Bass Phillip Pinot Noir Issan

Not great elegance or ethereal mystics to be found here. More like an American Mustang hooning down the street with an amplified exhaust note. Very dark and brooding, full of stewed and baked fruit with notes of rhubarb. Thick, dark and still somewhat tannic, it has some overripe strawberry and herbs of sort. Non-descriptive finish. Drink now to 4+ years.

Very dark colour , black core. Intense ripe black berries, black cherry, hint of BP rhubarb, light earthy edge. Black berries, sherbet zest, ripe fruit sweet, very light earthy notes, stewed plums. Certainly ripe, highly fruit sweet, but the flavours are attractive and the intensity will support another 5-10 years aging. Fine chalky tannins, acidity a little edgy.

Quite a deep red colour. Nicely integrated oak and dark cherry fruit. Hints of earth, cherry pip, nutty dried herbs. Fleshy, pulpy, soft velvety texture. Ripe dark berries, sweet fruit, whole bunch herbal zest, cherry stone zest, all smoothly integrated. Finishes with good act and nice balance. Probably ideal time to drink this.

Colour deep ruby garnet purple hues crimson on the rim 15:15 Nose intense ripe wild red and black berries , intense florals red rose violet , plenty of spicy notes cinnamon, clove , nutmeg, oak spice vanilla coconut hints of French barnyard amazing complexity so fresh for 7 yo 30/30 Palate full bodied , amazing flavour profile so intense backed by fine tannins and acidity 42/44 Overall , still needs more time to fully develop its potential 10/11

The nose is savoury, with hints of game, spiciness and some sweetness. There is medium to high acidity on the ripe and rich palate and mostly resolved tannins.

Strong deep red colour, a little muddy as per usual. Rich, ripe red berries plus a telltale BP hint of rhubarb. Med body, silky and stylish, finishes clean and refined. Red and black fruits, tending red, again the hint of rhubarb, sour cherry stone, and some nicely interwoven spice. A hint of zest on the finish. Still some time ahead of it.

This vintage is a bit (too?) ripe for this producer - unusually big. Rich stewed plum nose with VA, darkish floral cherry, autumnal, old wood, hint of smoke, spices (nutmeg, cinnamon, clove). Strawberry jam, it does have it's characteristic silkiness, and holds its atypical 15% abv well

Clearly a new world pinot based on its nose and palate. Nose had ripe red cherries and oak. Palate was big with the red fruit ripeess. Its a big and alcoholic wine. It will improve with more aging.

Continuing on our Bass Phillip drinking binge over the year-end holiday in Sydney... This bottling is again something new for me. According to the back label, it comes from a low-density plot that was first established in 1994. (I'm sure you won't find this in the local bottle shop.) And it is quite special. The nose is brimming with floral fragrance and dried berries, with a toasty, creamy note that is more Shiraz than Pinot. I know, strange! I took …

Getting hold of Bass Phillip's wines used to involve hit or miss (usually miss) trips to various wine shops in and around Sydney when Mrs L and I come to spend Christmas/New Year with her parents. But no longer. As a fully paid up member of the estate's club, the wines get sent directly to the Sydney home. Which means we drink Bass Phillip wines every day while we're here! The 2013 estate is quite ripe and full bodied compared …

With rod and sue. Immense fruit concentration. Almost barossa like in size. But with good tannins and an acid spine should improve.