A little while ago I had an old friend over all the way from Melbourne. Whenever she is town we try to catch up and usually I have her over because it’s easier and cheaper than going out. My partner loves it when we have people over mid-week because it means that there is a. an excuse to cook a fancy meal and b. an even better excuse to crack open the fancy wine.

This time was no different, and we were lucky because my partner had just gotten his box from Naked Wines, so we had many wines to choose from! Normally I wouldn’t open Naked Wines when I have my friends over from interstate because I like to save these wines for a mid-week drink in front of Netflix, but when we were looking for a bottle to open this one caught my eye. It was one I hadn’t seen from Naked Wines before (my partner has a tendency to order the same ones) but it also sparked my memory. I knew I had to try it because I remembered where I had seen it before.

What a blast from the past

I only really got into wine a few years ago and I can thank my partner for my obsession. He was the one that introduced me to the beauty of wine tours. We went on my first ever wine tour when we were in San Fransisco (who wouldn’t fall in love with wine in the Napa Valley?!) and I have been head over heels ever since. But the first wine tour I did in Australia was in the Yarra Valley.

My partner and I were so obsessed with trying the wines that on our tour we even managed to sneak in a tasting at the Yarra Valley Dairy. Yep, while everyone else was eating cheese, we were drinking wine. I have to say everyone else was missing out because the wine we were trying was great. It was from a small producer in the valley, and they had many interesting varieties we hadn’t tried that day. We ended up buying a Nero D’Avola which was absolutely delicious and sadly has already been drunk by us. But I always remembered the label because their wines were great.

Fast forward to this evening where we were looking for a wine, and I saw this very label once more. I got so excited that it was from the same vineyard we had tried all those years ago that I knew I had to have it again. This time it was the Santolin Family Reserve Pinot Noir 2017. With a name like that you know it’s going to be a delicious wine, right? Well even though Pinot Noir normally isn’t my go-to wine, I have to say this was something special.

Why I loved it

This wine from Santolin is hand-picked and handcrafted with little intervention in the natural fermentation process of the wine. Unlike many commercial wineries that use machines to pick their grapes, hand picking them means that you ensure only good grapes and no bugs go into making the wine. This, as you can imagine, makes the wine better quality from the start. And also ensures you aren’t drinking bugs, because who wants that. Regardless, you can definitely taste the quality in this wine. It is a true example of a Yarra Valley Pinot Noir with minimal changes to how it naturally should be.

Because the wine has also been in oak for 10 months, it has a nice toasty flavour that I don’t often find in Pinot Noir. I really liked this because it meant the wine was a little heavier with more tannins than your usual Pinot Noir. It was also complex with a long lingering taste and slightly sweet notes that were counteracted by the warm flavours. It is the perfect example of a medium-bodied Pinot Noir in its natural state.

What I also loved about this wine is that because it did have some tannins, you could easily keep it for a while. This would age quite well over a couple of years and really bring out the flavours in the wine. That being said, it is great now.

What to pair it with

This wine is definitely best enjoyed with food. It goes great with a meat dish such as lamb or beef because of the slightly heavier and oaky flavours. I wouldn’t drink this wine without food as it just wouldn’t be as enjoyable! If you’re in the mood for duck, I think doing as the French do and enjoying a Pinot Noir with a duck dish would be perfect!

Final verdict

This wine was absolutely delicious, and a perfect treat for a midweek wine. I’m not surprised though, because the other wines I’ve tried from Santolin have been incredible. It goes to show that the smaller wineries in the Yarra Valley can really hold their own, as much or even more so than the bigger players.

I really appreciate what this winery is doing with more natural winemaking processes. It might mean more effort up front, but the proof is in the pudding, or the Pinot Noir!