Marnong Estate Heart Pinot Noir 2025
- 91+
- $43
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Taste Heart immediately after Weatherstone and you notice a growing complexity. Alex changes very little in the winery. This is what happens when the vineyard is allowed to lead. Blackcurrant replaces raspberry. A tiny bit of peppermint, sage and lavender rise from the glass before the palate broadens into beetroot, graphite and savoury spice. The wine carries greater breadth across the palate while preserving the freshness. Heart comes from the estate’s most geologically complex block, where clay, sand and a basalt ridge converge beneath vines planted between 2017 and 2019. The block is planted to MV6 and Dijon 667 rather than Abel, but Alex is reluctant to reduce the wine to genetics alone. On these heavier soils, the fruit develops greater depth, darker fruit character and firmer structure, giving Heart a broader frame without sacrificing brightness. It is a wine shaped as much by geology as by the choices made in the winery. Alex keeps the cellar work remarkably consistent across the three Pinot Noirs. The fruit is hand-picked, around 25–30% whole bunch is layered through the ferment, extraction remains restrained, and the wine spends its élevage in French oak. By limiting variation in the cellar, the distinctions between the vineyards become easier to read in the glass. The second day reveals another layer. Blackcurrant shifts towards blueberry compote and red liquorice, while pink peppercorn, a suggestion of char and earthy beetroot emerge with air. Chalky tannins tighten the frame without hardening it, and a subtle Campari-like bitterness carries the finish, lending persistence rather than weight. Heart already possesses a strong sense of place. What stays with me, though, is the impression of a vineyard still gathering confidence. At only six to eight years of age, it already speaks with clarity. Time should simply give it a larger vocabulary.
Liinaa Berry is a Melbourne-based wine critic and consultant with over a decade of experience as a sommelier and wine buyer across Australia and around the world where she has built award-winning wine programs and championed independent producers with conviction. Now focused on reviewing and writing, Liinaa brings a floor-trained palate and commercial insight to her assessments. She is also the Melbourne Ambassador for Star Wine List and serves on the committee of Sommeliers Australia. An advocate for site-driven wines and thoughtful farming, Liinaa is particularly drawn to producers who articulate a clear sense of place. Her tasting philosophy centres on structure, balance and context — always asking not just how a wine tastes, but why it matters.
