Our wine.

Although 2021 was a challenging year around the globe, in the Southern Forest region were very fortunate with reduced cyclone impact and excellent fruit quality. These two clones of Pinot Noir had been grafted onto Cabernet Sauvignon Houghton Clone rootstock which has produced a first run of small berries which is an ideal skin to flesh ratio for varietals like Pinot Noir.

We sourced our single vineyard fruit from friends at Koomal Creek Vineyard, near Smithbrook. The two clones were hand harvested together in the last week of March, and it was almost an even split of 114 and 115 that went into the blend. The fruit maintained good acid levels which when combined with the lack of disease or bird pressure, allowed us to let the fruit hang for a little longer to develop a full flavour profile of these clones.

The grapes were crushed, destemmed and cold soaked in tank for 48 hours to extract and stabilise a nice colour early on. Gentle pump overs were performed twice daily, and this vintage we did not include any whole bunches as the stems were not lignified enough. After only 10 days on skins, for a lighter extraction, the fruit was pressed directly to 3 year old French Oak barriques to undergo malolactic fermentation and then maturation for 9 months. The wine was cross flow filtered and minimal sulphites were added to stabilise the wine and ensure its shelf life.

Visually, the wine has a light vibrancy with a soft crimson edge. The nose offers notes of cherry and sweet spice. The wine presents with delicate and silky berry fruits such as raspberry and plum on the palate, along with soft spice savouriness. The blend of the two clones brings moderate, balanced tannins to the palate.

Sourcing fruit from a cooler climate region combined with the use of older oak has resulted in a wonderfully youthful, yet savoury wine that has balanced acidity and restraint.