Lindeman’s Pyrus 2018

The urban myth (and remember that some urban myths just might have a basis of truth) about this wine was that way back in the 80’s, Lindeman’s entered a very fine wine in the Melbourne Wine Show – in those days much of the judging including the famed Jimmy Watson trophy was of unfinished samples. Lo and behold, this particular wine got up and won the big one, the Jimmy! It meant Lindeman’s had to scramble desperately to give the wine a name and they came up with Pyrus. All this was, of course, all above board at the time. Who knows if it is true but it sounds better than the usual pragmatic explanations we get.

A blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot and 5% Malbec, all from the Nursery Vineyard in Coonawarra, this wine spends time in French oak. It is an even deeper purple than the Limestone Ridge and I just love the aroma here. Plush, grapey (yes, of course grapes should smell grapey but I hope you know what I mean), blackfruits, spices, blackberry jelly, chocolate. This wine has more finesse than its siblings and there is power but elegance too. With good acidity, fine tannins and excellent length, this is one of the best Pyrus releases in ages.