Kooyong Meres Pinot Noir, Victoria 2019

Fabulous rounded, raspberryish Pinot Noir from the Mornington Peninsula south of Melbourne, perfumed with rose petals, lavender and light spice and spilling over with red and black berries, all grounded in earthy tannins.

The ripe fruit will pair perfectly with roast pork and rosemary crusted roast vegetables.

The Meres block is planted entirely to Pinot Noir with the exception of a tiny quarter acre annexe planted to Pinot Gris. Located along the eastern boundary of Kooyong, the name Meres alludes to water bodies ? the dams which flank the block on all sides. This gently sloping block is the most exposed of all Kooyong's Pinot Noir plantings, leading to low vigour and low yields. The combination of the soils, a less loamy topsoil and more clay subsoil than the other blocks, and low vigour produces highly aromatic and perfumed red-fruited Pinot Noir with a structure that, as the vines age, is becoming more robust.

The fruit is 100% destemmed and fermented, without yeast inoculation, in open vats for 18 to 21 days. The malolactic conversion also is indigenous. The maturation period is 18 months in French oak (30% new).