In years gone by, the notion of range extensions for wineries was an opportunity for many wineries to buy in fruit from within (and outside) their region and cash in on the credibility of their brand by producing wines generally at a higher price than their neighbour they had procured the fruit from. Without the brand awareness, that neighbour, was forced to sell wine, produced from the same fruit, at a much lower price. More and more however, we are seeing new labels minted to innocently offload some excess estate fruit and it is here that some of the real gems can be found as the fruit source and expert winemaking is identical to the said winery's premium brands. The only thing that changes in some instances is the wine may not receive the 'Rolls Royce' oak treatment and/or the length of time in oak and/or it may be purely mechanically harvested and/or it may not receive the 'hand crafted' treatment of daily plunging and/or it may be fermented in an orthodox manner missing out on some of the complexities that a wild ferment can produce.
With a retail price of $22, the Seville The Barber Yarra Valley Pinot Noir commands one third of the shelf price of its more illustrious 'Reserve' cousin. However, this is not owing to any of the factors described above except perhaps giving Seville the opportunity to find a home for their excess quality fruit. The Barber Pinot is hand picked, it is hand plunged daily, 40% sees wild ferment, the wine sees barrel ferment for 10 months - a small portion of which is new. The fruit comes of Seville Estate (Yarra) vines that are 30-year-old and it is put together by 35 years of winemaking knowledge and experience.
At $16.99, Seville The Barber Yarra Valley Pinot Noir 2010 will take some beating as the Bargain Pinot Noir of the Year. A medium to deep red ruby colour is the first indication of some generosity here. The nose shows dark cherry and some strawberry tones with hints of earth, pine needles and forest floor. Between the colour and the bouquet, one would expect a big fruit forward palate and while it delivers luscious fruit in droves, it is beautifully textured with balancing savoury tones and cleansing acidity on the back maintaining the tannin structure. Indeed the longer it remains open, the more it shows which is a great sign for further improvement as well as longevity. An excellent wine and absolutely bargain at around two-hundred bucks a case. Now – 2016+; Quality: Excellent; BW; WineStar© August 2011
Perversely, has the deepest red-crimson colour of the three Seville Pinots; a powerful bouquet and palate of black cherry coming from 30-year-old estate vines; it needs more time to open up and start to display some of the complexity its siblings have. Drink by: 2020; Date tasted: 26/Feb/2011; Price: $22.00; Alcohol: 13%; Rating: 94 Points; James Halliday Wine Companion 2012
Halliday Special Value Star - James Halliday Australian Wine Companion 2012 ("Wines considered to offer special value for money")