I have a secret…. Sometimes when we tell you we have sold out of a wine, it is likely that we are either a) selfishly keeping the rest for ourselves or b) have put it away so we can watch it age, then give you another crack at it down the track.
If you haven’t met Sam, he is a Welsh lawyer who is travelling the world and has now developed a passion for wine. He is working in the cellar door with myself and is extremely charming to everyone that visits us, but is cheeky and bossy to me. He has insisted that our family need to share some of our hidden wines so we have decided to do weekly tastings on a Wednesday before heading to the Hotel Canobolas for trivia night. We have just had our first week of what we call “work”, and we decided to dig out all the aged Pinots we had with various results and a lot more surprises than expected. To top it off, we then came 3rd at the pub. I have now proved my worth and am invited back again for next week.
Back to the wines though. I poured 7 of our oldest wines for Sam to taste blind. I am happy to say he only got 2 correct! But to be fair, some of the wines were a complete surprise. Pinot’s can age well if they start with enough structure and acid but I did think a 15 year old one would be over the hill and very obvious in a blind tasting. Sam got it wrong!
Seeing as we thoroughly enjoyed all of them, we have curated a special Pinot pack so you can join in on our discovery of how Pinots from our very cool climate vineyard vary from year to year.
With a RRP of $320, we want to give you the chance to enjoy these wines, so we are taking $100 off when ordering our mixed vintage box – times are tough for all of us so we will spread the love and get them to your house for $220 which includes free delivery.
Below, you will find some information on what we thought of them all so have a read and get excited while you wait for them to arrive. Some of them have very limited numbers so we can only offer 30 mixed cases of 6 bottles. We have included the 2010, 2013, 2014, both 2016’s and the 2017 Family Reserve. The 2015 is still available in the cellar door and online, but access to the others is only through this pack, or some of them are options for our loyal club members.
Order them, record your favourites and then you can come back to us with an offer to get your hands on more if they are available.
Keep an eye out as well for the results of our tastings over the next few weeks.
I love my job.
Cheers, Jen
Purchase here
TASTING NOTES OF AGED PINOT NOIRS
2010 – Pleasantly surprised that a 15 year old Pinot Noir could be drinking so well!
This wine is under our original brand of Bantry Grove Wines and was made by Richard Parker from Long Rail Gully in Murrumbateman.
Due to our surprise, we decided to taste again the next day. It was even better in the morning but by evening, it was definitely heading over the hill.
Suggest decant it and enjoy it on the night of opening.
It’s colour is definitely picking up some tawny hues but still looks like a light and bright Pinot. It is full of stewed red fruits, herbaceous and a with a touch of leather on the nose.
2013 –This was the first Pinot made by Will Rikard-Bell under the Slow Wine Co brand and we have loved going back to it over the years. On the day of opening, we were not impressed. It was given a score of acceptable by both of us but was really just your drink with bangers and mash on a Wednesday night. However, we tasted it the following morning and like the 2010, it had improved overnight.
Definitely needs to be drunk on one night with a quick decant while you are cooking but is still enjoyable. Don’t hold onto it though. It wont get any better so drink it now.
A pale tawny colour with no fresh fruit left, more of jammy fruits and earthy, wet leaves on the nose. Taste confirmed this with dried cranberry and a forest floor but still a nice soft acid remains.
2014 – I have loved this Pinot for years and am still happy to drink it but could tell it was on the decline. But as we found with the other two older wines, it displayed more structure the next day and the aromas had definitely become more pronounced.
We would suggest decanting if you are planning on finishing it that day, or just open it up to give it a bit of air for a while before you want to enjoy it. It will still be good for a glass the next day and you will notice all the changes. It’s amazing what a wine can do over time and with a little air.
It has a nice soft acid and phenolic grip upon opening and some vanilla notes from the oak. Colour is a pale ruby and a touch of fresh cherry but well on the way towards the cherry jam mum loves to put on her sandwiches.
2015 (not included in this pack but is available in cellar door and online) – We have been serving this one in the cellar door as our museum wine option for a while now. We held onto it as we could see it was headed towards being a great example of an aged Pinot…. And it definitely is!
We assure you that you will love this wine, however, you must open it and drink it that night. It is a completely different wine the next day, and not nearly as enjoyable.
You will find a beautiful ruby colour and soft earthy aromas of pomegranate and forest floor. Tastes of cherries and strawberries and the classic pepper you so often see in a Pinot. A nice strong acidity and a jammy aftertaste that lingers.
2016 – We have always claimed this is our best Pinot and Will did an amazing job with the fantastic grapes that arrived in the winery in 2016 from our vineyard. I enjoy this wine regularly as my love for it has never changed. My old faithful to bring out when I have wine lovers over as a treat.
Although we don’t understand why you would have gone to bed without finishing the bottle you will find it still thoroughly enjoyable the next day.
Bright ruby colours remain prominently with cherry and white pepper aromas. You will find superbly integrated acid which is keeping the fresh fruit and pepper alive and producing a long finish that will keep you wanting more.
2016 Family Reserve – This was the first year that we produced a reserve wine. We headed in to the winery one day to find Will had got a test tube out of every barrel so we could trial blending different proportions to create a wine worthy of being our first reserve wine. This became my favourite day of the year. My wine knowledge was still very limited and I couldn’t tell you the difference between the two clones (777 and MV6) that we had planted but when you have them side by side, you can clearly see the different characteristics. I also got to taste the different effects that the age of an oak barrel imparts on the wines, from a new barrel down to a four year old barrel.
We were ecstatic when it won the trophy for the top Pinot Noir in the 2018 Orange Wine Show as it confirmed that we did a great job selecting the top barrels of the vintage. A beautiful wine which has been loved alongside of the estate 2016 for years.
It is starting to display hints of an aging wine in its colour but still a lovely pale ruby. Stewed red fruits and herbaceous with earthy cherry flavours that I think change in your mouth from fresh to jammy. The cherry aromas remind me of the cherry compote my grandmother used to serve us on our Christmas ham which has remained a fond memory of mine.
2017 Family Reserve – The second in our reserve range and it certainly lived up to its name, but never took the spot of favourite Pinot that has been held by the 2016’s since it was bottled. However, if you haven’t had our 2021 Reserve yet, I highly recommend you do as it is right up there!
Like the older Pinots we tasted, we found it was better the next day so we recommend enjoying over 2 nights or decanting it.
Stewed plums with a savoury, earthy nose and medium acidity results in a long soft finish that will not disappoint.