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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Drinking window: Drink between 2015 and 2023 (based on 74 user opinions) |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 91.3 pts. and median of 92 pts. in 13 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by fizz on 4/15/2022: Cherry, earth, savoury notes. Balanced and nuanced. Tannins just assist in the background. In a great spot tonight. (311 views) | | | Tasted by rednick@internode.on.net on 10/22/2019: Funky earthy nose with dark cherries coming through, lovely rich dark fruit with a bite of acid, a massive wall of structure , brambles angular tannins - very serious wine and all the better for it - definitely no rush and could still be some upside - 4 fingers (571 views) | | | Tasted by fizz on 7/31/2019: Cherry and strawberry fruit lies over a base of good structure and balance. Followed over 3 days, and perhaps day 3 it was at its best. At that time it showed ash, earth, with good lift and a fine texture complemented with the red fruits of day 1. (536 views) | | | Tasted by Avid Wino on 7/15/2018 & rated 92 points: Sous bois. Cherry, strawberry. Some earth, chocolate. Slippery and sinewy, superb feel and balance, excellent length. Shadowed by a definite woodiness... the only thing holding this back from higher points.... will it resolve in time? Looking at my past notes, I scored the 2010 Estate Pinot Noir higher just last year... curious. (761 views) | | | Tasted by fizz on 5/14/2017: More woody than the previous bottle. There's still plenty of primary fruit flavours too. Might leave the others for a while. (943 views) | | | Tasted by CamWheeler on 3/2/2017 & rated 88 points: Chardonnay and Pinot Tasting: Chocolate, earth and oak on the nose. The palate is fresh and lifted, though the oak creeps in a bit here too. I think in 3-4 years this might feel a bit better balanced, so patience is likely best. (1293 views) | | | Tasted by fizz on 10/18/2016 & rated 92 points: Red and black fruits, with sous bois. Medium bodied, but with intensity. Pinosity ++. The fine but elegant structure carries the wine to a long finish. It's really delicious now. (947 views) | | | Tasted by Softie on 1/19/2013 & rated 93 points: Note written after three hours: it lost the woody characters quite quickly (<one hour) and was excellent. Score lifted 90 to 93.
Earlier Note
Just decanted (through an 'oxygenator'), and ~15C, (and 2 years post release) has not come together yet. Bountiful nose with dark cherry and plum to the fore. Similarly flavoursome palate. Nice spice element too. I agree with other Cellar Tracker comments about woody character (some whole stems? oak) that screams, 'why now'? Hence the tough score; potential: Ata Rangi meets William Downie.
Let's see how it goes over next two hours. (2572 views) | | | Tasted by mhoff on 12/29/2012 & rated 94 points: Cherries and Plums with a hint of apple, beautifully balanced, soft aromas of oak, smooth tannins that will soften nicely over the years. Very happy, just a touch savory at this young age for me to give it a higher mark. (1834 views) | | | Tasted by discoduckglue on 5/14/2012 & rated 93 points: Bit hard to rate at this stage as it really requires a couple of years. fantastic nose of dark cherry, brown sugar and coffee. Wet coffee beans on the palate with fantastic length that goes on and on and evolves and a little earth, spice and ashen elements. Quite stemmy at this stage so for my tastes needs 2 years minimum but will likely last for 10. For me this is a 92 point wines as far as current enjoyment, a 94 point wine as far as quality and potential so have gone for 93. In the upper tier of Australian Pinot ,no doubt. 92++ drink the excellent 2010 entry level Hoddles pinot while you wait as that is ready to go whilst this is just a tad challenging atm. (1875 views) |
| Hoddles Creek Producer website
ABOUT
Hoddles Creek Estate was established in 1997 when the D'Anna family decided to establish a vineyard on the property that has been in the family since 1960. The vineyard sits astride Gembrook road and adjacent Hoddles Creek. Its steeply sloping blocks prohibit mechanical harvesting, with both vineyards being hand pruned and harvested. All our wines, which are single vineyard, estate grown, are made in our 300 tonne winery, constructed for the 2003 vintage. The split-level winery has a barrel store located three meters underground. Hoddles Creek Estate is planted with 10ha of pinot noir (five clones), 6 ha of chardonnay, 1ha each of sauvignon blanc, merlot and cabernet sauvignon, and 1.5ha of pinot gris.
The Vineyards
Hoddles Creek Estate is located in the Upper Yarra, which is higher, cooler and more marginal than the lower Yarra, The vineyard is cropped at less than 2.5 tonnes per acre. Being in a marginal climate, requires extensive canopy management. The vineyard is trellised to Scott-Henry, to promote fruit exposure and lessen disease risk.
Winemaking
Our winemaking practises tend to be minimal. All our wines are transferred using gravity and there is generally no added acid addition. Consequently, our wines are balanced and fresh. All grapes are only destemmed, not crushed. This allows full berries to be transferred to either tank or press. No enzymes are used in any wines, the grape juice is allowed to settle naturally over four days at very low temperatures. All wines see a percentage of oak. Some wines will not see any new oak, namely Pinot Gris and Sauvignon Blanc but have a large portion of older oak. This provides mouthfeel, texture and generally builds the wines. The Chardonnay and Pinot Noir normally see about 30% new oak. Fruit from Hoddles Creek is always fresh and bright and can withstand a larger portion of new oak.
The Winemaker
Franco D'Anna is the viticulturalist and winemaker at Hoddles Creek Estate. At 13, he started to work in the family liquor store. By 21 he was the chief wine buyer while undertaking (and completing) a bachelor of commerce at Melbourne University. He then turned his attention to Charles Sturt University's viticulture course, while helping to maintain the newly planted vineyard. He attributes his traineeship, at Coldstream Hills, for the rigorous hygiene practices he learnt to be fundamental in the winery. For Hoddles Creek Estates' first vintages, Franco worked with Peter Dredge of Red Edge, and then in consultation with Mario Marson, (ex-winemaker for Mount Mary and Jasper Hill).
CONTACT
Hoddles Creek Estate
505 Gembrook Rd, Hoddles Creek Victoria 3139 AUSTRALIA
mail@hoddlescreekestate.com.au
Winemaker Franco D'Anna
+61 3 5967 4692
Hoddles Creek Pinot Noir 1erThe Pinot Noir for this wine comes from our Top Paddock Vineyard. There are 28 rows of pinot planted in this block, which is West facing and sloping to the South. The fact that it slopes down to the South is really important as it enables us to include about 25% whole clusters to the fermentation. South facing blocks tend to be a bit cooler, and ripening takes a little longer hence the stalks have a chance to regain ripeness without imparting any green flavours on the wine.
Pinot Noir from this block has been treated separately since 2005, when we highlighted that the rows produce slightly different fruit than the remainder of the vineyard. With the vineyard in balance, we simply shoot thin around the crown and take off any multiple shoots. The vines would normally crop about 1.3 kilograms per vine.
In the winery, this has the same treatment as the Estate Pinot Noir except for the inclusion of twenty five per cent whole bunches. This makes the tannins a little more finer and gives structure to the wine for further ageing. The wine spends eighteen months in cask. The wine is not filtered, not fined, or stabilized before bottling.Pinot Noir Varietal character (Appellation America) | Varietal article (Wikipedia)
Pinot Noir is the Noble red grape of Burgundy, capable of ripening in a cooler climate, which Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot will not reliably do. It is unpredictable and difficult both to grow and to vinify, but results in some of the finest reds in the world. It is believed to have been selected from wild vines two thousand years ago. It is also used in the production of champagne. In fact, more Pinot Noir goes into Champagne than is used in all of the Cote d'Or! It is also grown in Alsace, Jura, Germany, the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Romania, Switzerland, Austria, Croatia, Serbia, Italy, and so forth, with varying degrees of success.
Pinot Noir is one of the world's most prestigious grapes. It is very difficult to grow and thrives well in France, especially in Champagne and Burgundy. Pinot Noir thrives less in hot areas, is picky on soil, and deserves some oak storage.
Pinot Noir, or Blauburgunder / Spätburgunder in German, is a blue grapevine - and, as the German name suggests, the grape comes originally from Burgundy in France.
The grape, which thrives in calcareous soils, is used primarily for the production of red wine, and it is widely regarded as producing some of the best wines in the world. The wine style is often medium-bodied with high fruit acidity and soft tannins. It can be quite peculiar in fragrance and taste, and not least in structure - which may be why it is referred to as "The Grapes Ballerina".
Pinot Noir is also an important ingredient in sparkling wines, not least in champagne since it is fruity, has good acidity and contains relatively little tannins.
The grape is considered quite demanding to grow. The class itself consists of tightly packed grapes, which makes it more sensitive to rot and other diseases.
Pinot Noir changes quite easily and is genetically unstable. It buds and matures early which results in it often being well ripened. Climate is important for this type of grape. It likes best in cool climates - in warm climates the wines can be relaxed and slightly pickled.
In cooler climates, the wine can get a hint of cabbage and wet leaves, while in slightly warmer regions we often find notes of red berries (cherries, strawberries, raspberries, currants), roses and slightly green notes when the wine is young. With age, more complex aromas of forest floor, fungi and meat emerge.
In Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Hungary, it often produces light wines with less character. However, it has produced very good results in California, Oregon and New Zealand.
With its soft tannins and delicate aroma, it is excellent for white fish, chicken and light meat. For the stored wines you can serve small game. Classic duck breast is a matter of course, a Boeuf Burgundy and Pinot Noir are pure happiness.
Pinot Noir loses quality by over-harvesting.
Pinot Noir is prone to diseases, especially rot and mildew. Viruses cause major problems especially in Burgundy.
Pinot Noir are large round grapes with thin skins. Relatively high in alcohol content. Medium rich tannins and good with acid.
As a young person, Pinot Noir has a distinctly fruity character such as raspberries, cherries and strawberries.
A mature Pinot Noir, the taste is different. Cherry goes into plum and prune flavors. It smells of rotten leaves, coffee, moist forest floor and animal wine. This must be experienced.
In warm climates you find boiled plum, some rustic, little acid.
If the grapes are over-grown, the wine will be thin, with little color and flavor.Australia Wine Australia (Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation) | Australian Wines (Wikipedia)Victoria Wines of Victoria (Victorian Wine Industry Association)Yarra Valley Wine Yarra Valley (Yarra Valley Wine Growers Association) |
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