Seppelt Drumborg Vineyard Pinot Meunier 2021

Some winemakers view pinot meunier as the third string grape variety in a classic sparkling wine. No more, no less. In Victoria’s western regions, it’s celebrated as a stand-alone grape. The Seppelt Drumborg Vineyard was planted in 1966, thus, we are looking at mature vines producing the fruit for this handsome, aromatic youngster. Musk, spice, autumnal scents mix with bright plummy fruit and red berries. Expect a medium-bodied, soft and plummy red with an undergrowth leafiness. Reads like a light dry red on paper but in the glass it’s a beautifully focused, concentrated wine. Tannins are deceptively supple hiding a firmness that will carry it far. Pinot meunier from this part of the world can easily age 10+ years. And there’s the acidity, nicely controlled and surrounded by lovely, fresh berries, herbs and spice that can’t help but be noticed, especially on the finish. It’s clean, fresh and long. While pinot meunier is related to pinot noir, it retains its own identity and this is a great example.

Jeni Port

Wine critic at Winepilot

Jeni Port is one of Australia’s top wine communicators. Based in Melbourne, Jeni created the first wine column in the (then) Sun News-Pictorial before moving over to The Age and becoming that paper’s longest-serving wine writer. Over the years she has written for most Australian wine magazines and these days calls WinePilot home. She is also a Tasting Panel member on the Halliday Wine Companion. She was named Wine Communicator of the Year and Legend of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival in 2014 and in 2018 Legend of the Vine. She is a founding board member of Australian Women In Wine and is the co-deputy chair of Australia’s Wine List of the Year Awards and China’s Wine List of the Year Awards.

Wine writer and critic