Hillcrest Vineyard Estate Pinot Noir 2006 Wednesday, Jul 16 2008
Tasting Notes and Australia and Yarra Valley and Variety and Red and pinot noir
I opened this alongside the Premium ($55 94 points) and the Reserve ($90 95 points) and tasted them in the renowned style over three or four days. It’s a tight vintage for Hillcrest and an unusually gamey and earthy one too. The wines need a lot of time, at which point I suspect they will all score a little higher. They all look, and not unsurprisingly as a barrel selection, similar in flavour with the intensity and richness of tannin ratcheting up along with the price.
It’s a heady mix of cherry, game, earth and spice set on a lithe medium bodied frame. Structurally first rate with good line through the palate, prominent clean acidity and firm but fine grained tannin. Lengthy too, as is usually the case with Hillcrest. It’s the least intense of the trio (and none the worse for it) but comes across as the freshest and most lively at this stage. After being open three days it was still singing sweetly, but more harmoniously. A fine wine with a bright future.
Rated : 93+ Points
Tasted : Jul08
Alcohol : 13%
Price : $37
Closure : Cork
Drink : 2010 - 2018
Source : Winery Sample
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17 Responses to “Hillcrest Vineyard Estate Pinot Noir 2006”
July 16th, 2008 at 8:11 pm
So if the Reserve might get to 96/97, what might a 2005 La Tache rate….104…? Just a thought.
July 16th, 2008 at 8:20 pm
It might get to 96. A 2005 La Tache might rate 99 to 100…it’s sort of logarithmic at either end of the scale..and the rarest and very finest wines are all up at that 98-100 range..and sadly out of reach of most. And so largely irrelevant in a modern commercial rating scale. Ask Halliday the same question when you next see him…
GW
July 21st, 2008 at 5:43 pm
Actually the 2005 La Tache is a 97. For now.
July 23rd, 2008 at 2:02 pm
Gary
Doing a pinot tasting soon with 06 Aus & NZ and 05 Burgundy.
What would you do to show them at their best (they will be served blind from bottles) eg double decant a few hours before, open night before and take out a small glass etc??
July 23rd, 2008 at 2:10 pm
Which wines? The 06 Hillcrest ones?
GW
July 23rd, 2008 at 2:54 pm
No not Hillcrest. I will accept the Burgundy under cork because the French are too ignorant to know any better, but wont use any Aus/Nz under cork.
Some Mornington, Tassie and NZ under screwcap and a couple of Burgundy’s from Boccaccio Cellars.
July 23rd, 2008 at 2:56 pm
I’d mainly give them all a quick double decant an hour or so before and serve from the bottle. I don’t think ‘ignorant’ is the right word..
GW
July 23rd, 2008 at 2:59 pm
“Ignorant” was said a bit tounge in cheek. You need some smiley icons.
July 23rd, 2008 at 3:13 pm
:-)
GW
July 24th, 2008 at 7:48 am
James said :
Seriously though, don’t discount these Hillcrests. They are serious, serious wines and I’ll bet you’d get much more support from the Bryants if you happened to have a seal problem than you would from most makers who use screwcap.
I would include Hillcrest in a flash if showing off Australian pinots to anyone.
(and I prefer screwcaps generally)
July 24th, 2008 at 4:03 pm
I’m on the James’ train. I’d change my view a bit if I’d had a problem with screwcap, but I haven’t as yet, so it wouldn’t be an issue for me. Maybe you have being in the trade Jules, but not me to date.
July 24th, 2008 at 7:16 pm
Aside from the issue of its high price, would you leave Grange out of an Australian shiraz tasting because it is not under screwcap?
I’m not using this to promote cork or diss screwcap.
Though maybe I don’t understand the context of James’s tasting and should just shut my trap…:-)
July 24th, 2008 at 10:54 pm
Grange is an Icon, so possibly a case for it to be included in a Shiraz lineup if price was not an issue.
Not sure Hillcrest if quite at that stage just yet…..
July 25th, 2008 at 8:01 am
No, not compared with Grange, but compared with Australian/NZ pinot. Think of vine age.
No long track record of ageing yet, I’ll grant, but what southern hemisphere pinot does?
July 26th, 2008 at 3:02 pm
Wouldn’t it be better to compare Aussie & French pinots with corks, rather than screwcap vs cork?
Whilst I’m on here Gary, saw your note to Edward at Winosapien, about your wine. What’s your wine called so we can look out for it? It’s always interesting to see what happens when the poacher tries his hand at gamekeeping.
July 28th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
2006 Mountain X Shiraz Pinot. Had a bottle last night as it happens. Very happy with it.
GW
July 28th, 2008 at 2:10 pm
Gary, glad to hear you are happy with the wine. Look forward to trying it. Understand not reviewing it here but if you could give us a post and a link when your site is up and running that would be great.
ps- sounds like Melbourne was very fun and tasty. Back to work now, answering all of questions eh?