Pfeiffer 2008 Pinot Noir (4.5* $25/ C2 $22.50) On the basis of received wisdom suggesting Pinot goes best in cool climates there's no way Hughesy should be rating this rounded medium bodied wine as highly as I do. Maybe it's the particular clone or the fact that the wine comes from sixty year old vines. Not a wine I'm likely to reorder, but one I look forward to sampling with each new release.
Pfeiffer 1999 Reserve Marsanne (3* $n/a) While it was pleasant enough drinking, with touches of honeysuckle and a rounded mouthfeel and I could be charitable and suggest we might have left it a tad too long, this did nothing to dispel my view that Tahbilk is the automatic go to when you're looking for Marsanne, particularly when you're after something with a bit of bottle age.
Pfeiffer 2004 Riesling (4* $n/a) Arrived in the October 2009 C2 Club Dozen and stuck at the back of the wine fridge since, a check with the ubiquitous Halliday suggested that January 2011 was a bit past the drink-by date for a well-made but unremarkable Riesling, probably made from King Valley/Strathbogie Ranges fruit. Seven years in the bottle had certainly rounded out the youthful apple and tropical fruit notes he'd remarked on, and the aged Riesling characters weren't up there with some I've tried recently, but an interesting drink that suggests it's worthwhile sticking a few well-made Rieslings away even if they're not from a premium region. Provided you've got the cellar space, of course.
Pfeiffer 2009 Riesling (4* $18.50/C2 $16.55) Citrus on the nose, minerals on the palate. Good (actually, very good) but not great, and we've had some great ones lately. May manage to sneak a bottle or two into an order involving Gamay, Ensemble Rose and Gewurztraminer.
Pfeiffer 2008 Shiraz (4.5* $21) Softer style, though that’s not suggesting it lacks complexity or elegance, Pepper on the nose, tannins that don't grab you by the throat although it's still 14.5% alc. Would be looking at an order but no longer available through the winery.
Pfeiffer 2009 Shiraz (4.5* $22.50; Wine Club $20.25) This rather tasty densely coloured wine, with savoury aromatics on the nose and a lingering finish across the palate could well find itself featuring in a reorder though much depends on which wines out of the rest of the C2 Club pack make me sit up and take notice.
Pfeiffer 2010 Winemakers Selection Tempranillo (4.5* $n/a) Bright reddish-purple in the glass, savoury berries, cherries, spice and hints of leather nose on the nose and firm tannins in a finish that's balanced and runs out nicely. One to watch for next time around and line up with grilled red meat, roasts or hearty casseroles in the notional winter, though it worked well enough on a Bowen summer air-conditioned Saturday night.
Pfeiffer 2010 Winemaker’s Selection Viognier (4* $25 C2 $22.50) My research notes suggest that when the grower gets it right deep yellow grapes produce wine high in alcohol with a strong perfume. While 13.2% isn't all that high, the aromatics were definitely there on the nose (peaches and stone fruits, touch of spice) with the apricots coming out across the palate. This Wine Club only number, nicely textured and hitting the right spot when it came to accompanying my favourite roast chook could, once again have been rounded up, but one suspects it'll be all gone by the time the Gamay order goes in.
