Kooyong Nord Pinot Noir 2023

This is the inaugural release of fruit from this single block, the vineyard’s most northern. It’s a bit of a charmer. Shows a wealth of the kind of dark cherry, red fruits that define Mornington Peninsula Pinot and, in a cool year like ’23, they shine with an attractive purity. Aromas combine the earthy and leafy with the ripe fruited: undergrowth, leaf, earthy dusty beetroot, cassis and cherry, vanilla, red liquorice and a splash of blood orange. It is bright, rose and cherry fresh with layers of firm, concentrated flavour. Shows a Pinot of ripeness and freshness with some lovely orange peel and pomegranate touches that really lift in tandem with some crunchy acidity. All round delicious AND worthy of some time in the cellar.

Jeni Port

Wine critic at Winepilot

Jeni Port is one of Australia’s top wine communicators. Based in Melbourne, Jeni created the first wine column in the (then) Sun News-Pictorial before moving over to The Age and becoming that paper’s longest-serving wine writer. Over the years she has written for most Australian wine magazines and these days calls WinePilot home. She is also a Tasting Panel member on the Halliday Wine Companion. She was named Wine Communicator of the Year and Legend of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival in 2014 and in 2018 Legend of the Vine. She is a founding board member of Australian Women In Wine and is the co-deputy chair of Australia’s Wine List of the Year Awards and China’s Wine List of the Year Awards.

Wine writer and critic