2015 Airlie Bank Pinot Noir

Airlie Bank

Australia / Yarra Valley / Airlie Bank

"Notes of Campari, red liquorice and boysenberry. On the palate – bright, fresh and bursting with juvenile charm".
-Tim Shand, Head Winemaker

VINTAGE
Near perfect conditions in 2015 with a cool January and warm spells in February and March allowed for gradual maturation, great acid retention, and good crop with even ripeness. Phenolic maturity (brown seeds/stems) was spot on, and we took the opportunity to experiment with skin contact on whites and more whole bunch use in reds. While it wasn’t the easiest year, it was certainly the most exciting, and wines from this vintage are showing great vitality and aging potential.

WINEMAKING
Made with Cru Beaujolais as an inspiration. Picked in the red fruit spectrum, minimal extraction, 20% whole bunch to add spice. Minimally fined and filtered.

April, 2016

Campbell Mattinson

The Wine Front

93+ points

There are a lot of people crowing about the quality of the 2015 Yarra Valley vintage and when you taste this, it’s not hard to tell why.
This is an absolute belter. Hello sailor. It’s rich and deep and powerful; it’s spicy and fragrant and alive. The red cherries come drenched in plums; the tannin comes splashed with herbs. Gunmetal and smoke notes play such key roles it feels like an ensemble. $22. Buy. Drink. Rejoice.

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About Airlie Bank

Airlie Bank dares to treat drinkers with respect by delivering wines that are delicious and true - as well as remarkably good value. Tim Shand and the team enjoy freedom to push boundaries. Their small-batch ethos has led to a great deal of creativity and ever-decreasing doses of sulphur. Nothing is off the cards when they sniff an opportunity to make a more compelling wine, as demonstrated by its 100% whole bunch Cab Franc and goon-bag fermented Sauvignon Blanc. Pure drinking pleasure is the one-point manifesto of Airlie Bank, and the thirsty take-up across the board shows that they're hitting the mark.

About

Tim came to the Yarra Valley with vintages under his belt at Domaine Dujac in Burgundy and Château Margaux in Bordeaux, as well as stints in Chianti, Oregon and Chile. Since then he had a hand in some of the region’s headline-grabbing wines of recent times during his tenure at Giant Steps before taking the helm at Punt Road in 2014. Tim and the team are making most of the freedom to push boundaries while making the most of the excellent fruit the Yarra Valley gives rise to.