Winstead Lot 7 Pinot Noir 2021

Derwent Valley

Winstead

Shows aromas of blackberry, dark cherry, plum, violets, forest floor, roasted spice, and subtle mocha oak with a rich savoury complexity.

Deep black/red with sparkling crystal clarity. Black cherry with some dusty caramel and oak notes. With four years of bottle age, the pimply awkwardness of adolescence has been left behind. The palate is warm, soft, smooth and velvety. Sweet cherry chocolate are the first sensations, followed by a building warmth through the mid palate and finishing long with the fine tannins and French oak lingering. Match this with roast duck or venison for a real treat.

Pairs beautifully with venison, wallaby, roast lamb, duck, slow-cooked beef, and mushroom dishes, with its dark fruit intensity, earthy character, and structured tannins complementing richer flavours.

The Lot 7 vineyard is located high on the hill (180 metres above sea level) overlooking the valley that leads from Chauncy Vale into the Bagdad Valley. The aspect is slightly East of North, making the most of the available sunlight. The soils are shallow clays overlying Carboniferous Shales, which lack fertility and organic matter. We have been working on lifting the organic matter level for many years to help with water retention during the summer months. We are slowly winning this battle using mulching, chook poo and 500. (A biodynamic preparation derived from cow poo, which introduces microbial organisms to the soil.)

This vineyard has been planted using a modified lyre trellising system which divides the canopy allowing maximum sunlight penetration, but we have found it makes spray penetration into the centre of the canopy difficult and so we need to be on the ball to ensure fungal disease control.