Pinot noir flies high with Adelaide Hills Riposte, Martinborough Palliser, Mornington Sea Glass and Tumbarumba Hungerford Hill
The winemaker behind this Adelaide Hills beauty has been impressing judges like James Halliday for years. The 2021 release was no different, earning 95 points and a red star for affordability.
Our club president, James Halliday, once described Tim Knappstein’s Riposte The Dagger as the best $20 pinot noir in Australia.
It was a few years back but, if anything, The Dagger has grown in stature as the most consistent example, year in year out, of affordable pinot noir for those of us who love this most beguiling of varieties.
The 95-point 2021 Dagger leads The Australian Wine Club’s line-up of shimmering pinot this week, taking us from the Adelaide Hills to Mornington and Tumbarumba, before heading across the ditch to Martinborough and extending to Burgundy for our most adventurous pinot explorers.
Ranging in prices from just over $20 a bottle to the super premium Mornington Sea Glass Balnarring at $70, the collection offers a unique chance to savour the nuances of pinot across different terroirs at a special one-off price.
Tim Knappstein is one of the true veterans of Australian wine, having celebrated his 60th vintage with the brilliant 2021 season in a career that began as a third-generation winemaker at the family’s winery in Clare Valley before his focus shifted to the Adelaide Hills in the 1980s, where he’s become one of the region’s most compelling advocates.
Tim and son Nick deliberately set out more than 10 years ago to make a pinot that could be relied upon to show off the grape’s best qualities at a $20 price point.
“It was 2009 and we tasted through some of the entry-level pinots available at the time and, to me, most of them looked like rejects – like the wine had been deselected from a higher-priced pinot or they lacked fruit or were a bit hard and tough,’’ Tim says.
“We wanted to specifically make an early drinking pinot that showed off lovely pinot fruit and was juicy – a really good quaffer.”
To profile pinot’s cherry and strawberry characters at their freshest, Tim makes Riposte The Dagger without oak. The grapes are picked by a de-stemmer harvester, resulting in very few leaves and stalks arriving at the winery, where the grapes are left to open ferment without being crushed.
It’s a simple technique. The result is literally pure pinot in a glass, made to drink on release.
The Knappsteins also work with excellent vineyards at Charleston and Gumeracha, which create fruit with enough weight and tannin to give The Dagger the feel of a more expensive wine.
Tim says it is getting harder to deliver a pinot at $20 a bottle. “The price of pinot (fruit) is going stupid,’’ he says. “We have more and more pinot hunters coming into the Adelaide Hills from outside the district looking for pinot and that’s driving up prices.
“People can’t sell as much shiraz to China and are looking at other options. We also have more people wanting to make rose from pinot – which is a waste of good pinot, in my opinion.”
As long-time pinot fans know, making a great pinot is often a challenge: it’s a finicky grape – delicate, thin-skinned and prone to disease. The grapes grow in small, tight clusters that can be difficult to ripen evenly.
“There’s that old saying that you should never buy a Burgundy (pinot) that you haven’t tried, and I think that applies to all pinot, but when you find a gem, it’s a revelation – there’s nothing quite like a good pinot,’’ Tim says.
Unfortunately we can’t give you a “taste before you buy” option here but we do offer the next best thing – a money-back guarantee on any wines that aren’t to your satisfaction. I expect you won’t be asking for your money back on these wines.
Riposte The Dagger Adelaide Hills Pinot Noir 2021
As Halliday wrote of the 2021, “the complete package here”. Lush cherry fruits, bramble, star anise, spring florals and a touch of spice. There’s an intensity of flavour that sets The Dagger apart from other pinots at this price. Drink now. 95 Halliday points and a red star for exceptional value. 13.5% alc; $26 a bottle.
SPECIALS $22.99 a bottle in any dozen; $29.99 a bottle in pinot dozen.
Sea Glass Balnarring Single Vineyard Mornington Peninsula Pinot Noir 2019
Like a good pinot should, the Sea Glass reveals more and more as you linger – so take it slow. Cherries and raspberry aromas come first, with just a hint of fresh roses in the background. More savoury characters emerge: almonds, thyme and olive brine. Matured using 45 per cent new French oak. There’s a finesse and balance to this wine that speaks to its high quality. 95 points from Wine Orbit. 13.8% alc. RRP $70 a bottle. 13.8% alc; $70 a bottle.
SPECIALS $54.99 a bottle in any dozen; $29.99 a bottle in pinot dozen.
Palliser Estate The Luminary Martinborough Pinot Noir 2020
New Zealand’s Martinborough is one of the world’s special pinot places. Palliser Estate’s The Luminary leads with a rush of red and black cherries and plums, finishing with clove, nutmeg and oak-derived vanilla notes. A fruit-driven style but there are touches of savouriness; silky tannins and gentle acidity. 14% alc; $33 a bottle.
SPECIALS $27.99 a bottle in any dozen; $29.99 a bottle in pinot dozen.
Hungerford Hill Tumbarumba Pinot Noir 2021
Gold medal winner from the foothills of the Snowy Mountains. Abundant aromas of summer berries, herbs and soft spice introduce a silky palate flowing with red cherries, earthy, savoury notes and a hint of orange zest. Refreshing natural acidity forms the backbone, driving a depth of flavour to a lingering finish. Lovely drinking now but should cellar for 10 years. 13% alc; RRP $45 a bottle
SPECIALS $34.99 a bottle in any dozen; $29.99 a bottle in pinot dozen.
PINOT DOZEN Three bottles of each wine above for $29.99 a dozen. SAVE $160 a dozen.
LIMITED OFFER Add two bottles of Domaine Lucien Camus-Bruchon Bourgogne 2019 (RRP $70.00 a bottle) for $33.99 a bottle across the 14 bottles.
Order online or telephone 1300 765 359 Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm AEST. Deals available only while stocks last. The Australian Wine Club is a commercial partnership with Laithwaites Wine, LIQP770016550.
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