An interesting wine

Riorret 2008 – The Abbey Vineyard Pinot Noir – $39.99 at Swanbourne Cellars.

Riorret is made by Steve Webber of De Bortoli and if you read it backwards, you will notice it is ‘Terroir’ backwards. I spoke to Steve about the ‘Riorret’ label back in the summer of 2010 and he explained the Riorret wines were from specific vineyards with particular emphasis on the ‘terroir.’ Steve spent many years making wine in Burgundy and mentioned that he thinks wine made in Australia can be just as good as those from this area of France. This wine is an interesting addition to the De Bortoli range and I’m pleased I have finally been able to try this and I look forward to tasting through the other wines in under this label.

Riorret 2008

Being a 2008, you will notice there is a colour difference in the wine with a tawny hue to the edge becoming deeper at the core. There’s a richness on the nose with hints of spice, fruit cake and green peppers. On the palate there’s a light spice with layers of subtle fruit including green peppers, red berries, fruit cake and a long lingering finish. At $39.99, it’s a wine for a special occassion – just make sure decanter it one hour before dinner to give the wine plenty of time to breathe!