£10.95, The Wine Society
I’ve tasted seven of the latest Blind Spot Australian wines and it’s difficult to choose only one as Wine of the Week. They’re all good, good value and different, so it depends what style or grape variety you like, the occasion and what sort of food you’ll be having, if any. One general thing I can say about the style is that it’s much more about purity and elegance than brawn. The Pinot Noir I’ve settled on sums up the range perfectly. It’s made in a sensitive, hands-off way (wild yeasts, light oak) to be light-bodied but intense, seamless and sleek, with sappy rose and cherry aromas and flavours of dried and sour cherries, tangerine and spices. You wouldn’t want to overwhelm it with strong food, but I had it with chicken thighs stuffed with sun-dried tomato, green tapenade, smoked lardons and thyme and it wasn’t at all cowed. It would also go with salmon or cooked and cured hams. I’ll be covering the other wines in a blog soon.
Blind Spot Yarra Valley Pinot Noir 2016, Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia
£10.95, The Wine Society