Seventeen Rows Pinot Noir defined by its concentration, its power, depth and yet soft and fine. The grapes were picked on the 24th March 2023. This was a cool year and the slow ripening process contributes to the wine quality. The grapes were destemmed into one variable capacity vat. Fermentation is slow because of the whole berries. After 3 weeks the vat was lightly sealed so that maceration would safely proceed for another 10 days. At this point in late April, the skins had sunk to the bottom of the vat and the young wine was easily decanted. At this point the primary and secondary fermentation were complete. The yield was only 570 litres per tonne and we attribute this to the tiny berries and only the finest free run portion selected to become Seventeen Rows Pinot Noir. The wine matured in barrel until assembling in tank in May 2024 and bottling six weeks later in July 2024.

As always because this wine is neither filtered or fined clarity is moderate and colour is dark red but not bright. In the glass the heaviness of the wine is immediately apparent with the slow swirl. The aroma is that heady, violet, five spice typical of the Balnarring sub-region. There is a further dimension of earthiness and surliness that defines the wide rows and tiny bunches of Seventeen Rows Pinot Noir. The palate remains brooding and heavy with spice. Really good tannin structure will assure longevity.

A celebrated vineyard established as one of the first Pinot Noir vineyards on the Mornington Peninsula. The wine concentration is because of the fortuitous planting of the seriously aromatic MV6 clone, the wide vine rows allowing the sunshine to wash every bunch, dry land farming aided and abetted with organic viticulture. Correct organic viticulture includes fertilising and protecting the soil with thoughtful applications of mulch and manure. To protect the leaves and grapes from pests and disease the canopy management exposes every shoot and bunch to sunshine.

Considered by The Real Review, Seventeen Rows Pinot Noir has been classified as a one Merit Wine, reliably achieving gold and silver ribbons in recent vintages, with top vintages achieving 95/100 points or more.