BUYING GUIDE - Wine Enthusiast Magazine

Reserves, this one shows a healthy whack of new oak,
but there’s plenty of ripe cherry fruit to support the vanilla
and cedar nuances. It’s medium bodied, plump yet
suave, with a long finish that echoes vanilla and spice.
Drink now–2019. Rathbone Wine Group. —J.C.
abv: 13.8% Price: $65
89
Brokenwood 2010 Pinot Noir (Beechworth).
A nicely textured if somewhat oaky Pinot
Noir, with cherry fruit that just sufficient to support
the plush coating of vanilla and cedar. Long and layered
but oaky on the finish. Drink now and over the next couple
of years. Old Bridge Cellars. —J.C.
abv: 14% Price: $22
89
Yering Station 2010 Pinot Noir (Yarra Valley).
This is very close in quality to the winery’s
reserve bottling, boasting fully ripe cherry-berry fruit
made complex by hints of vanilla and button mushroom.
It’s supple, silky and lingering on the finish, marked by
lingering notes of vanilla and berry. Drink now. Rathbone
Wine Group. Editors’ Choice. —J.C.
abv: 13% Price: $20
88
Nugan Family Estates 2010 Vision Pinot
Noir (King Valley). This is the rarest of all
finds: a high-quality Pinot Noir at an everyday price. It’s
medium bodied and crisp, with ample complexity that
blends smoke, cedar, cola and black cherry notes. With
its reasonably firm finish, it might be interesting to try
in another year or two, although it’s ready to drink now.
Southern Starz, Inc. Best Buy. —J.C.
abv: 13.5% Price: $12
88
Sticks 2010 Pinot Noir (Yarra Valley). This
is a restrained, even delicate, Pinot Noir, with
nuanced aromas of underbrush and barely ripe cherries.
It’s elegantly proportioned in the mouth, with a
silky texture and pretty cherry fruit. At 10,000 cases
produced, this should be relatively easy to find even
Stateside. Winebow. —J.C.
abv: 13% Price: $20
88
Yabby Lake Vineyard 2008 Pinot Noir
(Mornington Peninsula). A silky, easy-drinking
Pinot Noir, with all of the expected complexity and
tender texture expected in a very good example. The
cherry and vanilla notes offer enough leafy, mushroomy,
earthy complexity to satisfy. Ready to drink now
and over the next few years. Yabby Lake Vineyard, Inc.
—J.C.
abv: 14% Price: $50
88
Yarra Yering 2008 Pinot Noir (Yarra Valley).
This wine’s dark root beer and cola notes
surround a core of plummy fruit. There’s ample body
and richness, supported by soft tannins and crisp acids,
but the overall sense is one of immediate approachability.
Old Bridge Cellars. —J.C.
abv: 14.5% Price: $95
87
Coldstream Hills 2008 Pinot Noir (Yarra
Valley). A medium-bodied, slightly chunky
Pinot Noir, the 2008 from Coldstream Hills displays
smoky, earthy notes layered over attractive black-cherry
fruit. Even if it lacks of bit of elegance to its mouthfeel,
it finishes with appropriately silky tannins. Try it with
roast chicken. Treasury Wine Estates. —J.C.
abv: 14% Price: $NA
87
Giant Steps 2010 Sexton Vineyard Pinot
Noir (Yarra Valley). A supple, easygoing Pinot
Noir, with modest weight in the mouth but assertive
notes of cola, earth and cherries. The aromas are slightly
perfumed and confected, but the flavors are sturdier
and more savory in nature. Drink now. Old Bridge Cellars.
—J.C.
abv: 13% Price: $35
87
Josef Chromy 2010 Pepik Pinot Noir
(Tasmania). This wine shows much less oak
influence than Pepik’s Zdar bottling, but in this case
that’s a good thing. The fruit is herbal and perhaps a
bit tomatoey, but there’s enough cherry to hold things
together, with smoke and sous-bois notes for complexity.
It’s a light- to medium-bodied wine that finishes on
a crisp note. Drink now. Bob Bofman Selections. —J.C.
abv: 13% Price: $24
87
Josef Chromy 2006 Zdar Pinot Noir (Tasmania).
Lavish vanilla and cedar nearly take
over this wine, leaving just enough dark, plummy fruit
to peek through, yet the wine remains true to its varietal
roots in its silky mouthfeel. A bitter coffee note sneaks
in on the finish. Seems ready to drink. Bob Bofman Selections.
—J.C.
abv: 14.5% Price: $47
87
Plantagenet 2010 Omrah Pinot Noir
(Great Southern). Despite ample alcohol levels
and soft tannins, this wine comes across as tart and
crisp on the palate, its cola, cherry and vanilla flavors
ending on a lemony note. Old Bridge Cellars. —J.C.
abv: 14.3% Price: $20
86
De Bortoli 2010 Gulf Station Pinot Noir
(Yarra Valley). Suitably light in body and elegant,
this is a pretty, varietally correct Pinot Noir, with
fruity notes of cranberry and tart cherry accented by
shadings of earth and brown sugar. It’s silky on the finish,
with delicate hints of coffee. Drink now. De Bortoli
Wines USA Inc. —J.C.
abv: 13% Price: $20
86
Innocent Bystander 2010 Pinot Noir (Yarra
Valley). A lightweight but charming Pinot
Noir, with pretty cherry fruit accented by notes of dried
bracken and ground cinnamon. It’s soft, silky and immediately
accessible. Drink now. Old Bridge Cellars.
—J.C.
abv: 13% Price: $20
84
Cool Woods 2010 Pinot Noir (Eden Valley).
This crisp, medium-bodied Pinot Noir
features tart cherry and cranberry fruit alongside hints
of tomato leaf. Drink now. Kysela Père et Fils. —J.C.
abv: 14% Price: $13
84
Cooralook 2010 Pinot Noir (Strathbogie
Ranges). Lean, tart and slightly ungenerous
on the palate, but the flavors are authentically Pinot
Noir, ranging from earth and root vegetables to pie
cherries and herbs. Clean and crisp on the finish. Yabby
Lake Vineyard, Inc. —J.C.
abv: 13% Price: $16
SYRAH
94
Clarendon Hills 2008 Astralis Syrah
(Clarendon). A step up from the other Syrahs
in the 2008 Clarendon Hills’ lineup, the Astralis is
firmly tannic and should be long-lived. The masses of
rich black-cherry fruit are amply framed by cedary oak
without ever being overwhelmed, with the fruit persisting
on the long finish. Try around 2018. E & J Gallo.
Cellar Selection. —J.C.
abv: 14.5% Price: $225
93
Clarendon Hills 2008 Moritz Syrah (Clarendon).
Of all the Clarendon Hills 2008 Syrahs,
the Moritz probably offers the best value. It’s plummy,
dark and intense, with savory overtones of meat and
spice that complement the wine’s full body and creamy
texture. The long finish echoes with hints of coffee,
meat and plummy fruit. Drink now–2020. E & J Gallo.
Editors’ Choice. —J.C.
abv: 14.5% Price: $60
92
Clarendon Hills 2008 Brookman Syrah
(Clarendon). The 2008 Brookman Syrah is
a rich, plush, luxurious wine. Aromas of cedar, vanilla
and black cherry set the stage, while the palate features
intense dark fruit layered with hints of olive and coffee.
It’s full bodied and creamy in texture, showing just a
touch of warmth on the supple finish. Drink now–2020.
E & J Gallo. —J.C.
abv: 14.5% Price: $75
91
Clarendon Hills 2008 Liandra Syrah
(Clarendon). The 2008 Liandra comes across
as slightly more savory than the other Clarendon Hills
bottlings, displaying pungent notes of coffee, black olives,
scorched earth and cracked pepper. The tannins
are supple, giving this medium- to full-bodied wine an
easy-drinking smoothness. Drink now–2020. E & J Gallo.
—J.C.
abv: 14.5% Price: $60
89
Clarendon Hills 2008 Baker’s Gully Syrah
(Clarendon). The Baker’s Gully Syrah is
the entry-level offering from Clarendon Hills, but it remains
a very good wine. It’s medium to full in weight,
with some alcoholic warmth and hints of slightly
raisined fruit, yet charms for its velvety-soft tannins and
aromas of chocolate and baking spices. Drink now. E &
J Gallo. —J.C.
abv: 14.5% Price: $50
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