International Pinot Noir Tasting 2026

[Waiters Friend]

G’day

Today I attended the International Pinot Noir Tasting 2026 at the State Buildings Perth. 36 of us (39 including the three-person expert panel - Erin Larkin, Julian Grounds and Philip Rich) assembled in the Postal Hall of the magnificent State Buildings in Perth, with 18 glasses in front of each person.

The 18 (from 5 countries) wines were tasted blind, in flights of six. All wines were from the 2023 vintage. The identities of the wines were known in advance (although I hadn’t seen the list) but not tasted in the published order. Wines were not decanted prior to pouring. A booklet outlining each wine and their region, producer, vintage and winemaking notes was included also and this will be interesting reading tomorrow.

Bracket One

Serrat ‘Close Planted’(Yarra Valley, Victoria): A delicate nose, with light red cherries, and modest spices. More bright cherry on the palate, with fine, soft tannins, clean acid and a medium to long finish. Straightforward, and a very good opening wine.

Evening Land Salem Wine Co ‘Eola-Amity Hills’. (Oregon, USA). Red and dark cherries, and strawberries on the nose. There’s some spicy notes and subtle oak. The palate is silky, with supple, fine tannins, a little mushroom and the wine grew in the glass. Medium length.

Pooley ‘Cooinda Vale’ (Coal River Valley, Tasmania). A delicate but expressive nose, with strawberries and bright red cherries. Modest spice, which increased in the glass with air. Some concentration showing as a result. Juicy red berries on the palate, with a little mushroom and spices in the background. A touch of oak and fresh acid. Medium to long finish.

Dujardin Monthelie Rouge ‘Champs Fulliot’ 1er Cru (Burgundy, France). An initially delicate nose, which evolved with a little swirling. Red fruits, spices, and a touch of brett (which I didn’t pick up, despite my sensitivity to it). The palate was full and complex, with some fruit weight, hints of mushroom and five spice, and a velvety texture. Medium to long finish and well balanced. I liked this a lot.

Keller Spatburgunder Reserve (Rheinhessen, Germany): I liked this a lot, too, but for totally different reasons. Stalky, forest floor characters matched the sweet fruit – strawberry compote, dark cherries, and some spice. The palate was flavourful and full fruited, but then the spice and savoury notes came into play. Barely noticeable tannins (in among everything else going on) and reasonable length.

Felton Road ‘Cornish Point’ (Central Otago, New Zealand). Darker colour. Intense strawberry on the nose, and a couch syrup / medicinal note. The medicinal note, while modest, persisted through the palate. Fine but noticeable tannins, medium to high acid and a long finish. Lacking in complexity by comparison.

Bracket Two

Giant Steps ‘Applejack’ (Yarra Valley, Victoria). A savoury nose initially, some stalky notes and spices, with cherry and strawberry fruit emerging. A fuller palate, with bright fruits, gentle acid, integrating fine grained tannins, and a medium to long finish.

Mulline ‘Sutherlands’ (Geelong, Victoria). A fragrant nose, with strawberry, five spice and light cherry. The palate is fruit forward, with clean acid, fine drying tannins, and spicy oak in support. Medium length.

Ossa (Tasmania). A shy, modest nose. Darker cherries, and the fruit emerged with some air. A straightforward palate, with gentle acid and fine drying tannins. Medium length and possibly would have benefited from decanting.

Hirsch ‘San Adreas Fault’ (Sonoma Coast, California, USA). A stalky and brambly nose, with red and dark cherries and somewhat perfumed. Fine grippy tannins, quite high acid and moderate length. Some complexity and interest.

Marchand Tawse Savigny Les Beaune ‘Les Lavieres’1er Cru (Burgundy, France). A concentrated nose, with forest floor, dark cherries and some mushroom. A fuller palate, with darker fruit, soft acid and integrating tannins. Reasonable length.

By Farr ‘Farrside’ (Geelong, Victoria). A stalky and faintly perfumed nose, with forest floor, red and dark fruits somewhat in the background. Fine tannins and good supporting acid. Some complexity and length. My wine of the bracket (just).

Bracket Three

Marchand and Burch Morey-Saint-Denis ‘Les Millandes’ 1er Cru (Burgundy, France). Lots of spices, some florals, and lifted red and dark cherries on the nose. A supple and stalky palate with fine drying tannins, darker fruits, a little mocha, gentle acid and a medium to long finish. Well balanced – I enjoyed this one.

Bindi ‘Block 8’ (Macedon Ranges, Victoria). Spices and a little menthol on the nose. Red cherries and plums, and a touch of mushroom. The palate shows slightly tangy red fruits, mushrooms, soft acid, fine drying tannins and a mineral element. Medium to long finish.

Burn Cottage ‘Vineyard’ (Central Otago, New Zealand). Stewed plums and capsicum on the nose. A little mushroom and modest oak influence. Stewed plums and dark cherries on the palate, with prominent acid, fine tannins and medium to long finish. I’ve enjoyed previous vintages of this wine, but this one seemed out of place in this line-up.

Schneider ‘Kapf’ (Baden,Germany). A perfumed nose, with rose petal, red cherries and strawberries, forest floor and mushroom. A fuller palate, with the fruits meshing nicely with the savoury elements. Acid maintains the balance. Medium finish.

Littorai ‘Les Larmes’ (Sonoma, California, USA). A perfumed and powerful nose, with bright cherries and strawberry, and five spice. The palate is reasonably full with ripe fruits, freshening acid, fine grippy tannins and a long finish.

Jane Eyre Gevrey Chambertin (Burgundy, France). A complex nose, with some stalks, mushrooms, red and dark fruits and spicy oak. A silky palate, dark fruits, integrating tannins, soft supporting acid and a long finish. Well balanced and a great finish to this tasting.

The tasting was followed by a leisurely lunch in Post restaurant, with different wines (mostly) accompanying – too many to take notes on. My compliments to Emma Farrelly and the State Buildings team for a professionally run event. My only suggestion for improvement would be to extend the tasting time from two to two and a half (or even three) hours, to allow the wines to evolve in the glass (and to allow sufficient time for me to take notes!).

Cheers
Allan

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[GraemeG]

What a terrific tasting! Agree on the admin that goes into note-taking, & the time needed! Would have been interesting to see the relative indicative retail prices in Aus for these wines...