I recently purchased a few Pinots and made a point of selecting wines from various regions outside of the Yarra Valley and Mornington Peninsula. This wine, for example, is from Pemberton in Western Australia, a region from which I've tasted the Pinots of only one other maker (Picardy).
An odd nose -- strawberries soaked in fly spray -- that isn't quite as unattractive as it sounds. But it is disjointed too, struggling to achieve a level of style, body and quality and not quite making it. Consequently, the aroma ends up being quite unsatisfying, as if something hasn't gone to plan. And yet I keep returning to it because it's somehow compelling in its oddness. I keep wondering what it was supposed to smell like.
The palate fails to resolve the aroma's questions and adds a few of its own. Entry is quite flavoursome, and initially I was hoping for a continuation of a notably bright, sweet red fruit note. But the wine is just too thin to create any impression of luxury or plushness. On the middle palate, there's a flash of fullness in the mouth, but it disappears quickly, leaving a somewhat weedy flavour profile behind. Some medicinal sweetness on the after palate, before a finish that's actually quite long, if not especially delicious.
I try to avoid writing up wines that are deeply unsatisfactory. In the case of this wine, I am taking the time to describe it in part because, although I am not deriving much satisfaction from it, I'm also reflecting on what I know of Pemberton Pinot Noir and noting how fine a line it appears to tread. Picardy's 2005 Tête de Cuvée, for example, is equally feather-light and distinctive in flavour profile, though on a different level of quality. Yet both are utterly marginal, and there's something heroic in this wine's attempt to achieve balance and intensity, even though it ultimately fails. 12.5% abv.
Would it have been a more complete wine with an extra degree of ripeness and coming in at 13.5%?
The Salitage wines can be quite variable in nature, Pinot and Sauvignon Blanc are their strong points.
Yeah, I think an extra bit of ripeness might have fleshed the wine out and subdued the more vegetal aspects of the flavour profile. The whole wine just tasted not quite... there.
Having said that, I'm interested in trying more Pemberton Pinots and will have a look at Salitage's other wines.
Understand completely. Its a fine balancing act - ripeness vs 'lightness'
From Pemberton, look out for the Bellarmine Estate wines - the Rizzas in particular are absolutely delicious. Would be right up your alley I think.