Award Winning – Austin’s 2020 Pinot Noir, Released 19th May

2020 Pinot Noir Release

This Thursday, 19th May, we’re releasing our highly anticipated 2020 Pinot Noir. It is with great pride and delight that we can announce that it has been given a Halliday GOLD medal, scoring 95 points.

“Matured 9 months in French oak (40% new). A tightly layered and complex wine, that speaks of the wilder side of the grape: the briar, undergrowth, tilled earth and black fruits. Taut on the palate with smooth tannins and plenty of dark cherry, plum and dark chocolate. That layer of spice caps it off beautifully.”

Jeni Port – Published 12 May 2022

Halliday Wine Companion

SEASON

The 2020 season was slow to start, after a late flowering in 2019. Whilst yields were low and berries were smaller than usual, they were full of flavour. The Moorabool Valley had above average rainfall, and a cool ripening period, which retained a higher than usual acidity in the fruit. 

WINEMAKING                   

Fruit is picked cool at night with a combination of hand-picked and destemmed fruit. Open fermenters used, with gentle maceration and majority plunging to extract balanced flavour, before being pressed lightly after 14 days on skins. Settled a few days before racking to well-seasoned, tight grain French oak barrels of which 40% are new. Tight grain oak leads to better fruit /oak flavour integration. After malo-lactic fermentation in barrel, the wine is stored in barrel for 9 months before individual barrel selection takes place. Racked from barrel, blended and bottled.

Blend: 100% Pinot Noir

Winemaker: Dwayne Cunningham

Vineyard: Austin’s, Sutherlands Creek

Analysis: 13.6% alcohol

Our 2020 Pinot will be available online and for purchases and tastings at our Cellar Door from the 19th May, book in for a complimentary tasting here. This vintage is really high quality, but in short supply, and we don’t think it will last much longer than 4 months!