You might call Black Star Farms Winery a full service winery. They feature a luxury inn, two wine processing facilities with adjoining tasting rooms,a distillery, farm-to-table café, and boarding stables for horses. They also make world class wines and outstanding fruit brandies. Winemaker Lee Lutes has been there from the beginning in 1998. In 2018 their 2017 Arcturos Dry Riesling was dubbed “best Riesling in the world” having won the prestigious Canberra International Riesling Challenge. They also have the largest Pinot Noir program in the state.
This Pinot Noir adds to their considerable accomplishments. Cool climate Pinot Noir succeeds when the juice and the tang come out to play. This one succeeds admirably.
The palate is juicy yet soft up front then swells with a focused beam of mouth-watering acidity that ascends quickly into the upper register, elegantly transitioning to a puckering, medium-length finish featuring a squeeze of cranberry.
The wine’s initial softness morphs into a gentle sandy texture as the finish launches and the fine grained tannins emerge, all anchored by that cloak of juicy fruit that persists through its evolution.
Aromas of strawberry mingled with damp earth, mint, and a hint of coffee topped with a thin layer of crushed rock make for an intriguing nose with depth and dimension. For $24 dollars this is as good as it gets.
Slender and graceful yet volatile with a glimpse of stormy emotion like Kate Bush’s Never Be Mine.
Technical Notes: A blend of grapes from five vineyards, 10 months in French oak, 40% new. Arcturos is Black Star’s premium line.
Score: 91
Price: $24
Alc: 13%
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