Eldridge Estate Burkitt Blend Pinot Noir 2020 - QWine Reviews

Home Top Ad

Responsive Ads Here

Eldridge Estate Burkitt Blend Pinot Noir 2020


Here is a wine that is more about community spirit, banding together to support a mate and generating funds for a worthy cause. Open the bottle and it is bright and beautiful. Captivating from the outset, there is so much about its being to embrace.

David Lloyd, one of the Mornington Peninsula's originals, has had more than his fair share of bad luck in recent years. With cancer impacting those close to him, the big C recently hunted him down too. One of the most genuine and humble people you could meet, he stared it down and has come out the other side. But his treatment took place in the middle of vintage. What to do?

From David:

I received a letter from the Peter MacCallum Foundation a few months ago asking for a donation and dutifully sent off $100. I only pay myself $40k pa so even that was a stretch but I felt really bad. The place saved my life and all I could donate was a paltry $100. 

Soon after I made the donation I was thinking about the 2020 Eldridge Pinot Noir that was only partly made by me and is different to my previous releases where the Pinot Noir was spread across at least 3 wines ie the flagship Estate $70, the single Clone MV6 $75 and the “Reserve” called Clonal Selection $85.  In 2020, Eldridge produced just the single Pinot Noir and its production is a little under 5 barrels. So what do I call it and how do I price it? 

An idea began to take form.

I decided to draw attention to the work of the Peter MacCallum Foundation and the cancer I had by calling this Pinot Noir the Burkitt Blend. Dennis Burkitt being the doctor that first reported what I had, Burkitt Lymphoma. 

It is also the first time that I have used all 8 clones in a single wine and essentially the same blend and oak regime that I would use in the $85 Clonal Blend. So I have decided to sell it for $70. I have given an undertaking to give $20 from every bottle sold by August 30 to the Peter McCallum Foundation.  It would normally take me 12 months to sell that quantity, maybe longer so I am trying to go all out to sell it by August 30 with the aim of donating $30k to the Peter MacCallum Foundation. I am only selling it via my website in either a 6 bottle pack option at $420 or 12 bottle case at $840, the pricing includes freight. 

As David was unable to make the wine himself, it was produced by a band of locals who all chipped in. Those involved can be found here: Eldridge Estate vintage 2020 team Bravo all!

But what is the wine like?

Think scents of sour cherries, dried red flowers and violets. There is a crunchy red apple acidity sitting on the tail of twiggy and dried leaves plus touches of dried tea leaves as well. The savoury and earthy elements muse wonderfully with the cherry fruit delivering a classy wine and one well worth sharing with your friends as a tribute to the Mornington Peninsula colleagues that came together to help out a mate.

Drink to eight years.

94/100

Region: Mornington Peninsula
RRP: $70
Source: Sample

Winery Website

Subscribe to Qwine here

Follow me: Twitter and Instagram