2020 was not the easiest of vintages on the Australian east coast, even though some Mornington and Yarra types fared better than further north. Yields are all over the place, however, as is ripeness. Tread carefully.
This Crittenden Estate Pinot Noir 2020 is something of a success story.
I like the Pinoty tang of this Mornington Pinot – wears its heart/variety/region on its sleeve. I like. It carries both mint and mint jelly edges but with riper glacé raspberry too, which hints at the fortunes of the season in the vineyard. It works though, and the mid-weight palate has a sufficiently silken edge to make it genuinely appealing. Good.
Best drinking: I like it now. No point holding on. 17.7/20, 92/100. 13%, $37. Crittenden Estate website. Would I buy it? Two glasses.
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2 Comments
Pinot is certainly on the end of a lot of taste buds at the moment. The in betweeny, summers coming , too mild for a solid shiraz. I have bought a few selections from around the traps but the one that thrilled me was the 2021 Mike Press Pinot, had for $18. Seriously good, and for me the first ever MP wine I have had. For the price of two glasses of the above you can have a whole bottle of seriously impressive, good fruited and reasonably complex ‘hardest’ grape to grow pinot. I went on a sub $30 mission after your stunning review of the Bellvale last year. You cost me some good coin Andrew and I thank you for it ! Man the Gippy PN was good and you probably nailed it with the best sub$25 in the country. But DannyM stopped selling it much to my shaggrin so i looked elsewhere. Found another few good ones i have had but here’s an interesting take on years. The Punt Road Airlie Bank 2021 is a very good drop, on a par with the Mike Press but MP is considerably cheaper percentage wise. Pinot really does go up in ‘steps’ of price and quality, or so it seems. But the 2022 PRAB I sampled at a Dannys taster was rubbish. Too thin. Cordial. Not even ‘worth one of your glasses’ Andy. Which brings me to the Helen and Joeys Inara had for about $18. Had one last Sat night and it was rubbish. Returned the other 3 to Dannys and swapped them for variety. Good policy at Dannys for that. Made well, the PN is such a joy of a varietal especially in these ‘in between’ months.
Glad that I’m leading you down the rabbit hole of other Pinots. Very much agree on the Helen & Joyes – a label that does nothing for me. Mike Press is an amazing operation – so much wine for so few dollars.