The Mount Mary Pinot Noir vines were sourced from Western Victoria in 1971 at a time when individual clonal selections were not considered and as such, the older Pinot blocks are a mix of many clones. A visiting French ampelographer (vine expert) once told John Middleton (Founder) that there were in the order of 30+ clones in their original Pinot block. By today’s standards, relatively short fermentations are employed, typically 8-10 days, which is followed by 16 months of barrel maturation consisting of 25% new oak barriques. Minimal, if any, fining and filtration is carried out prior to bottling. There is no better way to describe this wine other than a quintessential Mount Mary Pinot Noir. The nose opens with a hint of nougat, cranberries, stewed strawberry and quince. The palate is silky and seamless and flows effortlessly from front to back. Red fruit flavours dominate; namely cherry and strawberry with nuances of rhubarb and various root vegetables. This wine sees 20% new oak, adding a buttered mushroom creaminess to the mid palate. The tannins and acid work in harmony to give this wine structure, length and freshness. [#intro]There's no better way to describe this wine other than a quintessential Mount Mary Pinot Noir...[/intro]