Canterbury Wines Phone 0398305278 or 0403020439 www.canterburywines.net
PINOT NOIR2008 HODDLES CREEK ESTATE PINOT NOIR ! $29.50
REGION: YARRA VALLEY, VICTORIA
PINOT NOIR OF THE YEAR, THE BIG RED BOOK - Campbell Mattinson & Gary Walsh: "You might have to hunt around for this, but they make a good amount of it, so with a bit of legwork you will find it. It's worth the effort. Hoddles Creek is the little Yarra Valley winery that roared. Most years they make a pinot noir that is well worth $40, and yet they keep selling it for less than $20. This is a complex, stylish pinot noir that Australia should be proud of. It matures well in the cellar, too. Remarkable.
It ranks in the top three of Australia's best value pinot noirs - at least the 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2008 releases do. Franco D'Anna is a masterful winemaker.
Mattinson lives out in the sticks and hears a bit of 'Am I pretty enough?' action on his local radio. No one will ask any such question of this wine. It is light on its feet, dashingly beautiful, full of fresh, spicy, raspberried flavour and built to mature well over the next handful of years. Lovely flavour and acidity here - it's a spunk of a wine. Drink: 2011-2018." Campbell Mattinson & Gary Walsh, The Big Red Book 2009/10 - 94 points
"This wine did really well in the Big Red Wine Book 2009/10 - which I believe is set for release fairly shortly - and a few months later it seems a tighter, more controlled wine than it did back then. When you’ve gone hard (review-wise) it’s always good to taste the wine again some time later and have it shine all over again; it helps with sleeping. I’m posting this review but some of the words are Walsh’s (who is on leave right now). Light on its feet, and full of beauty. Fresh, spicy, raspberried flavour with lots of stern, controlling tannin. Built to mature well over the next handful of years, at least. Lovely flavour and acidity here. Some reductive elements, but in a positive way. Spunk of a wine. Drink: 2011 – 2018." Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front - 94 points
"Deep and fragrant, with raspberry – loganberry and poached pear aqueous stuff. Complex and intense with minerally juiciness.Has plenty of pippy, appley fruit in the mouth. Don't know how they create a pinot this fine for the money." Tim White, Australian Financial Review - 94 points
Drink Now to 2018.
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