2021 Levant Pinot Noir

Hand-picked fruit, hand-sorted, mostly de-stemmed (with a small portion of crushed fruit) and tipped direct to open fermenters.

Stalks were added back to roughly 20% of the fermenters to contribute additional structure and aromatic complexity. Each parcel of grapes was fermented, pressed and filled to barrel separately as individual components. Fermentation initiated naturally via endemic yeast prior to inoculation with a varietally-specific yeast strain to complete the fermentation.

Fermentation length varied from 7 to 15 days on skins prior to pressing and racking to 100% French oak 2280-litre foudres and 500-litre puncheons (15% new oak overall to the blend) for short maturation. The final blend is an assemblage of the resultant wines from eight separate open fermentations.

Bright cherry and raspberry fruit aromas to the fore with background hints of rosemary, lavender, rose petal and dark chocolate sitting above an underlying steely note.

An intense entry onto the palate with fruit-forward red cherry, plum and rhubarb flavour. Not at all a shy Pinot Noir, yet it is still well-framed, poised and structured with weighty fruit emboldened by a base of firm tannins and fine acidity.  This wine is suitable for vegans.