[Tasted during WSET Diploma – Unit 3 – Week 7: Australia]

The wine was kinda like a supermodel, we sort of agreed: pretty, but just a tad skinny. Not in an overtly negative way, of course, but just as part of its personality: the wine did have a good level of intensity and concentration, even though some complexity and length was left to the imagination.

For old world Pinot, I find that there can be that difficult balance between being elegant and being watery. There’s a bit of a parallel in warmer regions, where you don’t want to amp up the volume too much, since excessive ripeness can take over Pinot’s elegance. So it’s great that Pinot is being grown in the cooler pockets like the Yarra Valley and Tasmania, where we can find ballsier but balanced versions of Pinot Noir.

Despite riper fruit, there was still an element of cleansing acid, bits of fine tannin, and a bit of oak. I’m sort of a fan. And whatever, wine from Tasmania just sounds compelling.

Tasting Note:

Eyes: clear, med ruby, legs
Nose: clean, med+ intensity, youthful, baked red fruit, baked cherry, black cherry hint earth, vanilla
Mouth: dry, med body, med+ acid, med- fine tannin, med alcohol, med+ intensity, med to med+ finish, black pepper, red fruit, baked red fruit, vanilla, black cherry, savoury
All in all: Good quality: simple with an average length but intense and concentrated, and the acid provides a counterpoint to the baked fruit. Can drink now, but has potential for ageing.
Identity Guess: Mid-priced Pinot Noir from Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia; 2 years old.
Is really: High-priced Pinot Noir from Tasmania; Australia; 2 years old.

Producer: Abel’s Tempest
Designation: N/A
Region: Australia
Sub-Region: Tasmania
Variety: Pinot Noir
ABV: 13.5%
Vintage: 2012
Tasted: December 1, 2014
Price: $35