[question] Question submitted by Greg Robertson Could you comment on the prices that consumers are paying for boutique wines such as Noon? It is almost impossible to buy, apart from over the internet. I notice you youself do not list it in your annual. Also a lot of wines are coming out of the Riverlands region of significant variation in quality. How much is due to irrigation and /or concentrating on quantity rather than quality. I am a great lover of well made red wines and am finding such a huge variety of quality in Australian reds. [/question] [answer] Personally, I believe that the prices paid for Noon wines is purely the result of their reviews at the hands of Robert Parker. I have not tasted Noon wines for a few years, now, since the winery decided not to send me any more samples. This is their call, and I have no problem with that. I found the typical Noon wine to be made from ultra-ripened fruit, lacking in fruit freshness and length down the palate, way too alcoholic and out of balance. Other than that, they were very well made. I think there is vastly superior value to be found in McLaren Vale. It just shows you the enormous influence wielded by Parker when it comes to styles that suit his very particular affection. Mind you, Parker does not claim to be anything other than a ‘consumer advocate’ who rates wines highly not based upon their technical merit, but depending on whether or not he likes them. In this, he is very consistent in his taste preferences. The recent variations in quality of riverland wines have, I think, two main causes. Firstly, some riverland (but not Riverlands) companies like Calabria’s Westend and McWilliams (Hanwood) are dead serious about making great riverland wine. I’d throw in a favourite of mine, Deakin Estate, although it’s also not strictly a Riverland producer, being based in Sunraysia. The other main cause is the ongoing drought, which has seen riverland vineyards have to deal with more stress than ever before. Some vineyards have had to deal with watering regimes well below their usual levels. Simply put, stressed vines grow stressed grapes. Stressed grapes do not make good wine. The notion that you need to ‘stress’ a vine to make great wine is one of the great nonsenses perpetuated by people who should know better. [/answer]
