You read that correctly: We found ourselves the sole owners of an outstanding Pinot Noir that has just taken its first breath on American retail soils. And if we’ve learned one thing from today’s exquisite, mind-bendingly delicious bottle, it’s that we are not perfect. If we were, then Soumah wouldn’t represent our first-ever offering from the Yarra Valley. Buried deep in Southeastern Australia, this region is (1) one of the world’s best-kept secrets and (2) the most diverse hotspot for cool-climate wines with staggering aroma and texture. While we can't fix the six-year dearth of Yarra Valley wines on SommSelect with a single offer, we think Soumah’s value-loaded gem gets us real close.
Pour this into a Burgundy stem, and you’re instantly greeted with a perfectly sculpted, cool-climate Pinot Noir. Seriously: I’m racking my brain real hard in order to come up with $25 competition—be it from California, Oregon, NZ, Burgundy—that can compete with the flat-out deliciousness of Soumah’s 2017. It makes me wonder if all that time I spent studying the Yarra Valley for my Master Sommelier exam could’ve been better utilized by simply drinking these aromatically explosive, supremely elegant wines! Become one of the very first in America to enjoy this exclusive offer and I guarantee it won’t disappoint.
You can find just about everything in Australian sprawling region of Victoria. Home to some fantastically underrated appellations—Yarra Valley (the oldest), Mornington Peninsula, Rutherglen, among others—every shade and style of wine seems to exist here, with no lack of grape diversity, either. And from this freedom, many value-driven, eco-conscious producers have planted their flags with an impressive lineup of wines. Yarra Valley is one such place and Soumah is one such producer: A relatively recent creation, their small team preaches quality over quantity—they’ll even tell you that the “greatest priority is to make sure the vineyard is as healthy as it can be.”
Elevated off the valley floor, buried in sandy clay loam, and exposed to massive day-to-night temperature swings (diurnal shift), they’re in possession of some truly great sites for grape growing. And if you’re one to think it’s generally too hot here, I’ll leave you with this: Yes, the Yarra Valley is warmer than Burgundy, but it’s cooler than Bordeaux. After a cooler growing season in 2017, the Pinot Noir for Soumah’s “Select Vineyard” was harvested from two vineyards, Hexham and Upper Ngumby. In the cellar, the grapes fermented (5% whole-cluster) in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks, and the resulting wine was transferred into 20% new oak barrels, both barriques and puncheons, for just under one year. Bottling occurred without fining.
In the glass, it reveals a healthy ruby core with magenta hues glinting toward the edges, but it’s impossible to focus on visuals when the wine itself is so strikingly aromatic. Ripe, pure notes of Bing cherry explode out of the glass with raspberries, black/red plum, eucalyptus, mint, candied rose petal, underbrush, and soft baking spices serving as its colorful shrapnel. The palate offers a lush, full-bodied, broadly layered Pinot Noir with a cooling, savory infusion. Still, the vivid core of ripe red fruit rings loudest and leaves your mouth watering until the next sip is taken. We know a Yarra Valley offer was long overdue, so this delicious bottle from Soumah is our way of saying sorry (and your welcome). Cheers!
