Valli Bendigo Pinot Noir 2022

Accolades:
96/100 – Bob Campbell MW
96/100 – James Suckling
95/100 – Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
95/100 – Candice Chow, Raymond Chan Wine Reviews
94/100 – Cameron Douglas MS
5 stars – Michael Cooper

“Ripe, concentrated wine with cassis, blackberry, violet, dark chocolate and spicy oak underpinned with vibrant acidity. It’s a wine with heft, obvious power and the ability to age gracefully.” – Bob Campbell MW

“A very structured pinot with blue fruit, flowers and slate with hints of graphite on the nose and palate. It’s full-bodied but tight and hemmed in. Very precise and focused for a really big pinot, but comes off agile and energetic. This will age well. Beautiful follow up to the 2021. Drink or hold.” – James Suckling

“A taut, youthful and focused wine touches the palate with flavours of plum and dark cherry flesh then layers of baking spices, a touch of bacon oak, clove and a moment of vanilla. An abundance of fine through firm tannins along with a firm acid line ensures this wine will age well. The combination of fruit, structure from tannins and acidity present a wine with power, potential and some readiness for drinking from 2024 through 2030. A lovely complexity and style, reflects its site with some rugged savoury qualities and core open air freshness. Well made and complex with a medium+ length.“ – Cameron Douglas MS

“The 2022 Bendigo Vineyard Pinot Noir is lovely, every which way. The fruit is concentrated and supple, and it has liveliness and freshness from the acidity, but the tannins bring that forth in the mouth as well. This is a beautifully shaped wine, more curved and flowing than static or straight. A wine of substance, it is also a wine that has restraint and space. It’s skillfully handled and super impressive.” – Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate

“Moderately deep ruby-black, slightly lighter on the rim. The nose is plush with power, displaying aromas of black cherry, plum, sautee mushroom, warm spices and herbs. Medium-full bodied, aromas of black cherry and plum melded with red cherry, unfolding cinnamon, nutmeg, clove hints of floral, mushroom and thyme. The tannins are silky and ripe with firmness and juicy acidity, carrying warm spice throughout the palate and lending a plush, lengthy finish. This Bendigo Pinot Noir is harmonious and generous with flavours, showing power and spice on a structured mouthfeel.” – Candice Chow

Tasting Note: “Deep ruby hue with inviting savoury, fruit and floral aromas including Portobello mushroom, dark Ghana chocolate, cedar, blackberry, *Bing cherry and lilac flower. The palate is also complex with layers of dark fruit, spice, and umami that are woven together by a fresh vein of acidity. The texture is vibrant and delectable with fine, firm tannins that build in the mouth giving a long, memorable finish. Playful with understated power, this quintessential Bendigo Pinot has a tangy freshness that comes from grapes grown at elevation. Intriguing and approachable in its youth, this wine should develop beautifully for 15+ years. (*Bing cherry originated in the Pacific Northwest in Milwaukie, Oregon, the town where I was raised.  This wine evokes many happy memories for me and I wish the same for you).” – Jen Parr

Winemaking Notes: Harvested on 24th, 29th, 31st March and 5th April 2022. 35% whole bunch fruit, aged in 27% new oak for 11.5 months. Unfined, cross flow filtered. 1,170 dozen total production.

Alcohol: 14.0%

Varietal: Pinot Noir

Region: Chinaman’s Terrace, Bendigo, Central Otago, New Zealand