Drink Up! Where in the world to find top-rung pinot noir

Who makes the best pinot noir outside Burgundy? You might be surprised, says Susy Atkins

Serious pinot noir fans love to row over which is the grape’s second best region. First is Burgundy, of course, the spiritual home of this variety – few would argue with that. But where else does pinot excel? This is a notoriously difficult and pernickety grape. If it’s too hot, its wine tastes baked and jammy; too cold and it’s vulnerable to frost on budding, and the thin skin of its berries leave them prone to disease and pests.

Top countries at conquering all this and consistently delivering fine, beautifully balanced, silky smooth pinots are New Zealand and California. I have a long-standing tussle with an old friend in the States over which is the winner (I adore NZ PN). Then there are brilliant pinot noirs made in South Africa and Chile. But recently I was bowled over by the quality of a set of premium wines from somewhere much more site specific – Mornington Peninsula in Victoria, Australia.

This small hook of land (25 miles long and between nine and 12 miles wide), 40 miles southeast of Melbourne, sticks out into the sea at the base of mainland Australia. It’s surrounded by three bodies of water – Port Phillip Bay to the west, Western Port Bay to the east and the Bass Strait to the south – and this is key to the region’s successful pinot as the cool breezes coming off the water effectively fan the peninsula, moderating the heat. Indeed, this is one of Australia’s only true maritime wine regions, with a long growing and ripening season, low risk of frost and a patchwork of soils and varied elevations. It’s just what pinot prefers, allowing for a style that’s ripe but beautifully fresh, scented and balanced.

Vines have been grown here since the 1880s but the area only became known as a modern producer of fine wines in the 1970s. It’s now a region comprised of small estates, many of them family owned, with a distinct emphasis on quality. As well as top-notch pinot, Mornington Peninsula delivers excellent chardonnay and pinot gris too.

I tasted eight pinots from the region in a recent Zoom event, the winemakers joining us from Oz to offer their views. It was, quite simply, my tasting of the month and beyond. Even though I used the spittoon and tried to play the poker-faced pro, my written notes are ecstatic: “deeply aromatic”, “lovely, soft and rounded”, “amazing pepper and graphite”, “wow…” When pinot is good, it is blissful. As well as those below, pinots from Moorooduc Estate, Paringa, Ten Minutes by Tractor, Ocean Eight and Scorpo were impressive.

The sobering news is that none of them comes cheap. Making top pinot noir in a small winery, using mainly French barrels, is an expensive business. But these wines are well worth it for a treat and the chance, perhaps, to chew over that favourite wine topic once again.