2022 Two Paddocks Estate Pinot Noir, the 2021 Valli Gibbston Vineyard Pinot Noir, and the 2022 High Garden Vineyard Pinot Noir. As mentioned, these wines have a strong fruit profile, but were not as well structured as the wines above (92 points).

The final group included the 2021 Stonier Reserve Pinot Noir, the 2021 Shaw & Smith Lenswood Pinot Noir, the 2020 Neudorf Home Block, and the 2016 Fromm Cuvee H Pinot Noir - all 90 points.

Stonier Chardonnay

 The first impression of tasting the 2020 Stonier Chardonnay is the smart oak treatment. Cashew nut flavours dominate the palate. Underneath sit stone fruit flavours, but then again it is cashew nut. The oak influence is not massive, but enough to cover the underwhelming fruit flavours. The outcome is a well made, but not very interesting wine.

Score: 89/0 

Moorooduc Estate New Releases

 I remember I recommended Moorooduc wines to one of my colleagues in the early 90s. This winery has been around for a while and produced good quality wines consistently. Also, its style is different from many Mornington Peninsula wineries, which focus on juicy, straight forward wines. This bears out in the new releases.

The 2019 Estate Chardonnay is a full flavoured wine, with stone fruit and some citrus. The 20% new oak imparts some creamy flavours as well. The wine is quite open, but shows good complexity.

The 2019 Robinson Chardonnay is a step up. Again, stone fruit flavours dominate in this fresh wine. Citrus as well. There is more drive and vitality in this wine than in the Estate. It is long rather than broad on the palate with good complexity. My pick from the Chardonnays. 

The flagship 2019 McIntyre Chardonnay has more of a citrus orientation. It is the most powerful of the three Chardonnays. There is a hint of butter on the palate. The wine is well structured and quite ripe.

I liked the 2018 Estate Pinot Noir. The combination of strawberry and sour cherry flavours with forest undergrowth reminds me of a typical Yarra Valley profile. Fine tannins make this a wine of great typicity.

The 2019 Robinson Pinot Noir includes more whole bunch. The Robinson site is the coolest Moorooduc vineyard. It shows in the acidity of this wine. Crushed leaves flavours add to the red fruits and deliver a wine of personality.

The 2019 McIntyre Pinot Noir has a similar profile, but shows more layering in the fruit flavours. It is a gentler wine, not as racy, but with great depth and richness, and a long finish. There is no whole bunch in this wine.

Overall, a solid release from the experienced Kate McIntyre.

Yabby Lake Single Vineyard Pinot Noir

 When it comes to Pinot Noir from the Mornington Peninsula, I tend to be quite selective. Many of the wines are bold and fruity and lack Pinot Noir typicity. Yabby Lake is a producer I am happy to try. Yesterday it was the 2015 Yabby Lake Single Vineyard Pinot Noir. This is a mid-level wine from this company.

Surprisingly, for a 6 year old wine, the colour included some orange-brown tinges. The wine did not give away much on the nose.

On the palate, there was red cherry, but savoury notes dominated, in particular mushroom. Some spice added a nice contrast, but otherwise, this wine was not very complex. On the positive side, the tannins were fine and the finish quite long. Overall, a somewhat perplexing, drink now wine.

Score: 91/+  

Main Ridge Merlot

In the quest to find excellent Australian Merlot, I tried a 2016 Main Ridge Merlot a couple of days ago. Merlot is a very small side project of this legendary Pinot Noir pioneer.

This wine delivers pretty fruit on the palate, red plum and mulberry with decent acidity in support. But the structure of this wine is not great. The wine is round in the mouth, rather than long, with a short finish. In the end, this is a pretty quaffer.

The search for outstanding Australian Merlot continues.

Score: 88/0

Ocean Eight Aylward Pinot Noir

The Aylward Pinot Noir from the Mornington Peninsula impressed me when it first came onto the market. However, I somehow lost sight of this wine. Until I came across the 2015 Ocean Eight Aylward Pinot Noir a couple of days ago.

What stroke me first was the incredibly strong and aromatic bouquet of red fruit after opening the bottle. This translated into intense strawberry and red cherry flavours on the palate. This is quite concentrated for a Pinot Noir, yet what dominates is the elegance of the wine. Fruit is the story here, not savoury flavours. However, the wine is pure and precise, with a firm and quite long finish.

Score: 95/+++

Kooyong Meres Pinot Noir

The Meres Pinot Noir is the most fragrant and feminine of the Kooyong single vineyard Pinot Noirs, maybe because the vineyard is surrounded by water. I reviewed the 2012 Kooyong Meres Pinot Noir some years ago, and on trying my last bottle, I still like it a lot.

The fragrant bouquet is still strong. It has the smell of spring flowers on the nose. Red and black cherry flavours offer an attractive mix on the palate. This is an elegant wine in an ethereal style, not overly concentrated. The flavours are long on the palate. Smooth tannins coat the tongue before a persisting finish leaves you very satisfied.

Score: 95/+++ 

Yabby Lake Block 1 Pinot Noir

Those of you who read my blog regularly, may remember that I am a bit skeptical of Mornington Peninsula Pinot Noir, as I find those wines often fruity and not very charming. And you may also know I am even more skeptical of Jimmy Watson Trophy winners. Nevertheless, when the 2012 Yabby Lake Block 1 Pinot Noir won the Jimmy Watson Trophy as the first Pinot Noir, I decided to put a couple of bottles in my cellar. 

It was now time to taste one. Yabby Lake makes a number of single vineyard Pinot Noirs, but it can be quite confusing. Those with good eyesight might be able to decipher the back label. It shows the different blocks of the vineyard. In the upper left is block 1, and this particular wine comes from the light shaded area, which is block 1.4. 3836 bottles were made from there. 

The colour of the wine is still purple and very clear. The wine is of medium weight. I taste black cherry and forest berries, as well as some licorice on the palate. The wine is very polished and long, with some smart acidity going along with the fruit. The mouthfeel is on the bigger side for Pinot Noir, but on the smaller side for Mornington Peninsula Pinot Noir. The tannins are quite silky and the finish expands in the mouth, something rarely found in Australia. This is in fact a brilliant wine.

Tom Carson, the winemaker, recommends cellaring for 8-12 years, and I have no doubt this wine will go that distance.

Score: 96/+++ 

Garagiste Current Wines

Garagiste is a relatively new project on the Mornington Peninsula (less than 10 years). I am amazed the EU intellectual property nazis have not come down hard on this name, given it characterizes the right bank of Bordeaux movement, meant as an antithesis to the large chateaus on the left bank. In any event, it relates to small scale low budget winemaking, which it is for this Victorian winery.

I am tasting current releases. The first wine is the 2016 Stagiaire Chardonnay. This is the entry level label with fruit from several vineyards. The wine is made using wild yeast, no fining and filtration, I think. The wine is citrus driven, quite fresh, a bit simple, but well made (89 points). The 2016 Merricks Chardonnay, from 20 years old vines is from the home block. It straddles the two dominant Australian Chardonnay styles, the fresh and crispy and the fuller more oak influenced style. Not sure that this works, but I like the minerality in this wine and the more intense fruit. 50% new oak in this wine (92 points).

The 2016 Stagiaire Rosé is made from 100% Pinot Noir fruit. It comes from a block where the skins of the grapes are quite thin, well suited to this wine. The wine is clean and crisp, but a bit fruity (89 points). 

There are three Pinot Noirs in the range. The 2016 Balnarring Pinot Noir is from the warmer flats of the Peninsula. The fruit includes 50% whole bunch. The fruit is good, but the wine is a bit broad with a soft bland finish (89 points). The 2016 Merricks Pinot Noir is a more impressive wine, with darker cherry fruit and more driven on the palate. It is balanced with solid acidity, but overall, the wine is a bit fruity (91 points).

The flagship wine is the 2015 Terre de Feu Pinot Noir. The name 'land of fire' relates to the ironstone in the soil of this single block wine. Smaller grapes deliver more fruit intensity, and 100% whole bunch provides more savoury complexity. This wine is quite stalky on the nose. I find this wine still a bit soft and lacking some energy (92 points).

I noticed that Campbell Mattinson and Gary Walsh of the Winefront, who I respect a lot, give these wines much higher scores. Does the catchy name have a supple influence here? I find these wines average to good, but there are much better producers on the Mornington Peninsula.

Moorooduc Estate Wines

Moorooduc has been a dependable wine producer of the Mornington Peninsula for many years. They would probably just scrape into my top 5 from this region. The latest releases confirm this view.

Interestingly, the Chardonnays are matured longer than the Pinot Noirs. The 2014 Estate Chardonnay shows a deep yellow colour and is quite a big and open wine. Stone fruit and mango are accompanied by biscuit flavours. The acid manages to cut through it and delivers balance (92 points). In contrast, the 2014 McIntyre 'The Duck' Chardonnay is much tighter, while of a similar flavour profile. I would have enjoyed a bit more definition in this wine, but it will open up well in the next couple of years (92 points).

Something unusual is the 2016 'Pink' Pinot Gris - On Skins. This wine has a beautiful bright pink colour, and on the front palate is similar to a Pinot Noir based Rosé. Unfortunately, the finish is disappointingly short (88 points).

The stars are the Pinot Noirs. The 2015 Robinson Vineyard Pinot Noir has flavours of red cherry and strawberry and is a very smooth wine (93 points). The 2015 McIntyre 'The Duck' Pinot Noir is more profound, with a bigger mouthfeel. It is pretty and open, and quite complex on the palate, with mushroom flavours as well. The tannins are silky, and the taster experiences a wonderful expanding finish (95 points).

International Chardonnay Tasting

In the recent international Cabernet tasting, the French wines were the clear winners. In this Chardonnay tasting, organised by a different group, the Australian top wines held their ground.

The top wines were
-  2007 Domaine des Comtes Lapon, Meursault-Perrières, tasting of green apple, with great length and beautifully integrated acidity (96/+++)
- 2014 Leeuwin Art Series Chardonnay, white flower, apricot, weight and power (95/+++)
- 1998 Leeuwin Art Series Chardonnay, earthy with truffles, still some acidity, but a bit tired (95/++)
- 2014 Benjamin Leroux Meursault 'Les Vireuils', great village wine on the high slopes. Very elegant, linear, but mouthfilling as well (94/+++)
-2015 Savaterre Chardonnay, citrus, stone fruit, orange peel, minerality, good line and length with lingering finish (94/+++)

The next group was good, too
-  2015 Chavy Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Folatieres, quite intense, a bit broad and oaky, good acidity (93/+)
- 2014 Felton Road Chardonnay, natural fermentation, grapefruit, marzipan, quite tight (92/++)
- 2015 Curly Flat Williams Crossing Chardonnay, lime, honey, stone fruit, quite rich, but lively acidity, great value for money (91/++)
- 2014 Jean-Marc Brocard Chablis 1er Cru 'Vau de Vey', from an almost unknown site, not as refined as other 1er cru Chablis, but typical character, lime and minerality, finish a bit short (91/+)
- 2014 Giaconda Chardonnay, very golden, citrus up front, almond, caramelized, powerful (91/0)

Still quite good, but not in the same league
- 2016 Montalto Pennon Hill Chardonnay, citrus, fairly light, easy drinking (88/0)
- 2016 Woodlands Wilyabrup Chardonnay, citrus and white peach, a bit tight, but will open (89/+)
- 2015 Jean-Marc Brocard Petit Chablis, grean melon, salty, lean, minerality (88/0)
- 2014 Bruno Colin Bourgogne, flavours a bit plump, nutty, good mouthfeel (89/+) 

Price Vs. Quality Of Diverse Pinot Noirs

Recently, I tasted a number of quite diverse Pinot Noirs.  I tried to work out how to compare them. Sometimes, a graph can say as much as 1000 words. In this case, I plotted price vs. assessed quality on the following chart.

1 Kooyong Massale 2016

2 Home Hill Estate 2015

3 Bass Phillip Estate 2014

4 Kooyong Meres 2014

5 Valli Gibbston 2014

6 Bruno Colin Bourgogne 2014

7 Benjamin Leroux Savigny-les-Beaune 2014

8 Mongeard-Mugneret Vosne Romanee 1er Cru Les Petit Monts 2013

9 Domaine de la Vougeraie Corton Grand Cru 2014

10 Williams Selyem Central Coast 2010

What is immediately obvious is that the 1er Cru and Grand Cru Burgundies are a multiple in prices of the Australian wines, yet in quality, there is not much difference. The Mongeard-Mugneret was the best wine of the night, but the Grand Cru disappointed, relatively. So, buyer beware! The California wine was also twice in price of the Australian wines, without added quality rating.

Of the Australian Pinot Noirs, Kooyong did very well. The Massale was the value for money wine, and the Meres was the second best wine of the night. It is 100% whole bunch, and has feminine qualities, with strawberry fruit and a very silky finish.

Any questions?  

34 Pinot Noirs

This annual Pinot Noir tasting in Sydney tends to give a good overview of the state of the nation as far as Pinot Noir is concerned. Unfortunately, this year, a number of the big names were missing. Still, when you have the option to taste 150 wines in a couple of hours, I tend to drift to the better known wines, where I can expect good results. I should do it differently next time and seek out the unknowns who's bottles don't even get opened - sad.

There was one wine which stood head and shoulders above the others. This was the 2014 By Farr Farrside Pinot Noir. This is a very complete wine, with dark fruit, very silky, with soft notes, but a firm finish. This is now the best By Farr wine (96 points).

In the bracket of outstanding wines (93/94 points) were
- 2014 By Farr Sangreal ( quite powerful, with overt cherry flavours, silky tannins)
- 2014 Lerida 'Josephine' (relatively light, strawberry and earth, long finish)
- 2012 Glaetzer-Dixon 'Reveur' (good intensity, mushroom notes, lively)
- 2012 Bannockburn 'Serre' (black cherry, silky, good length)
- 2015 Soumah 'Equilibrio' (strawberry flavours, quite ripe and silky)

In the next bracket (90-92 points) were a number of well known wines. They were good wines, but either had no feature that stood out (like the Curly Flat), or some detracting aspect (like the Paringa Estate). I put in this group the 2013 Curly Flat, 2014 Lerida Estate 'Cullerin', 2013 Stonier Reserve, 2014 Oakridge 864, 2015 Marchand & Burch 'Mt Barrow', 2012 Paringa Estate, 2013 Bannockburn Estate, 2015 Garagiste 'Balnarring',  2012 Savaterre (could have gone in the group above), 2015 Farr Rising, 2013 Brokenwood 'Indigo Vineyard', 2015 Holm Oak (outstanding fresh fruit), 2014 Shaw & Smith.

I rated the following wines a bit below this group (89 points): 2011 Curly Flat, 2013 Yering Station Estate, 2014 Scorpo, 2013 Picardy, 2013 Gembrook Hill, 2013 Moorooduc Estate 'Garden Vineyard', 2013 Yeringberg (disappointing!).

The disappointing wines (85-88 points), given their reputation, were
- 2014 Ashton Hills Reserve (lacking structure)
- 2015 William Downie Gippsland (juice, fault in winemaking or bottle?)
- 2014 Freycinet Estate (fruity)
- 2013 Kooyong Estate 'Haven' (drowning in sulphur)
- 2014 Holyman (unbalanced and thin)
- 2013 Moss Wood (why do they stick with it in Margaret River?)
- 2014 Pooley 'Butchers Hill' (too sweet)

A caveat to these rankings: the tasting was in a crowded room, the glasses were small and there was not much time.

With a couple of exceptions, there were no lolly water Pinot Noirs. These times are thankfully over. Given the line-up, I had expected a few more examples of truly outstanding wines with great personality. Usually, in large tastings like this, I do a taste-off with my three or four favorites. I was not inspired to do that this time. Power in the Pinots has been scaled back, which is a good thing, but now that many winemakers have mastered the art, they seem to go for 'safety first'.    
      

William Downie Mornington Peninsula Pinot Noir

William Downie is one of Australia's leading Pinot Noir winemakers. He trained under Phillip Jones of Bass Phillip for a while. William Downie makes three different Victorian Pinot Noirs from the Mornington Peninsula, the Yarra Valley and Gippsland.

This is the 2008 William Downie Mornington Peninsula Pinot Noir. The colour of the wine is between red and garnet, showing some development. The colour is still deep. The complex flavours of red and black cherry, as well as savoury notes have good intensity, but also some ethereal qualities on the back palate. Mornington Peninsula Pinot Noir is sometimes accused of being too plummy or one dimensional, a Shiraz drinker's Pinot Noir. This wine is not like that. It is well balanced between fruit, oak, acids, and tannins. This wine is pleasingly long on the finish, expressing excellent varietal character.

This Downie is a smart and sophisticated wine, good to drink now.

Score: 95/+++  

Kooyong Haven Pinot Noir

Kooyong has been more serious than most in identifying the specifics of its vineyards and developing distinctive profiles for its single vineyard wines. The Haven vineyard is protected from wind and has relatively fertile soil.

This translates directly into the tasting profile of the 2010 Kooyong Haven Pinot Noir. The bouquet is floral and aromatic, with aromas of violets jumping out of the glass. On the palate, the wine is pure and lush. Elegant red cherry flavours dominate, but there is an immediate complexity with underlying savoury flavours. This is an elegant wine, but unfortunately it falls off a bit at the finish.

Kooyong used to have detailed vineyard information on the label. Unfortunately, it is no longer there with this vintage.

Score: 92/+

Kooyong Estate Pinot Noir

Kooyong is my number two winery from the Mornington Peninsula, with the highly respected Sandro Mosele at the helm. The 2010 Kooyong Estate Pinot Noir tastes of dark cherries. The fruit is intensive, but the mouthfeel is more linear than bold. The wine shows a lot of minerality and has a taste of sea salt. There is an attractive level of acidity in this wine. Overall, it is balanced and elegant, in a restrained kind of way. Firm tannins come through on a lasting finish.

If I wanted to be critical, I would say the wine lacks personality. This is perhaps not surprising, given it is a blend of the company owned vineyards. The quality is quite remarkable for a second tier wine. It is one more for the head than the heart.

Score: 94/++

William Downie New Releases

William Downie is one of the most exciting young winemakers in Australia. In a recent article by Jancis Robinson he was listed as one of five Australian producers to try. He fashions three Pinot Noirs from vineyards in the Yarra Valley, Mornington Peninsula and Gippsland. His objective is to show the different terroirs through his wines.

His wines can be difficult to find, particularly in 2014, when the yields were down by up to 50%. The vintage was difficult in Victoria, and the wines don't reach the levels of previous years, yet they are still very attractive.

The 2014 William Downie Yarra Valley Pinot Noir is the lightest of the three. It is also the most Burgundian. The wine is quite floral and feminine, in the strawberry spectrum. It has good persistence and a lovely texture (93/++ points).

The 2014 William Downie Mornington Peninsula Pinot Noir is most unusual. The colour is much darker, and the wine is not actually clear at this point. All Downie wines are unfined and unfiltered, and this wine is still cloudy. The flavours on the palate are complex, with black cherry and mulberry dominating. The texture is rich, and the wine seems stable. It tastes like Pinot Noir, not like some Mornington Peninsula Pinot Noirs which taste more like Shiraz. I enjoyed this wine a lot, but it is hard to predict what will become of it. One for the adventurous (92/+++points).

The 2014 William Downie Gippsland Pinot Noir differs more than the others from previous vintages. It is usually my favorite because of the velvety tannins, which are not so obvious in this wine. The 2014 is a funky wine, with strong rustic and earthy flavours. There is some bitter orange in this wine (91/++points).

Overall, a very interesting set of wines, showing the regional differences very well.  

Main Ridge Half Acre Pinot Noir

I have been a fan of the Main Ridge Half Acre Pinot Noir for quite some time. This mature vineyard delivers my favorite Pinot Noir from the Mornington Peninsula, I usually drink it at 6-7 years maturity, and  rate it between 93 and 95 points.

Unfortunately the 2008 Main Ridge Half Acre Pinot Noir does not live up to this standard. The fruit is an attractive blend of red and black cherries. Forest floor flavours are on the palate as well. However, there is not enough depth of fruit and the mouthfeel is round rather than long, which it should be for an outstanding Pinot Noir. The tannins are soft, even a little weak Overall, a nice, even complex wine on the palate, but the structure not built-up enough to hold interest.

Score: 91/-