Williams Crossing 2013 Pinot Noir

Red wine and soft, creamy cheeses are a difficult match. Not just any old red wine will do. It can be a pretty specific coupling. It’s got to do with those pesky wine tannins, which is why a softer, lighter tannin approach is the way to go.

Enter the Williams Crossing 2013 Pinot Noir, a fruity youngster from the Curly Flat people in Victoria’s Macedon Ranges. Winemaker Phillip Moraghan is a noted pinot noir and chardonnay maker, a man who minds the smallest detail both in the vineyard and the winery. Williams Crossing is his second label, the wine you turn to for everyday drinking.

Fresh cherries, spiced raspberry coulis, vanilla bean and a lick of gentle toasty oak appear bright and juicy in the glass. A thread of fine tannin keeps it tight, contributing to a brisk finish. Marry with Président Camembert and the two hit it off, the buttery creaminess of the soft cheese accentuated by the wine’s earthy cherry spice and those delightful tannins.