Marist Pinot Noir

The other night, M and I had our first guest around for dinner at our new place. After G & Ts, and copious appetisers, I cooked up a modest feast and we moved on to the wine.
I am a big fan of Pinot these days. It can take a while to develop the palate for it - it's lighter and more delicate than most other reds, and the flavours can be quite complex. The task is not helped, of course, by the fact that it's hard to get a cheap Pinot. The berries are thin-skinned and require tender care, so usually a good one has to be entirely made (and picked) by hand. This leads, naturally, to higher prices. But it can certainly be worth it.
This example is grown in the Southern Highlands of NSW, where conditions suit the Pinot variety very well. And the vines are tended, I can only assume, by monks, which is an advantage most do not share. I like to think the monkishness is evident in the wine - brown and husky aromas of dark cherry and cloves, and a spicy palate of stewed plum and earthy briar. Of course the Marist brothers aren't the rough-spun wool sort of monk, but a man can dream...

Food: This accompanied our appetisers - crackers and paté, etc, and went beautifully.
Price: A quite reasonable $25 a bottle.