Mount Mary Pinot Noir 2021 Magnum

Producer Notes - "Our Pinot Noir vines were sourced from Western Australia in 1971. This material was acquired before individual clonal selections were considered, and as such, our older Pinot blocks are a mix of many clones. A visiting French ampleographer (vine expert) once told John Middleton (Founder) that there were in the order of 30+ clones in our original Pinot block. Subsequent plantings of Pinot on this site have been selections from the original block, and the clonal selection has been somewhat refined. There are also some newer blocks of Pinot Noir planted (as of 2008) to American rootstocks and are of specific clonal material, namely MV6, 777, 667, 115 and Pommard. In the winery the emphasis is on simplicity. Our Pinot Noir ferments are conducted using 100% whole berries and are left on skins for around 10-14 days. This is followed by 16 months of barrel maturation consisting of 25% new oak barriques. Minimal (if any) fining and filtration is carried out prior to bottling.

There is no better way to describe this wine other than a quintessential Mount Mary Pinot Noir. The nose opens with a hint of nougat, cranberries, stewed strawberry and quince. The palate is silky and seamless and flows effortlessly from front to back. Red fruit flavours dominate; namely cherry and strawberry with nuances of rhubarb and various root vegetables. This wine sees 20% new oak, adding a buttered mushroom creaminess to the mid palate. The tannins and acid work in harmony to give this wine structure, length and freshness. - Sam Middleton "

"Sam Middleton thinks maybe the best release since the 2015. Ripe strawberry, a little spice, pretty too with some rose and chamomile, mint and undergrowth. It's medium-bodied, red berries and honey, with a savoury tobacco edge, the quality of tannin is excellent here, offering grip and a sort of tea leaf character, which puts me in mind of Barbaresco (though don't mind me), and the finish is long, firm and shapely, and kind of ferrous and minerally. It feels young and pent up as at now, to some extent, though I reckon it will evolve into a classic MM Pinot with considered cellaring. A terrific release." 96 points. Gary Walsh, The Wine Front 2023

Country: Australia
Producer: Mount Mary
Region: Yarra Valley