Sure, this new Yalumba The Y series Pinot Noir 2022 is not exactly a Rousseau Chambertin, but it is plenty of Pinot Noir joy with a $15 RRP (and often available sub $10).

Lauren, who run the Yalumba PR, dropped a bottle of this in the post as a just-labelled pre-release because team Yalumba are so pumped about how it looks. The bottle I had didn’t even have the alcohol % yet. FRESSSHHH.

Released early next year, and All South Australian fruit. Indeed fruit is the name of the game here. Bright red raspberries in an open, inviting and drinkable mode in a mouthfilling mode. No oak in sight, very little tannins, it’s dry though, and while hardly complex (or even trying to be), there is ripe red fruit Pinosity here and even a whisper of interesting forest floor bits too.

I’m a jaded drinks journo who pours $150 wine into Spag boll, but that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate a well-made bargain.

Best drinking: now. 16.5/20, 88/100. ?%, $15. Yalumba website. Would I buy it? A glass for me, but I’d recommend widely.