The Hare & The Tortoise Pinot Noir – seriously good value

Sometimes you stumble across a wine that is so good it truly knocks your socks off. Then you realise it is under $20 a bottle and you almost fall off your chair. Could it be? A delicious Pinot Noir under $20? Well, I am here to tell you that the secret is well and truly out on The Hare & The Tortoise Pinot Noir. No really, it is. At least in our suburb!

You see, we found the wine at a wine tasting our local bottle store does. If you didn’t need more of a reason to visit a bottle shop on a Friday night, this one lets you sip on interesting wines while you browse. This one was about five Pinot Noirs from different areas which I found really interesting as you could really taste the difference in the wines from Australia, New Zealand and France. However, there was one that really stood out, and when we saw it was under $20 we hastily grabbed two bottles. While we were doing so, about five or six other people starting snapping it up to. I’m serious, this wine was flying off the shelves! Now I’m really wishing we had bought a few more bottles because it’s been sold out for weeks. And for good reason too!

The Hare & The Tortoise Pinot Noir will be your new favourite

The Hare & The Tortoise Pinot Noir 2018 is a delicious wine from the Yarra Valley. Winemaker Nicholas Crampton teamed up with Punt Road winemaker Tim Shand to create this affordable drop that is so easy drinking you’ll be wishing you had more on hand. Sure, it isn’t a Burgundy, and you could cellar it for a few years, but why wait? At such good value, you may as well enjoy it now!

Wines like these are perfect for everyday drinkers. It’s the kind of wine you want to have a couple of bottles aside for those impromptu dinners with friends, or for a perfect midweek drop. You don’t have to feel the least bit guilty about opening it because you didn’t break the bank, and what’s more, it is absolutely delicious. Wines like this can be hard to find, especially if you’re used to using price as an indicator of quality. But it isn’t always the case, and The Hare & The Tortoise Pinot Noir 2018 is one of those unicorns of a wine that proves you can get delicious wine at great prices if you know where to look.

Why I loved it

The Hare & The Tortoise Pinot Noir 2018 firstly looks absolutely mouth-watering. I mean, I love a good label, and this one has that too, but the wines bright purple colour makes you eager to take a sip. It is a really aromatic wine, as most Pinot Noirs are, and you’ll get delicious smells of plum, spice and strawberry. If that isn’t enough to get you interested in this wine I don’t know what is!

I would say this wine has a light, bordering on medium body, with flavours that really linger. The flavour of the wine was quite fruity upfront with red and purple fruits (that cherry again). However, there was this really nice complexity at the end of the palate with mineral flavours and an earthiness that Pinot Noir is so well known for. I really liked the balance that this created in the wine, as the upfront fruit is quite rich, but the earthiness comes in to save the day.

I can talk about flavour all day, but why do I think you’ll love this wine? It isn’t so much about the flavour as it is about how easy drinking it is. The Hare & The Tortoise Pinot Noir 2018 is simply delicious, and you’ll polish off the bottle all too quickly. It leaves you wanting more and wishing it wasn’t sold out. For under $20 a bottle this wine is such a great find, and you can afford to stock up!

What to enjoy it with

This wine could easily be enjoyed with or without food. Personally, I think it went best with some nice cheeses and meats before dinner. It’s the sort of wine you can enjoy without food, or with a couple of nibbles along with some good company. However, I think it would hold its own just as well with a good steak or even a pasta dish. I wouldn’t get too fussy with this wine and pairing it with food. It isn’t taking itself too seriously, and neither should you. Just crack it open, relax and unwind.

The Hare & The Tortoise Pinot Noir 2018 will also cellar for a couple of years well, but I wouldn’t leave it for too long – perhaps 3-4 years. But honestly, this wine is so good that you’re going to have trouble keeping your hands off it!

The final word on The Hare & The Tortoise Pinot Noir

The Hare & The Tortoise Pinot Noir 2018 is a great option for midweek, affordable drinking. It is a cracking bottle of wine that won’t cost you an arm and a leg. And with Pinot Noir, this can be really difficult to find! This wine will go down easily as an easy-drinking red, or as a great option to enjoy with friends. Either way, you can rest assured you will need more than one bottle of this gem of a wine!