There'll be a bit of fun competition in the shop this weekend, as we present one big Pinot Noir tasting extravaganza between Victoria and Tasmania! With both wine regions undoubtedly holding some of our very favourite Pinot estates in the whole country, we have chosen five from both that we feel bring subtlety, power and fruit expression in deliciously equal parts. Included in the lineup are new releases from Pooley, Sailors Seeks Horse, Hochkirch and Eastern Peake! Come join in between 12 to 2pm this Saturday (29th) and see what you make of them all - we look forward to seeing what your favourite is! All ten bottles will be on special for the next week.
Victoria
2021 Mulline Sutherlands Creek Pinot Noir - $44 on special ; $50 RRP
"Hand-picked fruit, 35% whole bunches, wild yeast; matured in (25% new) French oak for 8 months. This pinot from Sutherlands Creek, in the Moorabool Valley, delivers a quiet, almost understated elegance. Can't miss the whole bunches and what they bring – a fragrant, gently herbal character – but they are nicely entwined amid the red cherries, cranberry and brambly fruits, earth and loose-knit tannins. Delicious." - 95 Points, Jeni Port, Halliday Wine Companion
"So much pinosity here. It’s pretty clear that I like the wines from Sutherlands Creek, both Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Sweet-sour cherries, cocoa, lots of stems, a long, raking dryness, crisp sheets of tannin, woodsy spice driving through. A wine of energy and undergrowth. Complex and refreshing. I’m scoring it at 93/100 but the pleasure on offer, in a savoury-stemmy context, rates far beyond that." - 93 Points, Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front
2022 Garagiste Merricks Pinot Noir - $45 on special ; $52 RRP
"Like the Merricks Chardonnay, the vines for this Pinot are 26 years old and sit on grey loams and red ferrosols, but here with a north-facing aspect. The winemaking was, in true Garagiste form, pretty hands-off: natural fermentation, gentle extraction and nine months in 25% new oak. What strikes you most is the lovely balance between fruit and savoury character, with bright berries, perfumed florals, tilled earth and some cured meat flavours supporting a structure of sappy/crunchy acidity and juicy, enveloping tannins. It’s a handsomely perfumed and vibrant release and with layers of complexity still to unfold; if you can wait at least six months you will be rewarded. Purity, finesse, length and personality—this has got it all." - Bibendum Notes
2021 Hochkirch Village Pinot Noir - $46 on special ; $53 RRP
"It’s all dark cherry and dried herbs here. Yum. Lush kind of feel with silty tannins and a cool, slightly minty finish, in a pleasing, amaro-like sense. Lots of character, lots of complexity, very savoury. There’s an elemental, savoury thing going on and it feels wholly unique too. Special. It’s a beautiful, unadorned, generous and wispy pinot noir of ease of drinking yet enough detail to keep the pinotphiles very, very interested." - 94 Points, Mike Bennie, The Wine Front
2022 The Wanderer Upper Yarra Pinot Noir - $52 on special ; $60 RRP
"Single vineyard wine from Yellingbo, at the Southern end of the Yarra Valley. Cane pruned MV6 clone on volcanic red soil with Nth Eastern aspect at 200m elevation. 20% whole bunches. Cold soak and fermentation in open fermenters. Wild ferment. Hand plunged. Large format oak. 30% new Damy Alliers French oak for 11 months on lees. From one of our lowest cropping seasons ever. Only 130 doz made." - Winemaker Notes
2021 Eastern Peake Intrinsic Pinot Noir - $69 on special ; $79 RRP
"Bright, medium-deep red-purple colour with aromas of raspberry, blackberry, mint and vanilla, the palate lean and highly tensioned, with refreshing acidity and impressive line. The tannins are taut and firm, impressing themselves on the long-lasting finish with vitality and purpose. A really impressive pinot noir with a future ahead of it. (2021 was a ""perfect season"". All destemmed fruit. Wild ferment, unfined, unfiltered.)" - 95 Points, Huon Hooke, The Real Review
"Has this mix of loose knit feel and tightly wound, very fine, powdery and crushed rock tannins, that sense of pebbly minerality in acidity and a good deal of dried sage leaf, paprika spice amongst the tart-ish, sour cherry fruit characters. Softness and brightness in the same sip too. A very moreish wine, very good indeed." - 94 Points, Mike Bennie, The Wine Front
Tasmania
2021 Pooley Pinot Noir - $47 on special ; $54 RRP
"Bright notes of fresh raspberry, cherries and black pepper on the nose with an underlying layer of mineral and cacao. On the palate, it’s persistent with generous red fruits, cedar, subtle game, and a dusting of aniseed. It’s delicately balanced with fine tannin and brilliant acidity." - Winemaker Notes
2022 Utzinger Pinot Noir - $47 on special ; $54 RRP
"Fruit from a single vineyard in the North West (White Rock). Harvested on April 11th at 12.2 Baume. Whole berries were fermented in our trusty Milk Vat for 20 days. Gently pumped over once a day while the ferment was most active (4-5 times in total). It was pressed to and matured in oak for ten months (30% new). Bottled unfined and unfiltered." - Winemaker Notes
2022 Hughes & Hughes Milk Vat Pinot Noir - $49 on special ; $56 RRP
"Fruit from a single vineyard in the North West (White Rock). Harvested on April 11th at 12.2 Baume. Whole berries were fermented in our trusty Milk Vat for 20 days. Gently pumped over once a day while the ferment was most active (4-5 times in total). It was pressed to and matured in oak for ten months (30% new). Bottled unfined and unfiltered." - Winemaker Notes
2020 Apsley Gorge Pinot Noir - $54 on special ; $62 RRP
"The nose has the typical Apsley Gorge concentrated Pinot fruit, giving a hint of what is to come. Even with the primary fruit, you have the other complexities nosing through, and this wine has only started its journey. You know when it hits your pallet that this is something very special. It invades your mouth, not just the sensors on your tongue, but your whole mouth. This is what pinot is about. Subtly, but with power, elegance, mystery, sensualness, and ultimately pleasure and enjoyment." - Winemaker Notes
2021 Sailor Seeks Horse Pinot Noir - $60 on special ; $69 RRP
"Low yields, gently plunged twice a day, touch of whole bunch, 12 months in oak – red and blue fruits, hint of earthiness, graphite-like tannin." - Winemaker Notes
"It’s a complex offering with sweet herbs notes floating over game, earth, mint, orange peel and sweet-sour cherry flavours. It smells a bit ripe and raspberried but then the palate takes all manner of complex turns. There’s a laciness to the tannin, and a mineral-like aspect, with bunchy-herb notes ever-present and the general impression that everything has been carefully placed. Those ripe/sweet top notes were my only hesitation; everything else here feels excellent, most especially the finish." - 93 Points, Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front
If you wish to purchase these wines, please use the links above. Alternatively, email us at sales@thewineemporium.com.au, or contact us on (07)32521117 if you have any questions // Prices valid until Wednesday the 3rd of May