Marnong Estate Reserve Pinot Noir 2024

Reserve wines often imply hierarchy. More oak. More extraction. More power. Alex approaches the idea differently. Each year, every barrel is tasted blind, without regard for vineyard or clone. The question is simply which barrels most faithfully articulate the season. The Reserve is not assembled from the biggest wines in the cellar, but from those that best tell the story of the vintage. That philosophy feels particularly appropriate in 2024. January hail reduced the crop before a long, cool growing season unfolded, producing Pinots that favoured precision over generosity. Alex repeatedly returned to words such as delicate, mineral and elegant when describing the year. Rather than trying to build a Reserve that transcends the season, he has chosen one that embraces it. The result feels more complete than simply more concentrated. Red cherry, citrus peel, dried flowers and wild herbs gradually give way to damp bark, pine mushroom, quinine and woodland after rain. The aromas arrive less as individual notes than fragments of memory surfacing, revealing themselves with air rather than demanding attention. Sweet and sour cherry, dried pomegranate and finely woven spice move across a frame that carries greater depth than either single-vineyard Pinot without becoming weightier. The fruit sits in a cooler register, allowing savoury complexity, mineral tension and texture to take the lead. Everything arrives in concert—fruit, acidity, tannin and earthiness—forming a wine whose balance feels instinctive rather than constructed. The tannins are fine, the acidity persistent, and the finish lingers with composed confidence. The Reserve is Alex’s interpretation of a season rather than a collection of its richest barrels. That distinction is more than semantic. It reflects a philosophy that runs through the estate, where healthier soils, increasing biodiversity and a lighter hand in both vineyard and winery seek to reveal each year’s character rather than smooth it into a house style. For me, this is where Marnong’s Pinot Noir identity currently speaks with the greatest clarity.

Liinaa Berry

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.