William Downie creates Pinot Noir from three different regions in Victoria: the Mornington Peninsula, Yarra Valley, and Gippsland. The Gippsland wines tended to be my favorites due to their silky tannins, the Mornington Peninsula wines were often too big and fruit forward. On this occasion, I compared the 2013 William Downie Gippsland Pinot Noir and the Yarra Valley Pinot Noir from the same year.
Gippsland on the left, Yarra Valley on the right
The colour of the Gippsland wine shows some development with its brown tinges. This experience continues on the palate. There is still dark cherry and mulberry fruit, but the wine has lost some tension. The tannins have mellowed and are now more dull, rather than silky, different from what I remember on release. This wine has lost its finesse. It has aged quite significantly after only seven years - too quickly for a premium wine.
Score: 90/0
The Yarra Valley wine from 2013 shows similar colour development. However, this wine is more interesting on the palate. There is still some freshness. The fruit is in the red and black cherry spectrum. There is a bit of spice, and there is more drive towards a more rewarding finish. But again this was a better wine when drunk young.
Score: 92/+
1 comment:
Good assessment Thomas. I bought a few of these 2013 William Downie's on release around 4-5 years ago, just opened a Gippsland. Your comments are spot-on. I was surprised by the slightly advanced colour of the wine, and although the wine still has pleasant fruit it does not have the quality or distinctiveness one would expect. Also balance is out a little with the alcohol (14%) too prominent.
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