Kooyong Haven Pinot Noir 2020
- 96
- $75
- Drink by: 2022-2032
Share
As much as I loved the 2019 release of this wine, this one tops it. What a scintillating Pinot. The blocks within the vineyard, which provide the fruit for this wine, total around ¾ of a hectare (the vineyard is 6.88 hectares in full) and is the most protected of their sites. The team see this leading to the full fruit richness the wine usually exhibits. The fruit is fully destemmed and then goes to large concrete and stainless steel tanks for fermentation with wild yeasts. After fermentation, the wine is pressed to French oak barriques (around ¼ of which were new). A single racking during a maturation lasting over a year, and then bottling without fining or filtration. One might assume that 2020, being a cooler vintage, would not suit this vineyard, but there is absolutely no evidence of that. In fact, the contrary seems true.
Bright crimson in colour, we open with strawberries as well as more savoury characters from animal skin notes, dry herbs and leather. We then move more to darker fruits like black cherries, mulberries and plums. A silky palate and even silkier tannins and terrific length here. Sumptuous now but such a promising future, this should improve over the next 8 to 10 years. A wonderful Pinot!
Ken was born and bred in Brisbane, Queensland. He had a non-trendy, perfectly happy childhood, in a family convinced alcohol meant instant condemnation to Hades. But a break fishing on the Great Barrier Reef, and some good wine, started a serious obsession that eventually took over. It did not stop Ken being chastised later for drinking Pol champagne, disgusted he’d drink anything made by a Cambodian dictator. Now, Ken mostly writes on wine, champagne and spirits for various newspapers, magazines and books, but is perhaps best known for his work in The Courier Mail. He also has a little sideline writing on cigars, fishing, travel and food. When not writing, fly-fishing for trout in NZ or bonefish on the flats of Cuba, travelling or smoking cigars, he is no doubt following a variety of sporting teams – the occasionally glorious Queensland Reds rugby, the dysfunctional Washington Redskins, the dodgy Arsenal and especially revels in the world restored to its proper axis with the return of the Ashes to their rightful home.
