Another superb wine which provides compelling evidence that Kooyong has maintained its standards as one of the nation’s best Pinot producers. The fruit is sourced from a gently sloping vineyard, a 0.79 hectare block within the vineyard, which tends naturally to lower yields than many. The soil for this block contains a higher percentage of ironstone pebbles than any other part of the vineyard. The team led by winemaker Glen Hayley believe that this delivers a wine with greater concentration and more savoury tannins. The wine, with a portion of whole bunches, was fermented in a large-format concrete tank. Native yeasts were used and the process took 17 days. The wine was then pressed into French oak barriques (27% new), before malo. The total period of maturation was 17 months. Bottling took place without any fining or filtration.
This wine has a deep red/magenta appearance. It is immediately obvious that it is quite complex, which will only increase in the coming years. There is a minerally backing behind the red fruit and root vegetable notes. Look for raspberries and cherries. It offers a juicy and briary character with hints of animal skins. There is a focus on very fine tannins here, with fresh acidity. This is a really well-balanced pinot in every respect and it surely has a decade plus ahead of it. 95.
