Review

2012 ‘ESTATE LEVEL’ PINOT NOIR
 

Ralph Kyte Powell

“…Good structure and a long finish”
Summer forest smells, sour cherry and herby aromas give this Gippsland Pinot immediate appeal. It is fresh and enlivened by balance, acidity, good structure and a long finish.
Rating 91

Huon Hooke

Light red colour with a slight purple tint. The aroma is quite vegetal and nettley - it smacks of green, underripe fruit and the finish is pinched and short. Just a basic wine. 
85/100

Review

“…great value, will develop over time”
Excellent clear purple – crimson hue, made from locally grown fruit and has all the hallmarks of the great vintage. Excellent varietal expression with considerable depth of dark cherry and plum fruit. To be hypercritical it doesn’t expand on the finish but is great value and will develop well over the medium term.
93 points

Campbell Mattinson

“…a tasty drop, beautifully formed”
I cant see the word ‘Querus’ anywhere on the label, so I can only assume this is a new addition to the Bellvale range. Label details are scarce (but) It was grown on the estate, high density vineyard planted in the 1990’s. It’s a tasty drop, beautifully formed, good line, strictness of tannin and reasonable depth of tangy fruit. Cranberry, sour cherry, crushed woody spices. It’s pale to look at but it has a keen insistence. Personality plus, with a clean pure context. Excellent drinking.
92+points

Patrick Eckel

“ Shaping up as a great vintage”
I had tried this wine a number of times over lunch but hadn’t yet taken the time to review it; a surprise given each time I commented on the quality of this terrific value wine. 2012 is shaping up as a great vintage in Gippsland with the wine giving a light red in the glass. The nose has stemmy cherry, showing well managed use of whole bunch that is supported by a spiced vanillin lift. This wine is summed up by balance and purity, bright red cherry gets a savoury sour edged twist that is well supported by crunchy acidity that will set this wine up to gain even more complexity over the short to medium term.