Wolf Blass Makers’ Project Pinot Noir 2019

The Makers’ Project is a new initiative celebrating “expertise and innovation” in wine. Like the Shiraz Grenache, the winemaker’s job here is to create a “smooth finish.” Not an especially easy job given this is a $15 Pinot Noir and the grape can be notoriously herbal and lean. You can imagine that fruit sourcing would have been an important consideration, but there is no accompanying information. And like the Shiraz Grenache, a “smooth finish” was going to be achieved by pressing the grape skins early before fermentation had ended.

The winemaker has looked to the fruit for guidance. Bright colour heralds juicy cherry, raspberry fresh aromas. They are joined by baking spices and a light herbal influence on what is a simple and cheery flavour profile. It’s one smooth ride throughout. While not particularly complex or revealing any great depth, it does present as an approachable, easy drinking pinot with no sharp angles or hardness.

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