Ngeringa Summit Vineyard Pinot Noir 2023
G 94
Hailing from one of the wettest and coolest seasons in at least a decade, this wine is disciplined and smugly joyful. Scraped vanilla bean, black cherry and wild sage. It feels wise – carried by a hollow, cool breeze. A thinker; something to ponder as it opens in the decanter. Dark-skinned tart fruits emerge with time – burnt orange skins and chocolate-covered strawberries. The tannins are sappy, clinging to the cheeks, the finish long and sustained – calm yet assertive. A great wine with quiet confidence and depth. Drink now–2038 Pike & Joyce The Kay Reserve Chardonnay 2023 G 94 Sophisticated and chiselled. Grilled stone fruits, lime pith and pencil shavings. The palate leans savoury – Anzac biscuits, slate, preserved lemon and grapefruit juice. Chalky, grabby phenolics and bright acid stay with you through the finish. This wine is probably a young lawyer – sharp suit, fast mind, ready to take on the corporate world. Drink now–2035 Pike & Joyce WJJ Reserve Pinot Noir 2024 G 94 All the Pinot greatest hits are here – strawberry purée, smashed cherries and dried button mushrooms. It’s deeply inviting; romantic even. Bay leaf and Velcro-like tannins bring structure to all that quality fruit, with a gentle woodiness that dries just so. Black cherries, tart cranberries and turned earth follow through. The finish is a touch short, but, all in all, a fantastic wine. Drink now–2033 Riposte The Stiletto Pinot Gris 2025 G 94 Pinot Gris or Grigio – it used to be the debate with this versatile variety about naming conventions and style, richer for Gris in a nod to its Alsace roots, or crisper for Grigio in its lean towards north-eastern Italy’s preferred expressions. Now it’s more of a commercial or personal whim of individual producers, no matter the wine style. This wine definitely inhabits the Gris end of the spectrum, wafting dried pear and white nectarine to start, with a delicious, spicy edge to the above fruit flavours, mouth rich, textured and lingering. Very smart, very drinkable, with a depth not often seen in most commercial PGs. Drink now–2027 Riposte The Sabre Pinot Noir 2024 G 94 A multi-sourced, multi-clonal capture of what Riposte’s father and son duo of Tim and Nick Knappstein see as their mid-range expression in a suite of four Adelaide Hills Pinots. Its colour is an alluring glossed ruby, its bouquet weaving crushed cherry, woody French oak spice, and dark rose petal, all of which tumble into the palate, juiced up a touch with some cherry/raspberry cola senses, seasoned a tad with a dusting of cracked black pepper. Everything is knitted neatly together by a wrapping of suede-like tannins, feathering a soft yet meaningful finishing grip. A complex matrix of fruit and savoury elements give the wine a solid presence. Tasty business. Drink now–2032
22
The Vintage Journal
Powered by FlippingBook