Punch Lance’s Vineyard Pinot Noir 2023

Written By Campbell Mattinson
review of Punch Lance’s Vineyard Pinot Noir 2023

Punch Lance’s Vineyard Pinot Noir 2023
$45, 12.5% alcohol, screwcap, Yarra Valley

This beautiful Pinot Noir from Punch in the Yarra Valley was grown on vines that were planted in 1976, 1998 and 2003. The fact that there were three plantings might make it sound as though there are a lot of vines in play here, but the truth is that this vineyard is still only two hectares in total. We’re talking boutique wine farming here. This 2023 release is a wine typical of the estate, in that it has a run of sap, forest berry and violet characters sitting in the centre of the palate, right there amid the mainstay of fresh, blue-red berry, gently jellied fruit. This wine is suggestive of undergrowth, and of twiggy herbs, in an inherent and/or unforced way. It carries fine-grained tannin, and a well-sustained finish. It’s absolutely delightful to drink now, but it will cellar. 94 points.

Campbell Mattinson

This article was written by Campbell Mattinson, founder of The Winefront and mattinson, and former chief editor of Halliday.

When you pick up a wine book and see thousands of top-scoring wines, it’s hard to know which wine to choose. Mattinson guides you through this maze, giving you an honest view of the best Australian wines, the best wine stories, the best wine producers, the best value wines and simply, the best tasting wines. Importantly, Mattinson will tell you about the top-rated wines and also about the underrated wines. In short, Mattinson knows Australian wines inside and out.

Mattinson has been a photo-journalist since 1987. For the past 25 years he’s been a voice that you can trust when you’re looking for the best wines. He’s the only Australian to have won the Australian Wine Communicator of the Year Award more than once. He’s a past winner of a Louis Roederer International Wine Media Award, and is the author of the award-winning book The Wine Hunter. He’s not afraid to put a score beside a wine. But what he’d rather do, is tell you the wine’s story.

https://www.campbellmattinson.com
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