2013 Helen's Hill Winery "Range View Reserve - Pommard Clone" Pinot Noir Yarra Valley Victoria

Staff Reviews

RW

Ryan Woodhouse

Ryan Woodhouse

After hearing about the Helen's Hill wines for a few years I'm so stoked to be able to offer these to you as a direct import. Alan's dedication to quality and authenticity is a thread running through all of their wines. The analogy that came to mind while tasting the wines was that of a raw diamond or gold nugget just pulled from the earth. There is a precious purity to these wines but they are still very much stained with earth from whence they came. They capture the essence of Pinot Noir and it's magnificent transparency. The Range View is slightly wild with red fruits, briary notes, undergrowth and freshly turned earth. It's savory acidity harks back to it's burgundian origins. A wine that really evolves in the glass and begs for food. The price belies the quality and depth of this wine.

KW

Kirk Walker

Kirk Walker

High-toned red fruits and berries with lifted spice notes on the nose. The palate is all bright cherries with the faintest dusting of Cacao powder. The abundance of fruit is balanced with light but persisting tannins. The finish is long with lots of sappy fruits and spice. This is just charming, if you like Pinot you have to try this.

Notes

Winemaker's Notes: "Our single clone Reserve Pinot Noir range will take the vineyard and wine selection process to the next level. The best way to describe it is "more" of everything. More work in the vineyard in terms of row, vine and right the way down to individual bunch selection. A little more new oak. More time in barrel. An even more rigorous tasting process. More time in bottle before release. About the only thing that we don’t do is more winemaking. Our reserve wines still have the "less is more" approach and ensure that we live up to our ethos of delivering Mother Nature to your mouth. Helen’s Hill "Range View" Reserve Pinot Noir is made entirely from the Pommard clone and captures the highly acclaimed attributes of this wonderful Pinot Noir clone. Planted as the name would suggest close to the top of Helen’s Hill with commanding views of the Yarra Ranges, the soil type is predominantly loamy clay on a limestone/ironstone base. The vines are fairly exposed to general weather conditions but are planted on the east face of the hill so are somewhat protected to summer’s hot afternoon sun. In our opinion the perfect site for this "big" Pinot Noir clone. In terms of flavour profile, the Pommard clone is famous for the firm, powerful and dusty tannins. It is a hard push to say they are elegant; a more appropriate descriptor would be powerful. Meaty flavours of smoke and game, earthy characters with notes of soil, with red fruits and darker plum notes."