FROMM La Strada Pinot Noir 2011
The Wine Front (Gary Walsh, Campbell Mattinson & Mike Bennie)
94 Points/100
“Liquorice, spice, floral notes and cherry fruit. Firmly structured and tannic with cool red fruit, crisp acidity and a little spice with a dry, but pretty long finish. Style and structure here. Earthy appeal. Almost like Nebbiolo! What a treat when a wine like this pops its head above the crowd in a big blind tasting.”
Michael Cooper
“The 2011 vintage (4*) is floral and supple, with plum, cherry and spice flavours showing good complexity, a silky texture, and excellent depth and harmony.”
Lisa Parrotti-Brown for eRobert Parker
89 Points/100
“Pale to medium ruby-purple-coloured, the 2011 La Strada Pinot Noir displays a nose of red cherries and red currents with suggestions of tree bark, dried sage and loam. Medium to full-bodied with a good amount of expressive cherry and earthy flavours in the mouth, it has a medium level of chewy tannins, uplifting acid and a finish with good length. Drink it now to 2016”
Raymond Chan
4 Stars
“Dark, deep ruby-red colour with a black-hued heart and lighter garnet on rim. The bouquet is gentle and even with ethereal perfumes of dark red berry fruits and fresh red floral detail interwoven harmoniously with red liquorice and raspberry notes. Medium-bodied, restrained flavours of dark red berries and florals are supported by very fine-grained tannins and supple, dry textures. The acidity is in the background enhancing the soft, rounded mouthfeel. The palate flows smoothly and with a sense of balance and completeness to a soft, dry finish with good length. This is a harmoniously balanced Pinot Noir with ethereal red fruits and soft, dry textures. Serve with poultry and rabbit dishes over the next 5-6 years. Predominantly clones 115, 5 and 6, from the ‘Fromm’, ‘Quarters’ and ‘Clayvin’ vineyards, from vines averaging 16 y.o., fully destemmed and indigenous yeast fermented to 14.0% alc., the wine spending 2-3 weeks on skins and aged in barrel. 18.0-/20”