“A floral nose leads to rustic garrigue and forest undergrowth, with damson fruit, pain d’épice, and peaty notes. Tarry red currants and a medicinal touch evolve into a long, savory finish.
The opening bass line of ‘A Forest’ by The Cure transcends the listener into a blissful, enigmatic and meditative trance in a place where the road splits into hopeful jubilation or heartfelt loss. The same holds true for this wine; nearly a decade on in the evolution of this wine, it has found the path of jubilation. The paradox of Adelaide Hills Pinot Noir is that the highs are there but often disappointment looms. Amber has achieved a lot of substance with this wine as the depth of flavor really takes it to places it has never gone. The fruit comes from the Chapel Valley vineyard in 2024, managed by Sam Virgara. None The grapes were hand-harvested partially destemmed (roughly 90% of the lot, with 10% kept as whole clusters). The berries and bunches were kept separate by clone and cold soaked in open-top plastic fermenters until fermentation occurred naturally. The ferments were gently hand plunged across 1-2 weeks before being basket-pressed to old French barriques and puncheons for maturation. After five months the wine was bottled with just a coarse filtration and small addition of sulfur. No fining.
Grapes: 100% Pinot Noir
Vineyard: Chapel Valley Vineyard (Piccadilly)
Vine Age: 24-years-old
Soil Type: Quartz & ironstone riddled sandy loam
Viticulture: Practicing organic
Fermentation: Native – open-top plastic fermenters (10% wholecluster)
Skin Contact: 7 days
Aging: 5 months in seasoned French barriques
Alcohol: 12.3%
pH: 3.56
Total Acidity: 5.2 g/L
Total SO2: 117 ppm.
Total Production: 470 cases”
Dist. note
