William Downie Mornington Peninsula Pinot noir 2007
Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, Australia. Pinot noir. 13.5%. Diam. Approx $A50.
Has the same lovely label as before, but the bottle is heavier and endowed with a wider bottom and a deeper punt. The wax capsule also seems more stubbornly attached than before. . .
This needs patience, but already it is perfumed, earthy and altogether more serious than the previous vintage. It smells of rose petals, loam and ginseng and is silky and bold in the mouth. In time the finish should integrate and the char and sappy oak should soften and recede.
Very good - excellent.
92+
2009 - 2013+
Day 2: More subdued nose, but much better in the mouth. Quite creamy and more seamless.
technorati tags: wine, australian wine
7 comments:
Edward..maybe the wax capsule softens as the wine becomes drinkable..clever folk these Aussies...
and the bottle sounds like the Au Bon Climat style....you never know how much is still in there..as the weight remains heavy..
Sounds like a good wine though...ideal with a sausage...
I'm dying to try this too, and the Yarra... loved the 06. How can the wax be even more stuck on? The 06 was a challenge to unbottle...
Barry,
Good call on the ABC, I had not thought of the two together till you made the link. Both quite sappy and firm, though firmness is not usually a trait I associate with the Mornington peninsula. I was thinking of your suggestion regarding chorizo and pinot and cooked a few slices late last night to test your theory. Not sure I am quite as enamoured with the pairing though. . .
Pluggin,
I think I will wait a few weeks before trying the Yarra.
The wax capsule is thicker (and perhaps the knife on my corkscrew is blunter than a year ago!). It took a few minutes to remove the wax. Not good if you are in a hurry to have a drink :)
I hate the wax. It's a bloody pain in the arse when you are opening a lot of bottles. He said he gets all the bottles in the kitchen and dips them by hand into a saucepans of wax...takes ages! Also the carbon credits bottles are looking a bit shakey..or not so environmentally sound these days... don't you think? I put our wine into a normal Burgundy bottle for this reason..fearing a backlash (I should send you one).
GW
I think the bottles look charming -- the label the wax etc. But yes it gets in the way of a good drink! I think he's a genius tho
Any idea of how us kiwis might get our hands on decent Australian Pinot Noir? We seem to send a fair amount of the stuff over but don't get any in return (probably our own parochial fault; limited market seems to think we're the only ones to make decent PN outside frogland despite many examples to the contrary). Still, having tried a few Mornington Peninsula Pinots I wish some enterprising sod see the gap in the market.
This sounds lovely and serious (seriously lovely?) and quite different to the Central style so beloved over here.
Pluggin and GW,
At least the new Downie bottle was lighter than the Domaine Leroy bottle! It is an interesting decision to go for the heavier bottle - especially when most of your business is surely mailing list based. Meaning most of your customers are not swayed by the packaging and bottle feel prior to making the purchase. The same applies to Bindi who also use these heavy bottles.
I love the look of the wax and the thought that it is all done by hand adds to the aesthetic appeal, until of course I try to open my next bottle. . .
GW - What's the name of your label? I'd love to try one.
Sarah,
Do any Aussie pinots make it across the ditch? Most of the leading exponents are small producers, and Victorian, so even trying to find them in the usual (West) Australian retail outlets is a challenge. . .
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