Seppelt Drumborg Pinot Meunier, Henty
The Seppelt Drumborg range wines are made from fruit sourced exclusively the Drumborg vineyard in the Henty region of Victoria. Planted in 1964 by Karl Seppelt, the cool-climate Drumborg vineyard is one of the southern-most vineyards in mainland Australia.
The Pinot Meunier in the Drumborg vineyard was planted in 1966 with the intention of using it for blending in sparkling wine. This Drumborg Vineyard Pinot Meunier is light yet complex show a mix of red fruit—strawberries, red currants and cherries. Perfumed on the nose and juicy on the palate, subtle tannins and a step up in acidity (from its cousin Pinot Noir), this wine is made for early drinking but will show interesting development over the short five or so years.
So, this is a variety that is most associated with sparkling wine, and indeed some of this goes into the Salinger blend. But such was the quality and appealing style as a table wine, that five years ago it was decided to release it as a varietal light bodied red wine. Good decision. I fell in love with the very first of these I tasted and have been a devotee ever since. It simply says drink me and let’s not waste time discussing things, okay. Yet, it’s a remarkably complex wine with a meaty savoury combo happening on the nose. The palate shows those red fruit spices so well and the use of seasoned French oak has contributed to the smooth seamless palate.
93 points, Wine Pilot
Twiggy, woody spice over sour cherry, rose hip tea scents with faint game meat in the mix. More game meat and rose hip tea to taste, supple texture, light feel generally, saline minerally character, nice, puckering, fresh finish. A delight, this wine. Such ease of drinking and good, fine and frisky character. Quietly complex too. Good gear.
93 points, The Wine Front (May 2021)
Henty
Situated 300 km west of Melbourne in Southwestern Victoria, Henty was named after the first family to settle in Victoria in the 1800’s. The region was pioneered in 1964 by Karl Seppelt, who recognized that the cool climate was ideal for the production of sparkling and aromatic wines. The Seppelts planted 100 hectares at Drumborg in 1964 and this was followed by Crawford River in 1975. The long, gentle autumn ripening period allows the retention of both acid and aromatics crucial for Henty’s flagship variety, Riesling.
