Squitchy Lane Estate Pinot Noir 2019

It’s not often Pinot Noir is released with a little age – the release date on this wine is March 2023. Harvested in February 2019, this little beauty slept through some pretty tumultuous years and has emerged bright and moreishly overdelivering on its price-point. There are aromas of black cherries, redcurrants and dried cranberries. The fruit is very ripe, a hint of jamminess, but in that scrumptious, slightly candied spectrum rather than feeling tired or hot. Time in the glass reveals rhubarb, cinnamon sticks and the sweet immersive scent of native forest after the rain. It’s bright and fresh on the palate with a silky texture, lovely length and spicy savoury fruit. Pair it with… honestly anything. It’s a yummy lighter bodied wine that ticks all the boxes. I drank it with a toasted cheese and onion relish sandwich and would definitely line up that combination again.

Nicole Bilson

Wine Critic at Winepilot

Nicole loves wine. So much so that she gave up a successful career in Pharmacy, perfected her spitting technique, and moved from sunny Queensland to the wine-drenched laneways of Melbourne. Stints in hospitality, wineries, retail, sales and marketing filled the next few years while Nicole built her knowledge and searched for the right path. She completed the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET) Diploma in 2016 and became a certified WSET Educator the following year. She now juggles a number of roles including teaching people about wine, curating wines lists for restaurants and bars, judging in Australian wine shows and, of course, writing. In 2016 she won the Negociants Working With Wine writing award and has since contributed to Gourmet Traveller WINE, Halliday Wine Companion Magazine and Nourish Magazine.

Wine tasting