Curlewis Winery (Geelong) – One of my favourite small wineries after I tried their wines at the 2005 version of this event. This year they have a new range of very good, lower priced (around $22) wines called “Bel Sel” which stands for Bellarine Selection and comes from purchased fruit from the Bellarine Peninsula. The Pinot tasted here were significantly better than most tasted in the Pinot Tutorial.
Shiraz 2003 – Very good. A nose of spices, cracked pepper and earthy aromas. Elegant, medium weighted, savoury, long palate. Delicious drinking now and will get even better with some short time in bottle. 92/100
“Reserve” Pinot Noir 2003 – Lovely perfumed nose of cherries, raspberry, earth and spice. Palate is tight and has wonderful balance. Excellent length. Will flourish with 3-5 years more age. 92/100
Chardonnay 2004 – Just how I like my Chardonnay to be. Nose is distinctly cool climate with nutty, flinty and slightly funky aromas. Complex palate, with texture and lovely flavour. Perhaps slightly less intense than the 2003 vintage of this wine, but very good regardless. 90/100
Pinot Noir 2003 – Cherries, smoked meats, spices and violets form the nose. The palate is balanced, with restrained power and plenty of mid-palate weight. It’s really a joy to drink, even at this early stage.89/100
“Bel Sel” Shiraz 2003 – Pepper, spices and a touch of stalk. Palate is balanced and this is seriously easy to drink stuff. Very, very good at the price. 89/100
“Bel Sel” Pinot Noir 2004 – Stalky, peppery, cherry and even a bit of funk which is sadly missing from most cheap Pinot Noir. So easy to drink, but enough complexity to keep things interesting. 88/100
“Bel Sel” Chardonnay 2004 – Nutty and floral nose. Lacking the length and depth of some of the other wines. 87/100
I tried the Bel Sel Pinot again tonight and it is still looking lovely. Less stalk and pepper and more smoky dark cherries, lovely texture on the palate and I reckon it is pretty close to unbeatable for the price.