For all my good intentions regarding the consumption of more pinot noir this year, I haven’t had more than one or two.  I certainly haven’t been showing the initiative I could have.  So now, in order to make up for this laxity, I present a fantastic pinot noir for consideration: Taylors Adelaide Hills 2008. Ordinarily, Taylors’ pinot noir is sourced from Clare Valley, but for some reason this particular release was sourced from the Adelaide Hills — I have no problem with this, I love the Adelaide Hills. I’m just mentioning it because it seems to be an unusual case.  Could be wrong.

The bouquet is fairly light and fruity, but with strong rosewood and cherry notes that give it a firm basis.  This wine is really well-structured, with complex flavours of rose, rhubarb, a little plumminess and a faint hint of cloves and vanilla at the top.  I must admit that all these notes probably give the impression that this is a sweet wine, but nothing could be further from the truth.  There is a great deal of woodiness to the flavours that provide earthy bottom notes, which allows the wine to carry those fragrant flavours without ever straying into sweetness.

Although a little more robust than pinot noir typically can be, that is not to the wine’s detriment.  It’s a fragrant, delicious wine that carries the delicacy of pinot noir with plenty of support.  I think pinot noirs can sometimes drift away, getting watery or, worse, becoming a donut wine (plenty at the top and bottom, but nothing in the middle). Taylors is an excellent winery, and this is definitely an example of some of their finest work.