Complex and earthy. The 2018 vintage shows minerality, spice and subtle wild berries on the nose. Textural with fine integrated fruit tannins. A wine with flow, harmony and length.
The first week of November and the month of December were very hot and dry - perfect conditions for flowering. The vines produced a solid crop with large bunches. Careful leaf plucking to open the canopy and significant bunch thinning was required to ensure quality targets were met. Rain in January and February gave the soils a top up and ensured canopies stayed healthy. Overall one off the warmest seasons of the last 10 years produced beautiful, healthy Pinot bunches with great flavour intensity.
WINEMAKER’S NOTES:
Hand picked and fermented in the vineyard in the rows where the fruit was grown. We allow the fruit to start fermentation in its own time and respond to the rhythm of the season. Therefore the fermentations are driven not only by indigenous vineyard yeast but also the ambient temperatures. We gently hand plunge the vats once per day and then allow a short maceration post-ferment for balance and harmony. The young wine is then aged for 15 months in older oak barrels before being estate bottled.
ACCOLADES:
92 pts Burghound
94 pts Cameron Douglas MS
94 pts Bob Campbell MW