Meadowbank Nouveau Syrah Pinot 2021 (6 Bottles) Derwent Valley, Tasmania

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Peter Dredge’s Syrah Pinot may not have existed were it not for Tasmania’s devastating 2019 bush fires. With no single-varietal 2019 Pinot slated for release, Meadowbank have let us down easy here with a lip-smacking, juicy blend of 45% Pinot Noir and 55% Syrah. The two, given the Nouveau treatment, make happy bedfellows.

Fruit is drawn from Estate-grown vines planted in both 1987 and 2015; parcels were fermented separately–50% with carbonic maceration for seven days, followed by de-stemming then an additional two days on skins, and the other half with whole-berry, natural ferment for 10 days on skins.

Maturation took place in old French oak casks for four months before the total was racked, blended and bottled–unfined, unfiltered and with minimal sulphur. Dive right in…

The Nouveau bottling is the legacy of Tasmania’s devastating 2019 bushfires when no single-vineyard Pinot was bottled. Instead, the fruit Dredge could rescue ended up in a juicy, lip-smacking blend. 2020’s iteration is a fusion of Syrah from Meadowbank’s Top Woolshed vineyard and 10% old-vine Pinot. Dredge picked the Syrah early for freshness and vivacity, and the crop was fully destemmed. The Pinot was partially fermented as whole bunches, bringing “fresh fruit lift, softening the grip, and introducing floral aromas”. With a portion of carbonic, the wine spent only 10 days on skins and was matured in old French oak for nine months.

The upshot in an engaging brew of cherry-skin juiciness and springtime sappiness combined with a refreshing nip of Pinot-like tannin and racy, cherry-pip acidity. Glouglou with definition.