2023 Hoddles Creek 1er Yarra Valley Pinot Noir

Highly Rated
Only released in the vintages when Franco D'Anna deems the quality is outstanding, the Hoddles Creek 1er Pinot Noir is one of the benchmark wines in the Yarra Valley.
4.7
Rated 4.7 out of 5 stars
10 Reviews

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Sale price$70.00
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Description

Now firmly ensconced as one of the Yarra Valley's most collectable Pinot Noirs, the 1er from Hoddles Creek never disappoints.

Sourced from the immaculate Top Paddock Vineyard, where the west-facing, south-sloping rows provide the ideal conditions for slow, even ripening, this Pinot Noir represents the pinnacle of what the Upper Yarra can produce. Franco D’Anna and his team at Hoddles Creek treat the vineyard as a living, breathing entity, focusing on soil health and minimal intervention to allow the true character of the site to shine.

With about 25% whole bunch inclusion, this wine is all about balance and structure. The gentle tannin extraction during fermentation is a result of careful, continuous assessment, leading to a wine that’s both elegant and complex. The 2023 vintage, much like the highly acclaimed 2021, needed little work in the winery, allowing the natural quality of the fruit to take centre stage. Expect finely-tuned tannins, a vibrant palate with red and dark berry notes, and a lingering finish that speaks to the wine’s ageing potential.

A wine of world class quality - if you're a lover of Pinot Noir then this is a must buy. This is Australian Pinot Noir at its very best.

98 points
"Whether it's $20 or $70, you can count on Hoddles Creek to overdeliver! From a year that's produced several superb Yarra pinots, this is up there with the best of them... A beautifully balanced and poised wine that is destined to keep improving for years to come."
- Philip Rich (Halliday Wine Companion)

95 points
"A serious pinot of impressive concentration and drive. It has the weight to reward some cellaring."
- Huon Hooke (The Real Review)
95 points
"It’s a fine, lacy expression of pinot noir... It feels like there’s quite a bit of structure here, almost architectural tannin and acid profile, edges and firmness yet still that finesse, transparency and a core of slate-like minerality to boot. Unapologetically savoury. A very serious wine."
- Mike Bennie (The Wine Front)

The philosophy is simple with Pinot Noir, you can’t make it to a recipe when it comes to cap management. You need to look at the wine every 6 hours and determine the best way forward. Tannins during fermentation change all the time, and great tannin really determines the best red wines in the world. Each vintage, each block and the varying nature of the micro-climate the block sits in also changes the tannin make up with the wine. During hot years, it’s easy to extract tannin but it’s not really desirable tannin as the fruit ripens quite quick and doesn’t give enough time for tannin development on the vine. We are quite gentle in these years and only really pull out the tannin we want during the latter stages of fermentation. In a year like 2021, the wine pretty much made itself. Not a lot of work in the winery.

The Pinot Noir for this wine comes from our Top Paddock Vineyard. There are 28 rows of pinot planted in this block, which is West facing and sloping to the South. The fact that it slopes down to the South is really important as it enables us to include about 25% whole clusters to the fermentation. South facing blocks tend to be a bit cooler, and ripening takes a little longer hence the stalks have a chance to regain ripeness without imparting any green flavours on the wine.

Pinot Noir from this block has been treated separately since 2005, when we highlighted that the rows produce slightly different fruit than the remainder of the vineyard. With the vineyard in balance, we simply shoot thin around the crown and take off any multiple shoots. The vines would normally crop about 1.3 kilograms per vine.

In the winery, this has the same treatment as the Estate Pinot Noir except for the inclusion of twenty five per cent whole bunches. This makes the tannins a little more finer and gives structure to the wine for further ageing. The wine spends eighteen months in cask. The wine is not filtered, not fined, or stabilized before bottling.

98 points - "Whether it's $20 or $70, you can count on Hoddles Creek to overdeliver! From a year that's produced several superb Yarra pinots, this is up there with the best of them. A bright medium crimson, this leaps from the glass with its beguiling aromas of cherries, raspberries, rose petals and a little whole-bunch derived incense and spice. And boy, is it good on the gently textured and energetic palate. Superfine and persistent tannins round out a beautifully balanced and poised wine that is destined to keep improving for years to come." - Philip Rich (Halliday Wine Companion)

95 points - "Excellent medium depth of red-purple colour, the bouquet showing almond-meal overlying dark-cherry to plum fruit aromas, while the palate is medium to full weight for pinot noir with a slightly grippy tannin backing, the overall impression being of a well structured pinot that will love to partner with food and will stand some time in the cellar. A serious pinot of impressive concentration and drive. It has the weight to reward some cellaring." - Huon Hooke (The Real Review)

95 points - "It’s a fine, lacy expression of pinot noir. A highlight, quite a bit of fine, almost Italianate tannin shaping with a bristle of dried herb and woodiness to it too. The fine, powdery chew laced through dark cherry, choc-coated date and garam masala spice – the bouquet with all this and a lift of mint and leafy herbal elements, pepper in tow. It feels like there’s quite a bit of structure here, almost architectural tannin and acid profile, edges and firmness yet still that finesse, transparency and a core of slate-like minerality to boot. Unapologetically savoury. A very serious wine." - Mike Bennie (The Wine Front)

Customer Reviews

4.7
Rated 4.7 out of 5 stars
Based on 10 reviews
Total 5 star reviews: 7 Total 4 star reviews: 3 Total 3 star reviews: 0 Total 2 star reviews: 0 Total 1 star reviews: 0
10 reviews
  • KM
    Kevin M.
    Verified Buyer
    Wine Knowledge Level Enthusiast
    5 months ago
    Wine Knowledge Level Enthusiast
    2022 Hoddles Creek 1er Yarra Valley Pinot Noir
    Reviewing
    2022 Hoddles Creek 1er Yarra Valley Pinot Noir
    Rated 5 out of 5 stars
    Great value

    Excellent pinot which gets better with time in glass, classic example of Australian Pinot reflecting red fruit notes and medium acidity, I will definitely buy again with some to cellar for the future.

  • SD
    Sharon D.
    Verified Buyer
    Wine Knowledge Level Enthusiast
    1 year ago
    Wine Knowledge Level Enthusiast
    2022 Hoddles Creek 1er Yarra Valley Pinot Noir
    Reviewing
    2022 Hoddles Creek 1er Yarra Valley Pinot Noir
    Rated 4 out of 5 stars
    Worth the hype

    Premier Pinot.

  • PT
    Paul T.
    Verified Buyer
    Wine Knowledge Level Enthusiast
    2 years ago
    Wine Knowledge Level Enthusiast
    2022 Hoddles Creek 1er Yarra Valley Pinot Noir
    Reviewing
    2022 Hoddles Creek 1er Yarra Valley Pinot Noir
    Rated 5 out of 5 stars
    Wow

    Excellent Pinot, one of the best tasted this year, hunting around for any remaining stock and will be queuing up next year

Reviews LoadedReviews Added

Hoddles Creek Estate

Hoddles Creek Estate lays a serious claim to being one of the best value producers in Australia.

Led by the extremely hardworking winemaking guru Franco D’Anna, the Hoddles team crafts wonderful Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in particular that seriously overdeliver at all price points.

The wines are all made from fruit grown on their family vineyard in the Upper Yarra Valley. A must-try for Yarra Valley fans and bargain hunters alike!

Winemaker Franco D'Anna - Yarra Valley, VIC Discover Hoddles Creek

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