2018 Between 5 Bells Pinot Noir

Region: Drumborg  < Australia 

Grapes: Pinot Noir

Vineyard/Cellar Stats: Organic farming, whole cluster, carbonic maceration in stainless steel; bottled unfined/unfiltered with <50ppm of sulfur added; 12% ABV

Winemaker: David Fesq & Ray Nadeson 

Between Five Bells is a collective of 3 Aussie winemakers who each have their own projects and/or day jobs.  Because it’s tough to feed your family making natty wine. They do it because they are passionate about about making wines THEY want to drink (clean, low ABV), that are both good for the planet and human bodies.  As they say, “the blends are unconventional, the winemaking is experimental, the juice at the end is simply delicious.” The three partners are Ray (the proprietor, viticulturist and winemaker for Lethbridge Wines), David (Ray’s cousin who works in the family’s 6th gen wine-distribution firm), and Josh, a fancy sommelier in Sydney.  Fun fact: in 2008, when they we’re just starting out, they made a bunch of Shiraz in a wheelie-bin (what they call a trash can in Oz) in Josh’s garage.  

We’ll forgive them for the trash can Shiraz, because they’ve clearly upped their game with this puckery Pinot that is right up our alley.  Sour plum and tart red berries infuse the whole cluster cherry basket, everything lifted by the carbo action and perfumed with mint. It feels very 80’s PG, like the wine you sneak from your parent’s wine cellar (if they actually had good wine) and drink after curfew straight from the bottle, giddy with the perceived naughtiness of it all.  LOVE.