2022 Dalrymple Vineyards Mt. Lord Pinot Noir

Boasting superb richness, power and a supple feel, this is superb expression of Tassie Pinot that draws comparisons with top end Burgundy.

The crown jewel in the Dalrymple collection, the Mt. Lord Vineyard is located on a small, angular and varied landscape that lays on the protected easterly slope of the Pontos Hills. The vineyard rows run up the hillside from 134m to 156m above sea level, precariously positioned between a rock ledge below and steep barren hillside above.
The fruit was handpicked with a small amount of the bunches placed directly into the ferment. Maturation took place in French oak barriques (30% new) for a period of 10 months.

Deep dark red core with black tinged edges and a dark red hue. Intense spicy dark cherry, rhubarb, dried herb and bramble scents sail through the nostrils with some forest floor, subtle strawberry and cedar notes also making an appearance. Rich, concentrated and supple in its flow across the palate, it shows fabulous power and expansive volume. Dark cherry, strawberry and rhubarb flavours infused with dried herbs are further complexed by notions of brambly cedar, forest floor and spice. Velvety tannins seamlessly integrate into the very long, complex and highly savoury conclusion.
Drink over the next 6-8 years.
Alc. 14%

Other Reviews…..
A new offering from Dalrymple from the Mt Lord vineyard, purchased by Hill-Smith Family Vineyards in 2012. Bright ruby with lifted aromas of red cherry, red plum and raspberry pip. Notes of fine spice suffuse through the wine with hints of struck flint, raspberry coulis, powdered stone, wildflowers, gentle game tones and a distant whiff of leaf litter. Fine, lacy acidity provides energy and drive. Fruit ripe and pure, stretched in a canvas of fine, kinetic tannin, supple and finely detailed as it retreats. Drink by 2036.
96 points
Dave Brookes – James Halliday’s Australian Wine Companion

I was fortunate to taste the only sample of this wine in the UK, and it is one of the most remarkable Tassie wines of my life.  Take all of the purity and expression we know and love from Tasmanian elite Pinot Noir, then concentrate it just a touch.  Darken the fruit, add a hint more muscle, spice and shantung silk textural mystery, along with a whisper of magical whole bunches and some rhapsodic French oak and the picture is complete.  Pete Caldwell captured the essence of this site in Polaroid perfection. Then, he made the near-impossible happen by transferring all of the energy and greatness of this fruit without squandering a drop of potential into the bottle.  I implore the lever-pullers at Hill-Smith Family Estate’s HQ to heave a few cases of this wine onto the next Dalrymple boat to the UK.  If this wine appeared next to various Clos de Vougeots, Bonnes-Mares and Chambertins this week, it would bring the house down!  Drink 2026 – 2035
19+/20
MatthewJukes.com