Bended Knee Ballarat Pinot Noir NV

As the saying goes, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. In the wine world, when two low-yielding, successive vintages give you only a single barrel of wine each, blend them together. That was the difficult decision of winemaker Peter Roche, yet I think it’s definitely worked out for the best. From the get-go, it’s very savoury, with plenty of mushroom, earth, beetroot, rhubarb, some stemminess and black tea, plus some fruity plum and black cherry. The acidity is vibrant, with a saltiness on the palate and more than your usual amount of tannin, which gives it some real grunt – the kind of Pinot Noir that’s best suited for food with a bit of richness and spice.