Place of Changing Winds 'Clos de la Connerie'

 The man behind Place of Changing Winds is Robert Walters, who for decades has imported fine wine from around the world (Bibendum, International Fine Wines), in particular Burgundy. Building on this experience and many discussions with international growers and winemakers, he finally decided to get into winemaking himself. More than anybody else in Australia, he combines experience with science in finding the right site and implementing a methodical winemaking approach. He settled on a vineyard site in Macedon, I believe pointed out to him by Michael Dhillon of Bindi, and he has a similar portfolio with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from Macedon, and Shiraz from Heathcote. For those interested, I recommend the winery's website, which gives away some of the story and Robert's meticulous approach.

The star of the portfolio is clearly Pinot Noir. As volumes of this high density planted vineyard are very small, the company has adopted a direct selling approach which is understandable, yet annoying. Basically, there is a mailing list and you have to buy some of the more standard wines (Grower Series) to get access to the super premium wines (Estate Series). However, some of these trickle into the market and there can be bought separately.

Yesterday, I tasted my first wine from this estate, the 2019 Place of Changing Winds 'Clos de la Connerie' Pinot Noir. Robert advised me to not drink this wine too early, but this is as long as I could wait. This wine comes from the original high density plot at 12500 vines per ha, planted in 2012 (yes, the vines are young). 

I pour the wine and wow! The colour is a deep ruby. Clearly, this is a concentrated wine. Aromas of forest berries rise from the glass. On the palate, black cherry, licorice and spice deliver a more savoury sensation, with an incredible depth of flavour and richness. This is a serious wine. Despite the intensity, the wine is elegant in the mouth (12.5% alc.). The tannins are fine and don't quite match the flavours. While the wine is quite long, it runs out of steam a bit on the finish.

Clearly, this intense profile is achieved by the dense planting (and no doubt a lot of care). It calls into question the mantra of old vines being a prerequisite of great wine. This wine delivers a new profile of Australian Pinot Noir. It drinks well now, but will develop even more complexity in the next 5-10 years. Robert Walters has other labels with even double this planting density. I am encouraged to track some down in the future.

Score: 96/+++