Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir Duck Trail 2012
There is no better combination than a great Pinot Noir served with duck. And when its Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir and duck served by Melbourne's finest restaurants, it's a killer combination. Cloudy Bay Pinot & Duck Trail will return this year throughout all of the month of July to the eastern seaboard with a line-up of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane’s finest restaurants.
The Melbourne restaurants are a stellar line up of Number 8, Taxi Dining Room, Duchess of Spotswood, Flower Drum, and The Smith. These iconic restaurants will serve amazing duck dishes with 2010 Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir every day from July 1 to July 31.
On a pleasant Melbourne day, Cloudy Bay Winemaker Nick Blampied-Lane, gave us a sneek peak of the awesome event that is much anticipated after previous success.
Nick spoke highly of the 2010 vintage.
2010 Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir tasting notes:
Our 2010 Pinot Noir is deep garnet in colour with warm rosy hues. The complex bouquet offers layers of dark berries and cherry, cinnamon, sweet leather, fresh herbs and soft tobacco. The palate is plush and round on entry. Ample red and black fruit, including rhubarb, bramble fruit and cranberry, is balanced with notes of fresh mushroom, white pepper and savoury spice. We love this vintage’s delicate and lacy tannin structure and its bright acidity gives delicious lift to the lingering finish.
Number 8 led the charge in our pre-empting of the Trail. The Spiced duck breast with orange jelly and beetroot confit was sensational to say the least. The lightness of the Pinot cut through the fatty elements of the duck superbly. The bouquet of the Pinot was magnificent with smoked plums on the nose and floral notes. The darkness of the Pinot was interesting as was the low tone characteristics and earthy notes.
The Chef Michael told us the duck had been sourced from the King Valley and was part of a well orchestrated breeding program. The dish also featured blood oranges from Victoria.
The next stop was Federation Square and Taxi Dining Room. Taxi is noted for excellent cuisine and its stellar view over the Southbank precinct.
Taxi Dining Room featured a sublime dish of Szechuan Duck and Fresh Lime. The salt mix combined with the duck had a pleasing kick to it. Once again the dish was a superb combination with the earthy tones of the Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir.
The next stop was The Smith where a sublime Duck dish of Magret duck breast with faro and almond pilaf, and spiced fromage blanc was served with the Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir.
The Cloudy Bay Duck Trail 2012 will also feature sublime dishes from top Melbourne restaurants Duchess of Spotswood and Flower Drum. This is a popular event and one not to be missed.