Notes from an online Pinot Noir tasting with the winemakers of six of the premium producers from the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria, Australia: Ocean Eight, Paringa, Crittenden, Handpicked Wines, Ten Minutes by Tractor and Kooyong.
Pinot Noir may be one of the stars of the Victorian scene (as well as in Tasmania, Adelaide Hills and other Australian regions of course), but Aussie Pinot remains a comparative rarity in overall World terms. Whilst it is the country’s fourth most planted red variety (after Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot), its 4,000 hectares is dwarfed by France’s 32,000 hectares or the USA’s 23,000 hectares. Even Italy has a little more Pinot Noir than Australia.
The State of Victoria is arguably king of Pinot in Australia. The extensive inland region of Murray Darling-Swan Hill produces most by volume, but in terms of quality and international recognition the more maritime appellations of Victoria, particularly the Yarra Valley and Mornington Peninsula, enjoy the strongest reputation.
Up and Down the Hill
Though a small region with no vineyard more than a handful of kilometres from the coast, producers explained the ‘Up the Hill’ and ‘Down the Hill’ shorthand that helps define the differences in the Peninsula’s wines.
Mornington Peninsula has no official subregions, but there is a clear distinction between elevations, with higher altitudes ‘Up the Hill’ to the south, and lower elevations ‘Down the Hill’ in vineyards to the north. Ripening happens sometime weeks later ‘up the hill’. As a very general summary, vineyards in the more elevated south express a more red fruit character with higher acid than the sometimes more structured wines of the north.
Clones and Burgundy
A discussion on Pinot Noir clones seemed to bring agreement that having diversity of clonal material was a good thing, perhaps allowing different expressions in each vineyard or producer. One interesting clone that has been planted has come from Calera in California, which itself was cloned from material said to have been acquired by ‘hopping over the wall’ at Domaine de la Romané-Conti.
Talking of Burgundy, the winemakers agreed that they don’t necessarily look to Burgundy as a model to the extent they once did. All are Burgundy fanatics and stressed how much of a shared winemaking philosophy there is, but I guess that’s a sign of increasing understanding of their own region’s particular conditions and increasing confidence given that Pinot was first planted here barely 40 years ago.
The Wines
(2025) A very low-cropping year, the fruit from four blocks in this extensive estate. After fermentation with ambient yeasts in large, open vats of oak, concrete and steel, with some whole bunches, the wine was matured for 12 months in French oak barriques (14% new barrels). An aromatic example, a touch of that hessian/stem character giving a hint of herbaceousness over red fruit. The palate has a lovely delicacy, good acidity, medium-bodied with a nice roughening touch from the tannin and barrel spice to add interest.
(2025) From a vineyard planted in 1999, this has a medium garnet colour. Fragrant, with light cherry and floral notes, delightful and pretty in style. The palate has a very juicy, ripe red fruit character, the oak worn very lightly here, adding a little creamy vanilla against fine-grained tannins, and the whole picture kept pert and pretty by the acidity. A lovely, delicate style.
(2025) Fermented in open steel tanks and aged 11 months in French oak barrels from Burgundy coopers, 33% new. Quite a pale colour, a slightly more muted aromatic than the previous two wines, more chestnut and sweet earth, a gentle stemmy quality, red berry fruit beneath. The palate has quite a creamy texture, and quite a vivacious character, fresh acidity and spices and a brightness to the fruit. There's a stripe of something like rhubarb that adds a bittersweet freshness in an interesting style.
(2025) Crittenden's Cri de Couer was fermented in 500-litre oak barrels with tops removed, some whole clusters included. The wine was racked to new and second use French oak barriques for 11 months. The final blend was composed of 45% whole bunch-fermented fruit. Quite a delicate nose here, definite florals, a warming hint of something meaty and roasted way in the background. In the mouth the fruit bursts through, plenty of ripeness and sweetness, but that cut by a sappiness, a fresh green edge that works nicely. Tannins and elegant and spice and acid join fruit in the finish in a surprisingly powerful style, yet one that retains great freshness and zip.
(2025) A blend of fruit from the best estate blocks and a vintage rated as 'outstanding' by Paringa, 20% whole bunches were included in the ferment followed by 11 months in French oak, 30% new. One of the palest examples so far, and a beautiful nose with a suggestion of something mineral and herbal over pretty red berry fruit. Apparently some of the soil here is volcanic, which might account for that mineral sensation? Loads of sweet, ripe and pretty red fruit floods the palate. That mineral acid thing happens again on the palate, dry but very fine tannins and some fruit and barrel spice all combining beautifully in the finish. A lovely wine.
(2025) The only 2021 in this line-up, when higher than average rainfall during flowering resulted in lower yields. Fruit was mostly destemmed and fermented in a mix of concrete and steel with wild yeasts. The wine was fermented in a combination of barriques and larger puncheons, followed by 10 months in French oak barrels of varying sizes, 13% new oak. Another pale wine, the nose subtle, a touch toasty, a little strawberry ripeness apparent, but quite reserved. In the mouth this is very delicate (only 12.5% alcohol) with a sweet fruit and smooth integration of oak, tannin and acid. A vivid orange character adds a spark too.
