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  • Country ranking ?

    134
  • Producer ranking ?

    6
  • Decanting time

    2h
  • When to drink

    now to 2030
  • Food Pairing

    Grilled Steak and Fresh Mozzarella Flatbread

The Tb points given to this wine are the world’s most valid and most up-to-date evaluation of the quality of the wine. Tastingbook points are formed by the Tastingbook algorithm which takes into account the wine ratings of the world's best-known professional wine critics, wine ratings by thousands of tastingbook’s professionals and users, the generally recognised vintage quality and reputation of the vineyard and winery. Wine needs at least five professional ratings to get the Tb score. Tastingbook.com is the world's largest wine information service which is an unbiased, non-commercial and free for everyone.

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The Story

A madly rare, profoundly intense and exquisitely balanced wine which reflects the nuances of an exceptional vineyard site. The Reserve is made from five rows of ‘precocious’ Pinot Noir vines in the centre of a closely spaced (9000 vines/hectare) north-east facing vineyard planted on silty loams. Winemaker Phillip Jones is increasingly using "minimal intervention" principles to achieve a natural balance and optimum flavour development. He believes the difference between good and great Pinot is texture. The unfiltered Reserve, matured for 20 months in new Alliers oak, is a brilliant example of Australian terroir showing plenty of concentrated spicy/black cherry fruit, savoury mocha oak and supple tannins and is widely regarded as Australia’s greatest, most consistent and characterful Pinot Noir.

Top Vintages: 2003, 2001, 1999, 1998, 1997, 1996, 1994, 1991

The intense and exquisitely balanced Bass Phillip Reserve Pinot Noir is derived from a remarkably low-yielding vineyard of just 9000 vines per hectare and 270 grams of fruit per vine. Anchored in deep mineral soils renowned for producing particularly intense and concentrated fruit, the Reserve Pinot Noir is primarily based on five rows of MV6 heritage clones, colonial vine stock material first imported to Australia by James Busby in 1832.  

The balanced acidity and energy in the wine reflect a perfect tension between soil composition, cooler temperatures during the growing season and the relatively high humidity of South Gippsland. The wine is a brilliant example of Australian terroir, where the signatures of the vineyard site and winemaker bring profound results.

Natural balance and optimum flavour development are a key focus and are achieved through minimal intervention winemaking. The vineyard management at Bass Phillip has been organic since 1993 and biodynamic since 2002. The Reserve Pinot Noir is unfiltered and matured in new Allier oak for up to 20 months.

Typically this wine possesses an extraordinary multi-dimensional experience with superb fruit density and beautiful silken tannins. Expect evolution in the glass, with aromas of pure, dark cherries, red plums and cranberries, before transforming into frankincense, wood varnish and gardenias. These are typical descriptors for this great, beautifully crafted Australian Pinot Noir.

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Vintage 2009

Near-optimum rainfall over winter, followed by dry, mild conditions over spring provided a good environment for budburst and an ideal start to the growing season with canopies developing well. Climatic conditions favoured flowering and set with mild and calm weather, however there was some shatter in Shiraz across parts of the state resulting in small crops for many regions. Some early to mid-December summer rainfall was followed by conditions drying up very quickly and continuing until the end of February. Summer was hot with some extreme heat but cool conditions returned in February and March, allowing the fruit to ripen across a long harvest with balanced acidities and excellent tannin ripeness. An elegant, yet still powerful follow up to the conditions brought about in the preceding 2008 vintage

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Latest Pro-tasting notes

<10 tasting notes

Tasting note

color

Medium, Ruby red and Bright

ending

Medium and Lingering

nose

Intense, Generous and Refined

taste

Average in Acidity, Low alcohol content, Medium tannin, Balanced, Developing, Medium-bodied, Harmonious, Elegant, Toasty, Dry and Silky tannins

Written Notes

The glass just screamed complexity. A lovely soft, elegant style with a wonderfully alluring nose. Red fruits dominate. It has a juicy freshness and good acidity. Notes of truffles. There is perhaps more on the nose than one finds on the palate but it hardly matters. Fine length. A wonderful example of Aussie Pinot.

I have seen grown Burgundy makers literally hugging a bottle of Bass Philip to ensure no one pinched it. When one sees the quality of this wine, it is hardly surprising. Stunning, and how wonderful to see two Pinots in the Top Ten!

96

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Information

Origin

Leongatha, Victoria
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