Gulf Station Pinot Noir Rosé Press Reviews
Gulf Station Pinot Noir Rosé 2006
'Utterly brilliant', was all I wrote in my tasting notes when i first sniffed and sipped this wine six months ago. When it was bottled and labelled I managed a few other words including 'beautiful', 'elegant', 'dreamy' and 'awesome value'. The nose, palate and finish of this pinot noir rosé are nothing short of perfect. Faint cherry, cranberry and raspberry notes tug at your taste buds for minutes after you've swallowed each gulp, making this a sensational spring wine.
Matthew Jukes, Mail On Saturday (UK), 21 April 2007
Gulf Station Pinot Noir Rosé 2005
"This is a real Neil Diamond of a wine. You're thinking expensive, sparkles, has rhinestones and denim on the label, right? I'm thinking: cracking rosé. OK, work with me, it was close. Bill Downie is a pinot nutter, even by the obsessive standards of pinot-philes and this is his tribute to the delicious rosés of Domaine Tempier in Bandol - only using pinot, not mourvčdre, and far cheaper. Drink on any hot August night."
Stuart Gregor, Don't buy wine without me 2007.
88 points
"Salmon colour; full-on into European style with dusty, spicy notes and a dry, fractionally grippy, finish."
James Halliday's Australian Wine Companion 2007
"'You only have so many bottles in life, don't drink a bad one.' Heed these wise words and open this drop next time you're enjoying cured salmon. This Rosé comes from the Yarra Valley and is the ideal accompaniment to seafood or a sunset on the verandah."
Virgin Blue Voyeur Magazine, June 2006
"Looking for a stellar wine to star in your bottleshop? Look no further than the 2005 De Bortoli Gulf Station Pinot Noir Rosé. De Bortoli's passion for everything Pinot has lead to the creation of a new Rosé made from premium Pinot Noir fruit grown in their Yarra Valley Estate.
This is the first commercial release of this wine and one that De Bortoli winemaker Steve Webber feels very passionate about: 'Over the last few years in our travels to France, we have been excited with the Rosé styles of Southern France, particularly Bandol Rosé made from Mourvedre. The wines are pale in colour and have a palate feel to them which doesn't rely on sweetness. In 2004 we made our first Yarra Valley Pinot Noir Rosé and the resultant wine was an absolute standout success in our Yarra Cellar Door and received terrific accolade from Matthew Jukes in the UK. Matthew included it in his Top 100 Australian Wines announced at the London Wine Trade Fair in May 2005. With this success we were encouraged to make and release a commercial volume of this more sophisticated style and the 2004 Yarra Valley Pinot Rosé has been released under our Gulf Station Range' Steve said.
Beautifully pale in colour with attractive and distinctive varietal aromas, it has so many different layers of texture and flavour that I could quite happily drink this wine chilled, out of a Chianti Riedel glass, till the day I die ... But I'll let the wine speak for itself ... enjoy!"
Retailer, April 2006
17.5 Points
"Bill Downie, De Bortoli's Yarra Valley consulting winemaker and resident wine enthusiast, fell in love with the South of France's Rosé from the Bandol region when he was working there recently. When he couldn't find an equivalent in Australia, he had some shipped out - and he still loved it.
Bill reckons the round, easy dry Bandol style has absolutely no agression, no corners and no acid edge or crispness. There is no obvious varietal flavour, just a light, relaxed and mellow mouth feel with a soft finish and an aftertaste that just slowly drifts away.
The De Bortoli team have done a great deal of homework to ensure this trial release is produced by the same methods as the original. Unless wine buyers know the story, they may never have a second glass of such a non attention-grabbing wine. However, when they understand the reason behind the style and add some food into the equation, they may end up with a wine that deserves a second glance and then begin to notice how relaxed, easy and complete it is. The finish and after-taste on this are wonderful. This is the sort of wine that could be used as an example of when someone opens a bottle with three or four friends - and then wonders aloud 15 minutes later as to where the wine could have gone so quickly. This is the only Rosé that I would like to drink."
John Jens, Western Suburbs Weekly, Perth, 9 May 2006
"I normally wouldn't write about a wine that is so hard to find. However, I was so excited by this rosé I hoped that by writing about it, some Perth retailers will start stocking it. If not, I suggest you pester them. This has to be one of the most unusual and interesting rosés I have tasted, and quite different to your standard confectionary-like Aussie rosé. It came as the result of De Bortoli Yarra Valley winemaker Bill Downie's fascination with rosés he was drinking while in Burgundy. He liked the texture and mouth feel of these wines and wanted to replicate them in Australia. In 2004 he fiddled around with juice run-off and then in 2005 decided to leave fruit on the vine longer to reduce the acid. He then pretty much pressed it into a tank and fermented it to bone dry. The result is a wine that has a sweet mouth feel and yet is absolutely dry. It is extraordinarily beautiful wine. In some ways it's a serious wine but is also great fun to drink, as rosé should be. I tasted this wine with the French model on which Downie based his creation and I preferred the Aussie version which, I might add, is a good deal cheaper."
Ray Jordan, West Australian, 1 April 2006
"De Bortoli have taken a different approach with its 2005 Gulf Station pinot noir rosé - Yarra Valley fruit and a 'more sophisticated' style. The bloke who made it, Steve Webber, allows himself to be quoted as follows: 'It has so many different layers of texture and flavour that I could quite happily drink this wine chilled out of a Chianti Riedel glass until the day I die.'"
David Bray, QHA Review, February 2006
"Quite orange in colour with no pink or purple hues. 'The aroma is complex but differs greatly from the usual Australian style' one taster said. Both tasters thought this wine was European in style with good mouthfeel and body. Some savoury dryness is detectable on the finish. This wine was also a favourite in the line-up."
Charlie Melton & Scott Heidrich, Australian & New Zealand Wine Industry Journal, January / February 2006
"Although it's made from pinot noir, this pale bronze-coloured wine is more akin to the extraordinary rosés made from mourvedre in Provence. Full of earthy, creamy strawberry smells, it's meltingly satisfying on the tongue."
Peter Forrestal, Australian Gourmet Traveller Wine, February 2006
"De Bortoli Gulf Station 2005 pinot noir rosé is made from premium fruit grown on the Yarra Valley Estate with the rosés of southern France in mind - 'pale in colour and a palate feel which doesn't rely on sweetness.' A delicate wine."
David Bray, QHA Review, January 2006
"Keep this quiet, but this is a superstar rosé in the making - if a rosé can be called a superstar. It is light and dry and subtle, with just enough rose-petal scented fruit sweetness to assure you of its ripeness, but then an overwhelming, complex, onion-like dryness takes over and really gets your taste-buds jumping. It is quite beautiful, and well above its station. Chill it, lay out some food, settle back and feel yourself falling in love."
Campbell Mattinson, Winefront Monthly, Edition 38/39, October-November 2005
The Daily Telegraph's Top Rosé of 2005
"Yarra Valley winemaker Steve Webber reckons this is the best wine he has made in 2005. That's high praise indeed as De Bortoli's cabernets, pinots and chardonnays are ranked among the best in the region. 'I tried to make a European-style rosé, with onion skin, not lolly pink colouring, and with a bone dry palate' says Webber."
Jeff Collerson, Daily Telegraph, Sydney, 21 December 2005
"Clean, delicate aromas of white peach and almond notes; dry, nice rounded mouthfeel and moderate high acidity, almond and burnt orange notes and a mouthwatering but rather hot finish."
Rebecca Matthews, National Liquor News, December 2005
"Pink blush - aromatic strawberry and raspberry - classy elegance from the Pinot Noir - minerally characters - lightly oaked - well rounded mouth feel - dry finish."
Paul Ippolito, E-Newsletter, December 2005
"Attractive nose with nice fruity flavour and a dry, long finish."
Lance Hogan, National Liquor News, December 2005
"With all the sunshine and outdoor eating, 'tis the season for chilled wine. But how do you please both red and white wine drinkers? De Bortoli 2005 Gulf Station Pinot Noir Rosé is a more serious style of rosé, modelled on the great light reds of southern France and made with the prima donna of grapes, pinot noir. It lacks the sickly sweetness of many chilled reds, yet is light enough to drink with seafood."
Sophie Knox, Australian Table, December 2005
"De Bortoli Wines has tried to be original rather than critical in its approach to the rosé wine style, letting the variety express itself. Their passion for everything Pinot has lead to the creation of a new Rosé wine made from premium Pinot Noir fruit grown on their Yarra Valley Estate. This is the first commercial release of this wine and one that De Bortoli winemaker Steve Webber feels very passionate about, 'Over the last few years in our travels to France, we have been excited with the Rosé styles of Southern France, particularly Bandol Rosé made from Mourvedre. The wines are pale in colour and have a palate feel to them which doesn’t rely on sweetness.' The 2005 De Bortoli Gulf Station Pinot Noir Rosé is beautifully pale in colour with attractive and distinctive varietal aromas."
QHA Review, October 2005
"De Bortoli's passion for everything Pinot has lead to the creation of a new Rosé wine made from premium Pinot Noir fruit grown on their Yarra Valley Estate. This is the first commercial release of this wine and one that De Bortoli winemaker Steve Webber feels very passionate about. 'Over the last few years in our travels to France, we have been excited with the Rosé styles of Southern France, particularly Bandol Rosé made from Mourvedre. The wines are pale in colour and have a palate feel to them which doesn’t rely on sweetness. [This wine is] Beautifully pale in colour with attractive and distinctive varietal aromas, it has so many different layers of texture and flavour that I could quiet happily drink this wine chilled, out of a Chianti Riedel glass, till the day I die.'"
Winestate Online Newsletter, 17 September, 2005
"Some rosés are little more than lolly water but not this little beauty, which has a beguiling salmon-pink colour, great fruit definition and a dry, exhilirating finish."
Dr Peter Hay, Australian Doctor, 16 September 2005
"Steve Webber is a bit anti-wine-show these days. Although he still does some judging himself, he’s seen enough to know the wines that do well in shows aren’t necessarily the wines you’d want to drink. And that’s made him a bit disillusioned, which in turn has changed his approach to his job – as chief winemaker for De Bortoli in the Yarra Valley. The De Bortoli Gulf Station Rosé 2004 is a case in point. He was showing yours truly a tank sample of his ‘05: 'If this was entered in a wine show it’d probably get 13 points [out of 20 - a faulty-wine score]' he grinned cheerfully. The colour is not a brilliant purple-pink with a blue rim: that would count against it for starters. Oz rosé tends to be made like a white wine, with low pH, high acidity and totally anaerobic winemaking. It’s too acidic to slip down the throat easily as rosé should. ‘This has an acidity of four grams per litre [very low: Australian rosé is usually more like seven grams], the pH is about 3.9 [normally it’s close to 3.0], no acid was added, it was fermented in barrels and underwent a malolactic [softening, acid-reducing] fermentation' said Webber. The wine is smoky, savoury, complex and non-grapy; soft, gentle and finely balanced, and slips down beautifully. It’s great with grilled baby calamari. It contains about one gram per litre of residual sugar, which is as dry as wine can be, and yet doesn’t have a dry or austere finish. Instead, it has richness and a lovely texture, inviting you to have another sip, and another. Which is what rosé should be about. It’s a lovely drink, and a glimpse of the exciting changes happening across all varieties at De Bortoli’s Yarra winery."
Huon Hooke, Good Weekend Magazine (The Age & SMH), 27 August 2005