Apsley Gorge Vineyard, Pinot Noir, Tasmania

I’m biased as this is perhaps my favourite tassie Pinot. Floral and earthy on the nose, the length on the palate had me chewing mushrooms - stunning wine. I’d say at the apex of its drinking right now. Will open up the others over the next few years and compare

This producer never before tasted by me. Sweet black cherry and a hint of dried herb and saline minerality on a nose which is yet quite reticent on popping and pouring. Fresher and less developed than expected for an 8yo wine, as I’m finding is par for the course for wines under stelvin. Soft, broad simple and generous primary black cherry and velvet soft, mouth-filling tannin. Just a hint of sweet vanillin oak. Very soft acidity almost imperceptible in balance. …

Dark garnet. Deep bright colour. 14.4% Al so long legs. Cherry with heather and herbs on the nose. Long acid, mouth filling. Savoury tannins. A wine I could drink a lot more of. Delicious Tasmanian pinot noir. This wine has many years to go.

Light garnet colour. Sage nose. Butter on the palate. Rich mouthfulling fruit. My daughter said roast chicken and the stuff that comes off the bottom of a pan. A beautiful complex wine.

First Wednesday Wine Club (Napoli in Bocca, Haberfield) : Served blind. Struck match, smoky, spicy/peppery black fruits with a slightly sour red berry underpin that tends jubey with time. Medium plus intensity acidity, alcohol warmth, chalky talc textured tannins, red over blackberry with a touch of bitterness on the finish. Guessed new world whole bunch shiraz based blend from Victoria Australia

A few days ago, I read an Instagram comment stating how one should be suspicious of *insert profession here*-turned winemaker. Ok, so several vintages in Gevrey-Chambertin don’t count even if you’re an architect and you “just” launched your winery in 1988? Oh well, Brian Franklin will just have to live with that fact then and keep on making killer Pinots for the rest of the world that could care less about fancy accolades. This 2011 Pinot finished at fourth place …

I tasted this wine alongside the 2012 vintage Both wines allowed to breathe for 24 hours Colour a little lighter than the 2012 red ruby to garnet , clear to pink edges bright and clear 15/15 Nose med intensity , seemed fresher than the ‘12 more towards the red end of the fruit spectrum cherries raspberry plum , some complexity developing smoky ,vanilla , spice , smoky , savoury vegetative character in a good way 28/30 Palate full flavoured rich …

During a Australian Pinot tasting. Medium garnet. Very strange nose, Jammy, soap, cooked fruit. Very forced on the palate, too ripe, too extracted. No, not really a Pinot more like a Grenache cross dresser.

[speed]tasting at Wine Culture Wine Fair (Roseville, NSW) : funky eggy, HS, barn animal. Funky earth, power, juicy sweet. Complex, poster colour finish. Yum!

Latest release from winery but already showing interesting secondary characteristics. Not my personal favorite but a very good wine for those who like older burgundies.