Kooyong Haven Pinot Noir 2020

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!