Kooyong Ferrous Pinot Noir 2020

The Ferrous Vineyard is a single block, with the fruit coming from a section of only 0.79 hectares. The vines are 22 years of age. This sector includes a far higher percentage of ironstone pebbles than elsewhere in the vineyard and the team believe that this is what contributes to the concentration found in the wine and its ‘savoury tannic presence’. Fermentation, with wild yeasts, includes a percentage of whole bunches which took 17 days. The wine is then racked into French oak barriques, 27% new. A single racking with 14 months maturation. No fining or filtration.

The cooler vintage contributes to the linear nature of the structure and the wine’s focus. Red fruits, floral notes, spices, raspberries, cloves and more, plus a slight briary note. There is serious concentration here and power. Good acidity throughout and silky tannins lingering. Six to eight years improvement, and then this should remain a wine of power for some time. At the moment, the score for me is only marginally above their Estate Pinot, which currently benefits from its more welcoming structure and generosity, but with time, this will edge further and further ahead. And time it deserves.