Save Our Souls Black Label Yarra Valley Pinot Noir 2025
- 40
- $40
- Drink by: 2026-2036
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A most impressive and well-priced Pinot Noir from the Yarra Valley. It is always intriguing to check the marketing blurb which arrives with wines. On this occasion, they note that the winemaker, William Downie, is a rising star of Gippsland. I can’t agree. Bill Downie is not a rising star. He is a fully fledged superstar Pinot Noir producer from a range of Victorian regions. Any chance you get to grab some of his wines, particularly at this price, don’t hesitate. Garnet/ russet with the crimson edge, this falls towards the savoury end of the spectrum for Pinot Noir. There are hints of leaf litter, dry earth, herbs, red fruits, a touch of leather and notes of kirsch. A little sappy in structure with a fine line of acidity, the wine is of medium to good length and retains its freshness and energy. There is certainly some grip on the finish. Drink over the next two to three years for its youth and vitality, but don’t hesitate to put a few bottles away for enjoying over the next decade.
Ken was born and bred in Brisbane, Queensland. He had a non-trendy, perfectly happy childhood, in a family convinced alcohol meant instant condemnation to Hades. But a break fishing on the Great Barrier Reef, and some good wine, started a serious obsession that eventually took over. It did not stop Ken being chastised later for drinking Pol champagne, disgusted he’d drink anything made by a Cambodian dictator. Now, Ken mostly writes on wine, champagne and spirits for various newspapers, magazines and books, but is perhaps best known for his work in The Courier Mail. He also has a little sideline writing on cigars, fishing, travel and food. When not writing, fly-fishing for trout in NZ or bonefish on the flats of Cuba, travelling or smoking cigars, he is no doubt following a variety of sporting teams – the occasionally glorious Queensland Reds rugby, the dysfunctional Washington Redskins, the dodgy Arsenal and especially revels in the world restored to its proper axis with the return of the Ashes to their rightful home.
