We’ve handpicked three bottles of Yarra Valley gems as the baseline (it’s arguably the regional cradle of Pinot, after all). Then, we’ve selected three other standout regions to round out the six.
First, those Yarra beauties. The Medhurst Estate Vineyard is a celebration of the lo-fi, a hand-hewn affair that sparkles with pure, silky red fruit. Fetherston’s red incorporates 40% whole bunch, an elegant and unmistakable expression of its terroir. Meanwhile, Alkimi is a dry style that is light in body but with memorable presence.
Rounding out this half dozen, we have Coates The Pinot Noir from that other bastion of the variety, the Adelaide Hills. Gala Estate’s hauntingly smoky expression represents the Tasmanian contingent. Finally, the Allies Assemblage captures the arresting elegance of Mornington Pinot.
The love of Pinot is a fine romance indeed. Continue your love affair and traverse Australia’s best regions today.
In this 6-bottle collection, you’ll find one bottle each of the following.
Allies Assemblage Pinot Noir, Mornington Peninsula 2020 Coates The Pinot Noir, Adelaide Hills 2020 Medhurst Estate Vineyard Pinot Noir, Yarra Valley 2019 Fetherston Pinot Noir, Yarra Valley 2018 Alkimi Wines Pinot Noir, Yarra Valley 2019 Gala Estate Pinot Noir, Tasmania 2020
Hand-picked and sorted, 90% whole berry/10% whole bunch, 10-15 days on skins, matured in French oak (29% new) for 10 months. Light, clear purple-crimson. Purity is the watchword for both the bouquet and palate, with just a shimmer of tannins, the oak influence not obvious. Silky red fruits are particularly appealing.
95 points, Wine Companion (March 2020)
MV6 clone from the Tibooburra Vineyard, 40% whole bunch, 8 months in French puncheons, 35% new. A fine and almost ethereal bouquet, unmistakably pinot, but you feel the site is expressing itself as well. Elegant in structure, with subtle red berry flavours and a whisper of oak, the tannin seems light, but it carries the wine convincingly through the finish.
95 points, Wine Companion (February 2020)
It’s a light, gently stewed, gently reductive, complex pinot noir with cranberry and red cherry flavours flowing through sweet spice and twigs. Upper Yarra pinot noir to a tee. This is a dry, structural style, light in general but with presence.
92 points, The Wine Front (February 2021)
