Matua, Pinot Noir 2014

When a light weight red is the order of the day, it’s hard to go past a youthful Pinot Noir. But as any winemaker will tell you, being a low yielding grape and troublesome in the vineyard, it’s a style which is notoriously expensive when you are looking for a wine of reasonable quality.

And it may be a Dan Murphy’s staple, but the Matua 2014 Pinot Noir is really quite drinkable yet selling at only a $14.00 price point.

Pour it in the glass and there are all the typical Marlborough Pinot cherry and black forest cake aromas on the nose and an abundance of ripe strawberries once the wine hits the palate. Its sweetness could tend towards flabbiness, but there’s just enough acid at the back to provide a degree of respectability. I personally prefer a bit more herbaceous meatiness in a Pinot, but at its entry-level asking price, it would be churlish to complain. Put it with lamb in a rosemary sauce and the Matua will do its best work without breaking the budget. You’ll find better Pinot on the shelves, but you’ll have to be prepared to pay a significantly higher price!