Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Like many Mornington producers, Kooyong has a relatively short track record (founded 1996). For much of that time, winemaking was under the guidance of Sandro Mosele, including this stunning 2012. It shows Burgundian levels of complexity in its array of smoke, leather, root vegetable and black cherry notes, then backs that all up with a firm-yet-supple texture and tremendous length. Drink now through 2022. Editors' Choice.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Pale to medium ruby colored, the 2012 Pinot Noir presents vibrant red cherries, violets and roses notes with hints of Ceylon tea and cinnamon stick. Medium-bodied with great elegance, it has mouth-filling red berry flavors with plenty of complex subtext and very fine tannins, finishing long and refreshing. Rating: 91+
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.