2020. The year that anything goes. And now the Wickhams has crept up over $20. Is it still Australia’s best PN? (note, bottle image 2015, but no other change)

Hoddles Creek Estate, Wickhams Road, Pinot Noir, Yarra Valley, 2020

Varietal, if primary aromas, crunchy, flinty near gun smoke, just-just ripe cherry (that crispness, bordering bittersweet). thyme flower, red currant, bacon bits. Smoky bacon and dark cherry, woody thyme, lightly loose tannins which finish to a waxy  texture. There’s a sharp crack of spice but a little flesh missing from the bones of this release.

RRP: $21
Alc: 13.5%
Rating: 17/20 (87/100)

Wine sample courtesy of Hoddles Creek Estate