Monday, August 3, 2009

Punch 'Close Planted' Yarra Valley Pinot Noir 2006


Don’t you love August? The flowers are blooming, the birds are singing and there’s a BBQ within spitting distance. Stupid southern Hemisphere!

Yes it is winter. The season that brings influenza, this year in the shape of a pig, Ugg boots and the wanting and yearning of something warm and familiar. Come on down Punch ‘Close Planted’ Pinot Noir 2006.

Ever since I had this wine about a year ago I have dead-set been in love – what a wine I tell ya!! Born from the Lance Family vineyards in St. Andrews of the Yarra Valley, Punch is the off-spring of the old Diamond Valley ‘White Label’ Pinot Noir. The Diamond Valley label has since been sold to the Rathbone empire that holds Yering Station, Parker of Coonawarra and Mount Langhi. The Lance family still own the vineyards and sell some of the fruit and hold the rest for themselves. In February this year this almost was lost with the devastation of the Victorian bushfires. Even though the Lance family lost the winery and some vines, like everyone else affected in Valley, they will, and are, persevering.

But back to the wine. But be warned, I have had this wine quite a few times so the rating might be a bit biased, bit like reading a Jane Faulkner restaurant review actually.

Fair dinkum sexy stuff this one. The colour is a bit brownish red with a slight translucency. The nose is all spice up front; cinnamon and cassia bark. After a while there is game and bacon and sex and acid and so much yum. In the mouth there is more to come; more spice more game more, more and more. Then the tannin comes with some sort of Oloroso flow – that’s an Enya moment isn’t it – with an herbal feel about it finished with musk. By gingoes, what a wine hey! Mucho fantastico!!

So there you have it, a sort of cyber orgasm you might say.

Drink with goat ragu
Drink till 2020
19.6/20


I would like to sign off by saying that many people lost a great deal on February 7 this year. So even though there have been numerous benefits for which we have all given to, make sure that when the 2009 vintage release of Yarra Valley wine hits the stores, go out and get some, support the people that make us read and write blogs about them.

3 comments:

  1. Game and bacon and SEX and acid... hmm, could only be pinot ;)

    How much is this by the way, sadly,I'm not sure if it's available in SA :(

    Cheers

    Chris Plummer
    Australian Wine Journal

    ReplyDelete
  2. try eastend cellars at about $80-90. only 135 dozen were produced

    ReplyDelete