Kooyong Massale Pinot Noir 2006

Kooyong's Massale Pinot has two things immediately going for it: it is reasonably priced and classily packaged (I do like the Kooyong label design, generally). I saw this on a restaurant wine list the other day and had to give it a go.

A piercing nose of sappy red fruits, minerality and a touch of oak. The palate shows good intensity from entry onwards, although this intensity is counterbalanced by an overall delicacy and lightness of touch. The wine's acid structure is quite prominent, and this adds zip to the wine's middle palate of sour red fruits, hints of sous-bois, perhaps some sweet nutty spice and minerality. The fruit character is bright and clear, and elegantly savoury. Mouthfeel is very fresh indeed, thanks to that acid, and the finish shows slightly grainy tannins that are noticeable but well-balanced.

This wine is elegant and "adult", although not especially complex. I found that it responded extremely well to food (creamy pasta), so for full enjoyment, one is well advised to try this with, not as, a meal.

Kooyong
Price: $A28
Closure: Diam
Date tasted: April 2008

Leave a comment

Recent Entries

  • Offcuts

    Dinner at a friend's house, some notable wines. The Nicolas Feuillatte Palmes d'Or Grand Cuvee 1998 introduced the evening well. Very mushroomy nose, and a palate that shows...

  • Domaine du Clos Salomon Montagny le Clou 2006

    Montagny, a village on the Côte Chalonnaise of Burgundy, is a white-only appellation. Before I get to a description of this wine, it's interesting to contemplate the...

  • Clonakilla O'Riada Shiraz 2007

    Many enthusiasts will be familiar with the reason for this wine's existence. Clonakilla's estate crop was devastated by the elements in 2007, prompting the release...

  • Vinoterra Saperavi 2003

    I'm up in the (San Francisco) Bay Area for the weekend - tomorrow is day 2 of Bonny Doon's annual winery festival, which sounds like...

  • Domaine du Prieuré Savigny-les-Beaune Blanc 2006

    Village-level white Burgundy. I've not tried any whites from Savigny-les-Beaune and I understand it to be an appellation that produces mostly red wines, with a mere thirty...

Close