'The Sabre' Pinot Noir 2016 – Wine Selectors Pick of the Pack
'The Sabre' Pinot Noir 2016 was judged 'Pick of the Pack' in two recent Wine Selectors Winemakers' Release packs, Tim was also interviewed about his approach to wine making...
The Interview
Q What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given when it comes to winemaking?
A What determines the quality of a wine is not the barrels of wine that you put in a blend, but the ones you leave out. In other words, be ruthless when you select for quality. Don’t include lesser wines just for the volume.
Q What’s your biggest career highlight so far?
A I recently tasted a vertical of the last eight vintages of The Sabre, plus two Reserve wines, and realised that I had achieved one of my big ambitions. While collectively they had won a number of gold medals and trophies, what really thrilled me was that while they showed aged characters, they were still lively and ‘together’, rich and complex. I always wanted to make Pinot with legs!
Q The Riposte The Sabre Pinot Noir 2016 is our Pick of the Pack – what makes this such a standout?
A It’s a multi-vineyard and multi-clonal wine, it’s made of many small batches fermented, pressed and aged separately in the best French oak barriques that we can buy, 20% of them new. My son Nick and I constantly taste through up to 100 of these barrels, aiming to create a rich, layered and complex wine which reflects the individual vintage. Typically we will reject up to 20% of the barrels available, often because the wine just doesn’t fit what we’re aiming for – see best advice!
The Review
"With a long history of judging, Tim enjoys the opportunity to taste and experience a wide range of Australian cool climate wines, and is a master of Pinot Noir."
Grown in: Adelaide Hills, SA
Made by: Tim Knappstein
In the glass: Deep garnet.
On the nose: Strawberry, dark cherry and plum with earthy notes and kitchen spice.
On the palate: Very ripe and juicy, showing developed red plum, strawberry, complex tannins, mouth-watering acidity and cedar oak support.
Pair with: Mushroom risotto with speck
Best time to drink: Now to 2021
Download the Wine Selectors Winemakers' Release notes to read the review.