Freycinet Vineyard Pinot Noir 2011

I’m in Tasmania at the moment, enjoying as many local wines as I can. My hosts have arranged a big Pinot lineup tonight, but I’ve already sampled a couple, including this one from the east coast. In browsing the Freycinet Vineyard Web site, I was intrigued to see the winemaking notes indicate this, the winery’s premium Pinot, went through its primary fermentation in a rotary fermenter. Refreshingly new world.

To the wine itself, good varietal character on the nose, showing a prettiness of fruit alongside significant spice and forest floor. Getting those balances right is an obvious challenge but it’s amazing how often wines can seem slightly off in the interplay of these basic elements. This, by contrast, seems to elegantly move from bright fruit to black spice to sappy notes and back.

The palate, for now, is quite acidic and this overwhelms one’s impression of flavour a bit. There’s good flavour there, though, with reasonably intense red fruit and sap, backed up by spiced oak. Tannins take a back seat to acid, structurally, but they are prickly and textural when they make an appearance towards the back of the palate. Should the acid fold back into the wine, this may become a really elegant wine. The flavours are spot on.

Freycinet Vineyard
Price: $55
Closure: Stelvin
Source: Gift

4 thoughts on “Freycinet Vineyard Pinot Noir 2011

  1. We were in Tasmania at New Year – Taste Festival and all that. We holidayed up the east coast and stopped in a Freycinet. I though the wine was excellent. The maker claims cellaring potential of 10 years plus. I’ll just wait 1-3 years for the right occasion.

  2. FEEL YOUR COMMENTS NOT REWARDING AS THEY SHOULD BE .

    MY THOUGHT ARE GIVEN TIME THIS WINE WILL EVOLVE INTO ONE OF THE BETTER FREYCINETS .

    TO ME IT HAS THE WORKS – GREAT FRUIT / FLAVOUR / BALANCE – JUST NEED A SLEEP IN THE CELLAR FOR A FEW YEARS SO ALL ARE ON THE SAME PAGE .

    DON MUNRO

    • HI Don,

      Thanks for the comment. I don’t think the note is negative – it’s simply reflective of the wine as it was when I tasted it last year. These are wines built to last, and as such they can be awkward in their youth. I agree with you that some age will bring harmony to the wine’s elements.

      As an aside, I tasted the 2012 release the other day and it was similarly aggressive structurally, but with great flavours and, clearly, its best days ahead.

      Julian.

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