Rob Hall Pinot Noir 2020
Yarra Valley, VIC
This is wonderful, unfussy, high quality, local Pinot Noir that you can crack any night of the week without too much thought. It is from the equally unfussy Rob Hall, a born and raised Yarra Valley lad that has been making top wine in the region for 20 years.
Before venturing out with his eponymous label, Rob worked 10 years at the iconic Mt. Mary and also makes the wines for the up-and-coming estate Boat O Craigo. However, since 2013, he has made a Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Cabernet, based on fruit from the small Harriet’s Vineyard that he planted with his family in 1996. Whilst the winery is young, it routinely receives Gold Medals from the Halliday Companion and is a 5 star rated winery.
Rob makes what we think is some of the best value wines in the country. He strikes a balance of complexity, fruit generosity, succulence savouriness and balance. A difficult feat under $30, let alone $25. This wine shows all of this, with hand picked fruit, gravity fed flow in the winery (this is gentle winemaking, no pumps), some whole bunch ferments ( delivering perfume, spice, tannin) and ageing in exclusively French barrique (10% of which are new).
The wine is very aromatic with clove, anise, brown spice, pine, cranberry and black cherry. Whilst the wine is light in the glass, it has great concentration and a delicious, juicy mix of red fruits… think cherries, framboise, cranberry. The finish is wrapped up with a zippy acidity and soft lacy tannins. It is a great drink and a handy one to have on hand. His Chardonnay is equally impressive and the same price, please just enquire if you’d like some of this as well.
Cheers,
Tom and Dan