"Mid garnet; there is good depth of expression despite the challenges of the 2011 vintage, with the bouquet offering black cherry, spicy oak aromas and a prominent ironstone complexity; the palate is fleshy on entry, with a taut acid and tannin structure leading to a charry and slightly bony yet pleasantly long savoury finish - 92 points" Ben Edwards, James Halliday Australian Wine Companion 2014
Vineyard The 2011 Kooyong Estate Pinot Noir is a single estate blend of Pinot Noir. The parcels in this wine represent 6.55 hectares.
Winemaking The fruit is hand-picked, then destemmed and fermented without yeast inoculation in open vats for 18 to 21 days. The malolactic conversion in barrel also is natural. The maturation approach is to spend ten months in French oak (15% new) and then a further ten months in large wooden foudre.
Vintage When the Eastern states of Australia’s decade-long drought broke in September of 2010, the rains were met with great relief. The cooler conditions delayed vine development and gave expected harvest timeframes more akin to historical averages. However the growing season weather patterns came to be shaped by a strong La Niña, which meant Spring and Summer rains were frequent and significant, increasing the time demands on our viticulture team. This season we employed a number of techniques in the vineyard not used for a number of years, including leaf plucking to improve ventilation and sunlight interception in the fruit zone. Surprisingly, fruit set was good and cropping levels quite moderate despite the lack of heat and high humidity during flowering. The ripening period was cool and extended and has produced fragrant and delicate white wines and Pinot Noirs with attractively ripe tannins, balanced natural acidity and elegant, savoury fruit.
Tasting Notes - February 2013 Bright garnet-maroon colour. The nose debuts some of the hallmarks of the vintage with plenty of savoury raspberry fruit and sagey, lavender-esque crushed herbs. The bouquet then builds weight with some darker berry characters, notes of bruised rose petal and roasting pan juices, bark, smoke, sweet tea leaves and a lilt of graphite. In the mouth the wine is lively and attacks central with a wonderful mix of savoury and ripe flavours, then builds with the aforementioned complexing characters, persistent tannin, mineral line and a sweet Asian spice note to length.
