2016 Garden Pinot Noir
$60.00

The Wine.
This 2016 pinot noir is a continuation of the whole bunch ferment story at Moorooduc Estate. The Garden Vineyard, across the hill from us, is owned by the McFall family and has been leased and run by Moorooduc Estate for over ten years. Fruit was hand picked and whole bunches placed directly into the fermenter. The stems were ripe and so added savouriness and structure.

Bright garnet in colour, the nose displays beautifully integrated aromas from the whole bunch fermentation. Campari and orange rind combine with roasted meat juices, chopped sage, thyme and rosemary, and some pomegranate tang. We experience more Campari, pomegranate and orange on the palate. The wine has firm and fine tannins, lovely balance and length. Delicious!

Description
The 2016 Vintage.
Another lovely vintage, generous in style and quality. The even conditions this vintage lead to wines of power and structure, with a lovely core of fruit. While the 2015 wines were all about fruit purity and high natural acidity, our 2016 wines are about rich, ripe fruit and phenolics resulting in intense ripe, structured wines which should, like the 2015’s, cellar well for many years.

Winemaker: Richard McIntyre
Viticulturist: Hugh Robinson
Vineyards: 100% Garden vineyard

Vinification.
Hand harvesting, 100% whole bunch fermented
100% wild yeast primary fermentation
20 days total on skins
Natural malolactic fermentation in barrel
100% French oak maturation, 25% new
17 months in wood with 1 racking
No fining and no filtration


RICHARD’S Comments on 2016 Vintage

It is a pleasure to write about the three 2016 single vineyard pinot noir wines that we are releasing with this newsletter.

These wines are the stars of another beautiful vintage for us. Five of the seven consecutive vintages to 2016 have been outstanding. These are 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2016.

2015 is widely accepted as an outstanding vintage in south eastern Australia. Not everyone is as enthusiastic about 2016 but we are.

2015 wines are about fruit purity and high natural acidity. Our 2016 wines are about rich, ripe fruit and phenolics resulting in intense ripe, structured wines which should, like the 2015’s, cellar well for many years.

The Moorooduc McIntyre Pinot Noir 2016 is emerging from its post-bottling awkwardness. Those who know the wine will see it as typical but with extra richness and structure to go with usual dark fruit and spicy complexity.

The Robinson Vineyard Pinot Noir from 2015 and 2016 are, I believe, the best we have made. I particularly like the 2016 for its intense red and dark fruit and extra structure. Who knows what a little bottle age will do but those who have recently tasted the 2012 version of this wine should surely be a bit excited about the prospects.

Whole bunch fermentation works best in a ripe year with ripe tannins. It is therefore not surprising that the 2016 Garden Vineyard Pinot Noir, 100% whole bunch, is particularly successful. I love the integrated dark fruit with hints of (Campari-like) savoury complexity and heaps of fine mouth-coating tannins.

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