"Freycinet is a well-sited vineyard about halfway up the eastern Tasmanian coastline. Like a Greek theatre, its vineyards form a basin-like valley, focusing its vines towards the north and east where they perfectly capture early morning sunlight and warmth. With temperatures also moderated by its proximity to Great Oyster Bay and by a cover of shale-like stones that retain heat into the night, it’s straight from the viticultural textbook.Freycinet’s Pinot Noir is very much a vineyard-driven wine, based around a single hectare of vines planted in 1980 to which another 0.35 ha of recently top-grafted pinot noir selected from the new Dijon clones have been added. Unusually, winemaker Claudio Radenti uses a rotary fermenter to duplicate the process of plunging the ferment in open vats. He typically ferments the wine at a rather warm 32-33°C, using around 8% of whole bunches. Deliberately made to avoid excessive early artefact, it begins as a supple, relatively uncomplicated, fragrant and flavoursome wine that usually takes a very respectable eight and twelve years of age to peak in depth, richness and complexity. Radenti prefers to let bottle age develop its perfume and gamey influences.Allied to a now-mature vineyard, plus an experienced and focused approach to its winemaking, Freycinet has crossed the threshold into the top echelon of New World pinot."Jeremy OliverEight Emerging Australian Classics 24/01/2006
