Winemaker Notes
Vintage 2016 was marked by warm and dry conditions and the Mornington Peninsula harvest was one of the earliest on record. It arrived in a hurry too, catching some vignerons by surprise; many were
picking in early February, about a month earlier than the long-term average. The 2016 wines have excellent color, flavor and weight. The Mornington Peninsula is famous for its Pinot Noir wines and this is a fine example from a great vintage: deep color, spicy berry aromas, a silky-smooth palate and fine tannin to finish.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
It takes some swirling in the glass, but in time this wine is a lovely expression of place and variety, with fragrances of red cherry, strawberry, dried flowers, sweet herbs and a warm pavement character. The palate is lithe and light with purity of fruit and sandy, herbflecked tannins. Time in cellar (up to a decade or so) will certainly be rewarded, otherwise pop this in a decanter and sip with roast duck and duck fat potatoes.
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
Extending into the sea from just south of the city of Melbourne to form Port Philip Bay in the southern state of Victoria, the Mornington Peninsula grape growing region naturally has a cool, maritime climate. A wide range of soils and topographic variations support a large diversity of wine styles within the small headland.