Massale 2019 Pinot Noir ~ Kooyong Vineyard ~ Mornington Peninsula, Australia

This wine is produced by the Port Phillip Estate‘s Kooyong Vineyard. The Pinot Noir grapes are sourced from the sustainably farmed Tuerong and Balnarring vineyards within the estate. Additionally, the estate’s winemaking philosophy embraces low-intervention techniques. The grapes were hand-harvested and underwent spontaneous primary fermentation relying on ambient yeasts. Malolactic fermentation also occurred naturally. The wine then matured for 10 months in French oak barriques, puncheons (5% new) and large foudre. Finally, the wine was bottled without fining or filtration, which is surprising because it has incredible clarity!

While pouring the wine, aromas of ripe, red summer strawberries, cherries and juicy red plums caught my attention, along with notes of fresh violets and toasty oak. I kept thinking that if the wine smells this amazing, then hopefully it will taste just as good too!

Thankfully, the wine lived up to its nose! This is a ‘chewy’ Pinot Noir. Drinking this medium-bodied wine is like biting into juicy, ripe red summer berries just when they’re about to be harvested. There’s a savoury, rounded mouthfeel followed by vibrant acidity that bursts on the mid-palate and lingers throughout a long, flavourful finish. The toasty note from the oak ageing imparts just the right amount of tannin for structure and added complexity. This is a beautifully balanced Pinot Noir from Australia and I highly recommend buying a bottle.