AUSTRALIA
Six wines highlighted from three of Australia's key regions/states for Pinot Noir - Adelaide Hills would be another, the leading area in South Australia for production of Pinot, but there were none at the tasting. Both the Yarra Valley, where Pinot is the most planted and most important variety, and Mornington Peninsula (ditto) lie on the outskirts of Melbourne; Yarra to the east and Mornington to the south surrounded by the Bass Strait and Port Phillip Bay (hence maritime climate). And Tasmania has become one of the trendiest places to grow Pinot Noir (apparently), where the cooling effects of the Southern Ocean influence most of the island's vineyard areas. (Data from wineaustralia.com).
Yarra Valley
De Bortoli Windy Peak Pinot Noir 2023 (13.5% abv): Elegant and soft-textured Pinot with maturing sweet/savoury fruit, drinking nicely now. €18 (imported by Febvre Wines), £15 UK, $16 Aus.
De Bortoli The Estate Vineyard Pinot Noir 2016 (13% abv): Tasty mature Pinot flavours, very nice wine although needs drinking now. €32 (Febvre), £25 UK, $25 Aus, HK$198. Bottle from shop.debortoli.com.au.
Handpicked Wines Regional Selections Pinot Noir 2022 (12% abv): Maturing silky sweet/savoury fruit, elegant and very tasty Pinot, fair price for the quality. £19 UK, $29 Aus, $25 US.
Mornington Peninsula
Handpicked Wines Collection Pinot Noir 2022 (12.5% abv): A touch tighter and more concentrated on the palate with plenty of sweet/savoury fruit though, maturing and tasty yet it needs a bit more time in bottle; very good. £34 UK, $60 Aus, $50 US.
Tasmania
Angove Lost Farm Pinot Noir 2023 (13.5% abv): Quite tightly structured with a hint of oak, it's fruity though with tasty sweet/savoury Pinot finish, still young and promising more. €30-€37 (imported by Classic Drinks), $48 Aus, $1400 MXN.
Handpicked Wines Collection Pinot Noir 2022 (12.5% abv): Classy and structured style, subtle yet with intense sweet/savoury fruit, delicious Pinot also needing more time to develop; top stuff. £34 UK, $60 Aus, $50 US. Bottle shot from handpickedwines.com.au.
NEW ZEALAND
These Pinots are all grown on South Island in the country's cooler areas, where most of this well-adapted variety is found. The largest wine region Marlborough, which hosts the majority of NZ's PN plantings too with 2500 hectares, and Nelson are on the north coast. North Canterbury lies on the northeast/east coast and Central Otago towards the south, which holds second place for Pinot Noir planted and is producing some of NZ's best-rated and priciest wines.
Marlborough
Lawson's Dry Hills Estate Pinot Noir 2021 (13.5% abv): From four vineyard sites in Marlborough's Southern Valleys. Attractive mix of savoury vs fresh crunchy fruit, tight acidity adding structure; good. €24 (imported by Febvre Wines), $27 NZ, £14-£17 UK.
Lawson's Dry Hills Reserve Pinot Noir 2020 (14% abv): "Sourced from two Waihopai Valley vineyards and the Tilly's Block." Mature classic sweet/savoury characters, elegant although quite full-bodied, very nice Pinot style. €27 (Febvre), $35 NZ, £17-£21 UK. Photo from lawsonsdryhills.co.nz.
Huia Pinot Noir 2020 (14% abv): Mature and savoury while still weighty and with a little tannin, good depth of character though with enticing smoky vs sweet fruit finish. €27 (Classic Drinks), £24-£29 UK, $50 NZ, $29-$32 US.
Ant Moore Estate Pinot Noir 2023 (12.5% abv): Fairly intense, elegant and fresh with smoky sweet-savoury fruit, a touch of tannin on the palate layered with subtle fruit; very good. £15 UK, $17-$19 US, $25 NZ.
The Marlborist Pinot Noir 2023 (13.5% abv): Chunkier youthful-fruit style, a little grippier too on the palate but it's still very Pinot in character, closes up on a fresher finish; good. €37, £30 UK (imported by JN Wine), $55 NZ, $40 US.
Forrest Estate Pinot Noir 2021 (13% abv): Pretty intense with tasty sweet/savoury fruit profile, well balanced and lingering; classy Pinot. €24, £18-£20 UK (JN Wine).
Nelson
Heapy Pinot Noir 2023 (14.5% abv): Quite 'light' and elegant in a strange way, although has a weighty palate from that alcohol, lovely silky textured finish; good. €21, £15-£17 UK (imported by Boutinot).
North Canterbury
Mt. Beautiful Wines Pinot Noir 2020 (12.5% abv): Maturing sweet/savoury nose with subtle toasted oak tones, lovely balance and length though with mature yet structured finish. $28 NZ.
Central Otago
Ant Moore Signature Pinot Noir 2023 (13% abv): A little 'bigger' and fruitier than his Marlborough Pinot, again a hint of tannin on the mouthfeel with concentrated tasty fruit, quite firm on the finish at the moment but this should be good. £19 UK, $28 NZ, $20 US.
CALIFORNIA
There are many wine areas and subregions from the Far North to Southern California, mostly on the coast or slightly inland, so it becomes complicated to appreciate all the different place names, climate zones and terrain. Although perhaps not surprising for the USA's largest wine producing state with the land mass and population of a medium-sized European country.
It makes sense that Pinot Noir is planted in the cooler areas, which essentially fall into two catch-all regions: North Coast and Central Coast. The North includes Mendocino and Sonoma ('more Pinot Noir grown than any other county in the state') with a variety of subzones; and the vast Central Coast takes in famous places such as Santa Cruz, Monterey, San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara. Lots more info on discovercaliforniawines.com.
Inevitably, the question of price and value of many California wines, especially Pinot Noir, has to be raised. But you get the impression that high prices are attainable, expected even, back home, so why should they bother cutting margins for export markets if people want the wines there. On the other hand, since when was most red Burgundy affordable?!
Mendocino County
Twomey Anderson Valley Pinot Noir 2023 (14.1% abv): Perfumed and pure Pinot fruit with a tad of oak and grip of tannin on the palate, weighty mouthfeel but well-balanced, pretty intense and stylish. $60 US.
Long Meadow Ranch Pinot Noir 2019 Anderson Valley (13.5% abv): Lovely maturing sweet/savoury PN aromas and flavours, more savoury finish while still structured; looking good at 5+ years. €48 (imported by Silex Wines, Dublin), $45, £48 UK.
Cakebread Two Creeks Pinot Noir 2021 Anderson Valley (14.6% abv): Intense and tasty perfumed sweet/sour notes, powerful mouthfeel but it's concentrated, balanced and has plenty of flavour; very good Pinot. €70 (imported by Febvre Wines), $45, £50.
Sonoma County
DuMOL Wester Reach Pinot Noir 2022 Russian River Valley (14.1% abv): Fairly rich and full-bodied style, lots of tasty PN character on nose and palate, lovely wine. €98 (Febvre), $75-$80.
Schug Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2022 (13.8% abv): Delicate maturing savoury nose, sweet berry vs meaty taste profile, concentrated; classy. $20-$32, £33.
Hirsch Vineyards Bohan-Dillon Pinot Noir 2021 Sonoma Coast (13% abv): Tasty berry fruit turning savoury with a hint of oak, nice tannins with fresh vs more powerful lingering finish; good. €68-€78 (EU), $45-$60 US.
Hirsch Vineyards Maritime Pinot Noir 2021 Sonoma Coast (13.5% abv): Intense perfumed nose and mouthfeel, silky palate texture with a touch of weight and grip, a firmer style but layered with lingering PN fruit; very good. Winemaking is about the same for these two, done in small ferments, but they are different; 2021 is also considered an excellent vintage. €110, $85-$95, 930kr (Swe).
Hirsch San Andreas Fault Estate Pinot Noir 2021 Sonoma Coast (13.5% abv): Fuller and more structured style with smoky oak tones, but it has plenty of attractive PN sweet/savoury fruit character, long tasty finish; very good. €99 (all imported by Winemason.ie), £75, $70-$80.
Photo: hirschvineyards.com.
Santa Barbara County
Sandhi Pinot Noir 2022 Santa Rita Hills (13% abv): Lovely delicate and complex Pinot nose, with enticing sweet / savoury flavours, freshness and style; a touch of class. €65 (imported by Winelab.ie), $40-$50.
Domaine de la Côte Memorious Pinot Noir 2023 Santa Rita Hills (12.5%): Concentrated with a hint of tannins, tightly structured and understated, very nice old-fashioned Pinot style. €125 (WineLab), £95, $95-$115.
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