The 2023 growing season was the fourth cool season in a row. These 2020-2023 La Nina seasons will be remembered for their challenges, but also the lovely elegant wines they have produced. Cool is one thing, but wet and humid is another, Extreme October-December rains and high humidity kept the vineyard team on it’s toes. Keeping the vineyard disease free and balanced during this period was the key to this wonderful vintage. From Jan-April we saw welcome dry periods with all fruit picked between March 10th and April 4th. vibrant flavorsome balanced Chardonnay and Pinot Noir the highlights with our Rose a trademark pale fruit driven, chalky and fine boned beauty.

Vibrant cherry red, the colour is both alluring and deep for a young Pinot Noir. A highly perfumed complex nose with red fruits and savoury spice. The palate has a core of dark satsuma plums and cranberry fruit flavours and the mouthfeel is soft yet intense with terrific structure and a fresh clean natural acid backbone. A wine made for immediate consumption that will improve with careful cellaring over the medium term (3-5 years).

The 2023 Yarra Valley Pinot Noir is made entirely from Medhurst Estate fruit from 23 year old vines. All fruit was handpicked and immediately destemmed into small open fermenters for cold maceration. Once fermentations commenced, the cap was gently wet twice a day and remained on its skins for 12 days. The final three days we performed a light morning pigeage (plunge) to gently extract all the flavours and soft tannins from a high quality vintage. At the completion of ferment, the wine was pressed to tank and then racked to French oak 225L barrels and one new 400L (26% new in total) for malolactic fermentation. After 6 months in barrel, the blend was assembled and bottled on August 22nd, 2023.

Perfectly paired with light meats, peking duck or some pecorino cheese.