Mornington Peninsula, VIC
One of the country's best value Pinot Noirs from Mornington Peninsula legend, Barney Flanders.
$29.00
Barney Flanders loves Pinot Noir, and every release of the value-packed Le Stagiaire Pinot Noir seems to out do the previous one. It has been one of the most popular wines in Different Drop history.
Minimal whole bunches used in the ferment as usual, with wild ferment, three weeks on skins and further ageing in concrete, foudre and old barrels. It's unfined and unfiltered, with plenty of savoury complexity to balance the beautifully ripe and pure Pinot fruit.
Simply put this wine represents the essence of Mornington Peninsular Pinot Noir. Value for money wise, this is an Australian Pinot Noir star.
Garagiste is the brainchild of Barnaby Flanders.
After leaving Allies Wines in 2003 he embarked on a mission to produce small batch premium Pinot Noir and Chardonnay under his own label in his beloved Mornington Peninsula.
Barney loves the sub-regionality to be exploited in Mornington Peninsula, the slight alterations in aspect and soil profile within this small wine producing region provide him with the scaffolding around which he builds his stunning harem of small batch wines.
They are only ever made in small quantities so time is of the essence if you want to explore the world of Garagiste.
Barney Flanders doesn't make Le Stagiaire wines specifically for this label—all his ferments start out as potential single-vineyard wines, and the single-site-labelled wines are barrel selections, with the remaining wines bottled under this label. This gives us some idea of how he's able over-deliver, year in year out and, we might add that the wines that make up this terrific value Pinot could quite easily have been bottled as single-vineyard wines.
This year, Balnarring and Merricks make up the core of the blend, with a little whole-bunch (10%) on the Merricks adding lift and complexity. Across the blend, the grapes were sorted then mostly de-stemmed and fermented in concrete using indigenous yeast, with minimal hand-plunging and 22 days on skins. The wine was then aged for eight months on gross lees, in both hogsheads and foudre (five per cent new). Bottled unfined and unfiltered.
So crunchy and bright, there are tannins that are as delightful as they are surprising (structure is not usually found in Pinots from this area, particularly at this price point). The concentrated and plump fruit profile is present but does not give way to the inherent elegance and purity to be found. It has a pleasant mouthful, and its fleshy and an assertive acid line encourages you to revisit the glass with a frequency one should be wary of!
Blend : Pinot Noir (100%)
ABV : 12.80%
Closure : Screw Cap
Drink Until : 2030
Bottle Size : 750ml
| Taste |
Rated 4 out of 5
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| Interest Level |
Rated 4 out of 5
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| Value for Money |
Rated 4 out of 5
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I enjoyed the first taste, it was smooth, the tannins were not obvious, and it was an easy drinkable wine. However I thought it lacked depth and flavour.
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Rated 2 out of 5
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| Interest Level |
Rated 3 out of 5
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| Value for Money |
Rated 4 out of 5
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Easy drinking and grows in the glass!!
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Rated 4 out of 5
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| Interest Level |
Rated 4 out of 5
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| Value for Money |
Rated 5 out of 5
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Love this wine! Juicy, interesting, balanced natural wine notes.
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Rated 4 out of 5
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| Interest Level |
Rated 4 out of 5
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| Value for Money |
Rated 5 out of 5
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Great Pinot and high quality for the price point.
| Taste |
Rated 4 out of 5
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| Interest Level |
Rated 4 out of 5
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| Value for Money |
Rated 4 out of 5
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Citrus notes, good colour, nice mid palate fruit ... what’s not to like
| Taste |
Rated 4 out of 5
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| Interest Level |
Rated 4 out of 5
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| Value for Money |
Rated 4 out of 5
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Delivery is Free for any order of $99 or more, or just $10 for any orders less than $99. There is no minimum order quantity and you can mix and match as much as you like. Make your perfect mixed pack! In Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane & Byron Bay we deliver with our own vans. All other areas are serviced by Australia Post.
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