Quality sub-$20 Pinot Noir is the Holy Grail in Australian winemaking. Not impossible but rarer that the wastage provided by a rocking horse. When it does exist, more often than not it is the product of the Yarra Valley. The Calulu is the product of 100% hand picked, dry grown 30-year-old vines in the Yarra Valley and while age alone does not guarantee a quality end product what we are talking about here are unirrigated, highly concentrated vines. With the fruit taken care of the wine itself is made at the Hoddles Creek winery under the watchful eye of Franco D'Anna. A flashback to the quality of Hoddles' own Pinot from this vintage is a pointer to the quality on offer here.
I have had this wine on three occasions but perhaps the best measure of its quality was a recent blind tasting of a 25-30 wines, all masked including a number of Pinots. Two of the Pinots stood out for their quality, a $40 Yarra Valley jobby and the Calulu Park Yarra Valley Pinot Noir 2006 which was a complete shock when revealed. First on the nose and then in the mouth, the wine has varietal strawberry, leather and spice characteristics with the savouriness continuing on a lengthy finish. More like a village level Burgundy than fruit forward Australian Pinot there is a stack of generosity of flavour here for very little money. I rated this comfortably in the 'Excellent' zone and suggest you 'keep it safe' for all future releases. Recommending Pinot Noir is the toughest job in wine retailing given the varieties ability to polarise opinion however I recommend this one with rare confidence. That Holy Grail may be a little step closer with efforts such as this.
This comes from a 25 year old dry grown vineyard at Woori Yallock in the Yarra Valley. It's a bloody good pinot and it's remarkable that it'll give you change from $20. It's meaty, stocky, and shot with rhubarb and dark cherry flavour. Its toasty oak support is subtle but effective, and there's quite a bit of punchy tannin. In truth, it needs another 18 months in bottle to start drinking well - it's a wine pinot lovers should buy in number, and keep stashed away for a while before tucking into. It'd be awesome with the right kind of pizza. Drink: 2009-2012. 90 points. Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front
Dry grown and handpicked from a 30 year old vineyard located in the Woori Yallock sub-region of the Yarra Valley. It’s an excellent wine, unbeatable value and I’m guessing you are getting a big discount for the ghastly label. It smells and tastes of poached strawberry, cherry, fennel, new shoe leather and a bit of spice. On the palate it’s medium bodied and offers gentle easy drinking with a touch of complexity and style. It has a kiss of spicy oak, fine soft tannins and flows through the mouth effortlessly. Finishes with decent length and closes with sweet spicy poached strawberry flavours. Lovely wine and a damned tasty drink. Rated : 90 Points; Alcohol : 13.2%; Price : $17; Closure : Screwcap; Drink : 2008 - 2010; Gary Walsh; Winorama
