Squitchy Lane Peter’s Block Yarra Valley Pinot Noir 2018
- 92
- $65
- Drink by: 2021 - 2028
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For the record, Squitchy Lane wines do not, in fact, hail from a Squitchy Lane address. What a pity. It’s such an evocative name with all manner of mysterious Harry Potter-like overtones. It would make perfect vinous symmetry.
The vineyard is in fact located on Medhurst Road in Coldstream, and the name comes from the finance company of same founded by vigneron and all-round AFL footy legend, Mike Fitzpatrick. It’s come a long way fast quality-wise by focussing on the great Valley triumvirate of chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon and pinot noir. The latter, here, comes up a treat.
It arrives all bright cherry red. The rising scent is pure, fresh, just-squished red and black cherries with a touch of dried herbs, but ostensibly all fruit power. Love the texture, it curls and folds around the tastebuds teasingly. There’s a liveliness to the wine, a real energy that belies some Valley talk about disease pressure, dry conditions and low-ish sugar levels in 2018. It focusses, quite rightly, on the mix of red berries and spice with a splash of dried herbs and, it must be said, a quiet interjection of oak which shows up in a sinewy tannin presence. Smart winemaking, top enjoyment here.
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.
