L'appel 'Rouge Gorge' Pinot Noir 2024

Rose hip tea, dried cranberry and a lashing of campari on the nose. Plenty of sous bois / garrigue notes on the palette, with the bucket of raspberries to back it all up. Silty pumice stone tannin and a tight acid line.

From a single site in the Huon Valley set on grey Permian mudstone - 25% whole bunch and the remainder destemmed Pinot Noir - wild ferment with gentle daily pigeage - basket pressed to old oak barriques for 10 months elevage - minimal sulphur addition at bottling - 1100 bottles produced

L’appel wines is the wine project of emerging Tasmanian vignerons Bart Johnston & Jess Nuel
Currently sourcing fruit from highly regarded plots in the Tamar Valley, Huon Valley, Coal Valley and East Coast -regional expression is at the core of the L’appel wines suite.
Having carried out winemaking stints with reputable producers in North America, it was the Pinot Noirs of the Willamette Valley (Oregon) that were the catalyst for a deep dive into Pinot Noir.
Fascination with site, the microclimate and its influence on style led Bart to an invaluable period with Quealy Wines on the Mornington Peninsula. One pandemic later, a few degrees South and Tasmania is where the vignerons now call home.
In the cellar, the winemaking is light-handed with the winemaker adjusting the methods of vinification to suit the nuances of any given vintage. The wines are wild fermented, unfiltered and elevage is carried out in a mix of 5+ year old barriques. In more recent vintages the Pinot Noirs have included a larger proportion of whole-bunch, bringing freshness and structure to the wines.
These are wines made with passion, purpose and an obedience of simplicity at its heart - welcome to L’appel.