Tarras Vineyards

Tarras Vineyards The Canyon Pinot Noir 2016

Award
Winner Gold Pinot Noir Wines
Grape Varieties
Pinot Noir (100%) Bendigo, Central Otago, New Zealand
Country of Origin
Alcohol Content
14.00% Alcohol by Volume
Wine Type and Oak Treatment
Still Red with Oak Treatment
Recommended Retail Price
RRP AU $65.00

Complex, ripe fruit. Plenty of wood on the palate. Lacking some fruit intensity. Still an overpowering wine with the duck. Lacking balance.

Very forward aromas of black cherry, red plum and spice. Supple and sweet-fruited with a generous core of black cherry supported by spice notes and savoury tannins. The wine remains unchanged by the food.

A feast for the senses with cherry pie and vanilla cream aromatics. Rich, fleshy and structural. The wine looks less structural with the food and seems more supple and in balance.

Slightly stewed fruits, with cola notes and a little one dimensional and simple with warm alcohol heat. The wine became a little fresher with the introduction of food but the warm alcohol heat remained and also brought forward a hard green edge on the wine.

Some tertiary aromas starting to emerge on the nose, lifted with strawberry and spiced plum on the palate. Smooth tannins with a spicy finish. Full bodied. For those who like them plump.

Quite an opulent style with dark cherry, spice and dried herb notes, sweet-fruited, silky palate with firm, fine tannins on the finish. A bold style.

A big ripe sweet fruit driven nose and palate. So soft it is almost sweet on the palate. Soft tannins with integrated oak. Better matched with this dish.

Rich ruby colour. Restrained fruit aromas over woodsy, earth and spice. Zesty fruit on palate, fresh clean acidity and ripe though prominent tannins.

Medium red, toasty vanillin oak nose, rich ripe cherry plum fruit, soft tannins, excellent fruit clarity which flows delicately alongside the dish the oak largely disappears.

Light brick red, vanilla, dusty, red fruits, medium weight, slightly dry red like.

Savoury, lifted floral perfume, nutty and toasty oak, dark cherry. SOP, has structure and weight, gritty tannins. Food: moreish, softened the tannins slightly.

Super drying tannins overpowered a little by the oak, needs some food to curb those tannins. Dark red cherry notes.

The Pinot Noir Wines were judged with

Coq Au Vin

Presented by chef Michael Manners

Ingredients

  • No. 15-18 Chicken
  • 550mL Pinot Noir
  • 150g Speck
  • 250g Button Mushrooms
  • 8-10 eschallots
  • 30mL brandy
  • 1 Carrot
  • 1 Onion
  • 3 cloves of Garlic
  • 5 Black peppercorns
  • 2 Bay Leaves, Thyme, Tarragon, Parsley stalks, 1 Tbsp butter & 1 Tbsp plain flour – mixed

Method

  1. Cut the chicken into eight pieces.
  2. Make up a stock with chicken backbone, onion, carrot, bay leaves, 5 black peppercorns, and thyme. Strain.In a large saucepan, place the Pinot, 2 bay leaves, thyme, parsley and crushed clove of garlic.
  3. Add stock. Reduce by half.
  4. Dice the speck and cook with some butter and a little oil. Allow the fat to run out of the speck and then add the peeled eschallots. Allow to colour.
  5. Add seasoned chicken pieces (salt and pepper) -try skin side down until coloured and turn, add brandy and flame. Pour in the wine stock, mix ??? a fresh bouquet garni and garlic.
  6. Cover and cook until tender. Meanwhile cook the mushrooms in butter with salt and pepper and one crushed garlic cover.
  7. When the chicken is cooked, strain off the sauce and thicken with the butter/flour mix. Add the chicken, eschallots, mushrooms and serve.