[TN] A visit to Phillip Island

Last night, two friends of ours had us over for dinner. They had just recently returned from 10 days in Australia, traveling through Victoria. With dinner, they opened up three wines they had brought back, all from Phillip Island, which is just South of Melbourne and close to the Mornington Peninsula.

2010 Phillip Island Chardonnay nose: lemons, stones palate: bracing acidity, medium body, apples and lemons, a hint of oak

Wow! This wine was a dead ringer for a quality Maconnais Chardonnay. The acidity was vivid, the oak very restrained and no evidence of malolactic fermentation. Never in a million years would I have guessed Australia for its provenance.

2010 Purple Hen Pinot Noir nose: sappy, dark cherry fruit palate: medium body, good acidity, velvety

This wine reminded me quite a bit of NZ Pinot Noirs with the characteristic sappy notes in the nose. Our friend Chris, an avowed Pinot Noir hater, found this wine to be to her liking. We're going to have to open an Amisfield PN for her to compare.

2008 Phillip Island Cabernet Sauvignon nose: pencil lead, dark, brambly fruit palate: tannins, good acidity, medium body, deep fruit

This wine put me in mind of California Cabernets from the 1970s and

1980s. It had a definite New World feel, but a sense of restraint to it that kept it far away from overextraction or jamminess. There was plenty of structure to this wine and I have no doubt that it'll continue to improve for quite a few years.

All 3 of these wines were products of a cool climate and showed it with a sense of elegance and restraint that I rarely encounter in wines from Oz. Well done!

Mark Lipton

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Mark Lipton
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