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Riorret The Abbey 2010

Region: Yarra Valley

Village: Tarrawarra

Location: Cnr Old Healesville Rd and Houghtons Lane

Vineyard: North East Facing, Clone MV6, Planted 1993

Grower: Riorret

The Vineyard
Gentle north-east facing slope, cooler than expected, early ripening, very aromatic site. Highly mineral Humevale siltstone which give us some of our finest wine styles.

The Wine
The Abbey site is quite fine and elegant with perfume and power. Very pretty black cherry fruit, complex slightly rustic nose with hint of strawberry and clove. The palate is powerful with spice, earth and red fruit flavours that build in texture. Elegant finish with fine powdery tannins.

Cellaring
Surprisingly poised now, but should be pretty fancy over 3-5 years.

Analysis
13.0 Alc/Vol, pH 3.70, 6.5g/L

93 Points
"This has a slightly forward colour and flavour; the nose shows sweetly super-ripe fruit and some foresty complexities. It has charm and density, offset by acidity, which firms the finish; good fleshy fruit all the same. It's a charming and complex wine that satisfies."

Huon Hooke, Gourmet Traveller Wine, March 2012

97 Points
"The Riorret (‘terroir’ backwards) pinots of Steven Webber push the envelope, and don’t always succeed. This does. Light, clear, bright red; has the red berry and spice characters of its less expensive sibling (Estate Pinot Noir), except that the volume of fruit is immeasurably greater, the flavours correspondingly more intense and long; cherry and plum have a dusting of savoury spices, but no more. Has stupendous length."

James Halliday, The Weekend Australian Magazine, November 2011

94 Points
"A pretty, lighter bodied take on Yarra Pinot with an air of spice, cherry kernel and anise over a core of red cherry fruits. The finish is long, vibrant, bright and accented with finely textured tannins.