The pleasures of pinot

EVERY year, Howard Park owners Jeff and Amy Burch hold an international pinot tasting at their Margaret River property. On the surface, it’s supposed to be a serious analysis of where their pinots under the label of Marchand and Burch sit in relation to the rest of the world, but really its just an excuse to go down to Margs and drink through Jeff’s amazing wine collection.

This year’s soiree involved a dinner on the Friday at which Jeff delved into his cellar and lavished us with names like Domaine de la Romanee Conti Grands Echezaux 1982 and Chateau Latour 1966. What was served for dinner? Not really sure, no doubt it was delightful, but the focus was more on whether the ’76 or ’72 Barolo was showing better.  

The dinner was followed on the Saturday by the headline event, the 2011 international pinot tasting, pitting the very best pinots of Burgundy, New Zealand and the Americas against each other. Suffice it to say that, after the previous night’s prolific hedonism, there were some forced grins and water guzzling going on before the event started; from all except our ebullient host, of course, who seemed his usual effervescent self.

All the big names were there – Bindi, Atat Ranghi, Felton Road, Marchand and Burch, Bouchard – presented blind in the cavernous barrel room. 

Much slurping, spitting and head nodding was accompanied by a palpable lifting of spirits room-wide; suddenly heads didn’t feel quite so stuffed with wool as the great pinots of the world were paraded in front of us. 

My top five wines in descending order were: the velvety, totally alluring 2009 Bindi Block 5 from Macedon; the Marchand and Burch 2008 Clos de Beze – a majestic Grand Cru Burgundy (probably worth its staggering price tag); the 2009 Felton Road from Otago (the most weighty wine of the tasting); the 2009 Marchand and Burch Gibraltor Rock (nervy and gritty and super long); and the 2009 Bay of Fires (the least pinot-like of the tasting but probably the most fun wine, ready to drink and enjoy now).

I almost felt relieved that, when the wines were revealed, the Marchand and Burch wines showed so very well. It’s always a risk for the producer to pit their wines against other super great producers in case they just don’t stack up. No problems here, the room universally admired the Clos de Beze; but at $500 a bottle it’s hard to justify. 

The wines I will be buying are the 2009 Bindi Block 5 (if I can find some), which I believe to be the consistently best pinot out of the new world, and the 2009 Marchand and Burch Gibraltor Rock, which is undoubtedly leading the way for serious, world-class pinot out of Western Australia.

Scott Taylor is the proprietor of The Beaufort Street Merchant in Highgate.