Print this Wine         1998 Bannockburn Pinot Noir   GEELONG                 January Release   Pinot Noir       First of all this is a very rare and very special wine. There will never be another one like it so purely from this perspective it is a guaranteed collectors item. The vineyards at Bannockburn were almost totally decimated by a freak hail storm a few months prior to the expected harvest date. Crop levels were down to around 10 per cent of the average crop, and let me assure you these vineyards are low cropping every year. Winemaker Gary Farr was in a state of shock until a plan was devised to purchase small lots of a few tonnes each from a variety of grape growers across the growing regions of South-East Australia. In the end the so called "bush telegraph" was in full flight and Gary had to turn down some offers of fruit, as he wanted to ensure that the three wines he made (there is a Chardonnay and a Shiraz as well) were the equal to his usual lofty standard. Each vintage of Bannockburn Pinot Noir is another lesson for Gary Farr the student, searching for a doctorate or some super qualification. Each year he comes closer to the answers, but as each vintage is different so it throws up a new series of questions. This vintage presented Gary with a completely new set of issues and problems. Ordinarily he deals with a purely estate wine with vineyards all in a very close proximity. This year the fruit was from several states all from varying climatic zones. Farr met the challenge by making a wine that is the pure essence of Pinot Noir. he did not try to over make it and try and turn it into another Bannockburn wine. He has shown restraint and the wine is the benefactor. The first thing you notice about this wine is the wide spectrum of fruit flavors, which immediately assail you on the bouquet. There is enough complexity here without having to over complicate the wine. There are real cool climate characters with sour cherries, tomato bush and herbal notes. There are slightly warmer and riper fruit showing plums and strawberries, and finally there are the slightly warmer, even hot flavors of raspberries and mulberries. There are also some oak flavors but it is the fruit that shines through. Again the fruit melange is the most important component on the palate although the oak flavors intermingle a little more. The texture is yet to develop the silky, satin like feel that is so highly sought after by Pinot producers. This normally takes some time in the bottle and this wine may take a little longer than normal because of the broad range of base wines. Give the wine some time. It has a little tannin at the finish but there is abundant acid. It won’t fall over in the next few years. It needs time for all the fruit flavors to mingle together further and eventually form one cohesive flavor force. At the moment the potential is obvious but the different flavors fight each other for center stage. The wine will develop fairly quickly however, and I think that it should reach its peak in 4 to 5 years. Try the wine with quail or duck and ensure that the dish includes some sweetening in the form of fruit in the sauce as this will envelope the fruit in the wine.         How do I download Hi-Res Labels?

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