The 2023 growing season was the fourth cool season in a row. These 2020- 2023 La Nina seasons will be remembered for their challenges, but also the lovely ele-gant wines they have produced. Cool is one thing, but wet and humid is another. Extreme October-December rains and high humidity kept the vineyard team on it’s toes. Keeping the vineyard disease free and balanced during this period was the key to this wonderful vintage. From Jan-April we saw welcome dry periods with all fruit picked between March 10th and April 4th.

Brilliant crimson this wine sparkles in the glass. The aromatics are fresh and lifted with notes of raspberry, blood orange, fresh cut plum and rosehip florals. The pal-ate shows delicate red fruits, cherry, macerated strawberries with alluring spice, baked earth and delicious acidity. This fine and silky tannin of this Pinot is all wrapped up in a powerful, long finish.

Our Estate vineyard Pinot Noir is a blend of two blocks (all MV6), the gravelly, hungrier duplex clays of the North facing B block (75% of blend) and the cooler loamy brown soils on the south facing C block (25% of blend). Parcels were hand-picked at perfect ripeness between the 10th and 17th of March and in each case the fruit was chilled overnight and de-stemmed into open fermenters the following morning. A parcel of whole bunches were wrapped up for carbonic treatment and fermented separately (10% of the final blend). Following a 4 day cold soak under CO2 protection to maintain fruit purity and enhance colour stability, the must was warmed and primary fermentation commenced. The cap was pumped over gently twice per day, with the some plunging for greater extraction toward the end of ferment— the separate batches remained on skins for 15 days. At the completion of fermentation, the wine was pressed to tank and then racked to French oak barrels (30% new) for malolactic fermentation. This cuvee was matured for 9 months in oak, before being bottled on December 13th 2023.

Our 2023 Estate Vineyard Pinot noir would match well Sechuan Crispy Duck with Plum Sauce