That was very much the case with this selection of single vineyard pinot noirs, which did lend credence to why winemakers can get all geeky about individual sites.
Stimulating, wonderfully complex, full of potential yet already offering drinkability, and all making me wish that I had cellar space and funds to spare.
A splurge? Yes, but a rewarding one, I feel.
2019 Rockburn
Eleven Barrels
Parkburn Vineyard
pinot noir
Price: $96
Rating: Excellent
Florality, darker flowers
(almost violets), spices, wet
stones, bonfire embers,
plum. Punchy and rich
palate with dark fruits,
boysenberry, charcoal
and a hint of dark
chocolate. Rich and
mouthfilling, a
suppleness and
silkiness with the
tannins nicely
integrated before the
long, spicy finish.
Fleshy, round and
already showing appealing
drinkability.
2019 Gibbston Valley
School House
Single Vineyard
pinot noir
Price: $65
Rating: Excellent
A wisp of liqueur fruits join
smoke and burnt toast,
fragrance building.
Powerful fruit in the mouth
with tannins to match
giving this a dark and
brooding feel. A sweet
burst of fruit is matched
by earthy, spicy
nuances, developing a
grainy feel to the
tannins running to a
long, dry close. Charry
notes more evident with
time. This is clearly built
for the long haul.
2019 Gibbston Valley
Glenlee
Single Vineyard
Gibbston pinot noir
Price: $65
Rating: Excellent to
outstanding
Berry jam, herbs, savoury
notes, growing perfume, an
interplay between red &
dark fruits. Wood smoke,
herbs, a blackberry like
tanginess, ripe
cranberry weaving its
way through the drying
mid palate. Brightness,
energy and vivacity,
fleshing out, yet
retaining that sweet
fruit/tangy counterpoint.
Youthful, juicy, a
refreshing coolness to the
long finish.
2019 Gibbston Valley
Le Maitre
Single Vineyard
Gibbston pinot noir
Price: $100
Rating: Outstanding
Delightful fragrance leads,
wild herbs, rhubarb, tea,
savoury notes, sweet red
fruits, ever-changing.
Raspberry, red fruits, a
tangy vibrancy, lightness
and elegance yet
richness too managing
power without weight.
Bright acidity and
surprising tannins with
a long, dry, grainy
close. The youthful
exuberance more
evident, an iron fist in a
velvet glove. Lovely.
2019 Gibbston Valley
Diamond
Single Vineyard
Pisa pinot noir
Price: $65
Rating: Excellent
Raspberry acid drops, wood
smoke, wood smoke,
humus, gravel, milky
coffee, red & dark fruits,
savoury notes with
aeration. Brooding with
tightly coiled tannins,
real chewiness to the
texture allowing a peek
at the wood smoke,
earth and savoury notes
bubbling under. Ripe
fruit yet not sweet, a
little tangy cranberry
too. Needs time to
reveal all it can offer.
2019 Gibbston Valley
China Terrace
Single Vineyard
Bendigo pinot noir
Price: $65
Rating: Excellent to
outstanding
Liqueur fruits, berry
compote, raspberry,
shifting to umami and
herb notes. Powerful
palate, crunchy tannins,
sweet fruit yet raciness
too with a minerally/
stony/gravelly element
and black tea notes
adding complexity.
Deceptive weight and
power to this, the
dense fruit match by
other complexing
nuances. Another one
built for the long haul.
