Willowlake Pinot Noir

Description

TASTING NOTES The appearance is ruby red. Aromatically, there is a wonderful play of freshness and earthy undertones. Bursts of bright red fruits and spices such as clove and nutmeg are present. Some kirsch notes are present with layers of subliminal green stalk tones.

The palate is rich, silky and luscious. Red and blue fruits are apparent which play with the sweet spice tones of clove, nutmeg and cinnamon. Sweeter oak tones of mocha and vanillin marry wonderfully with the forest floor notes, enveloping the fruit to give complexity. The ripe and present tannin plays a part of giving structure to the wine, which in turn carries the fruit, acid and mouthfeel harmoniously. The finish fans out across the palate which help complete an elegant, yet powerful wine.

This Pinot Noir will develop favourably in the medium term; best drinking window is now until 2028. A delightful food match for this wine is slow-cooked pulled pork and a zesty slaw.

"Sourced from the highest point of the Willowlake vineyard at around 200–220m elevation. Only 15% whole bunches, matured in French oak (25% new). A very light, bright ruby red, hinting at its cool-climate Upper Yarra origins. Fragrant and dedicate with some wild strawberries, dried herbs and rose petal aromas. On the palate, there's more depth and structure than the bouquet suggests. Driven as much by the wine's acidity as the fine, sinewy tannins, there's plenty going on here and I can see this ‘growing' in the bottle over the next three to five years." 93 POINTS Philip Rich, July 6, 2023 | Halliday Wine Companion

WINEMAKING We like to find amazing vineyards other than our own to make single vineyard wines from. These vineyards are selected firstly based on the quality of fruit but also to demonstrate the diversity and varying expressions of the Yarra Valley.

The grapes were sourced from the Willowlake vineyard in Gladysdale. The site is exceptional and produces elegant Pinot Noir with discernible, unique qualities. The 2021 season was very good, typically being cooler and wetter than years of recent memory.

Once the grapes arrived into the winery, the grapes were split across multiple ferments to encourage multiple winemaking techniques such as whole bunch fermentation, extended maturation and extra-long cold soaking. After pressing, each component was individually run to barrel (25% new) for maturation and malolactic fermentation. After 9 months in oak, the components were carefully selected to make the best wine possible. The wine was assembled and bottled without filtration in January 2022.

Wine Details