Hochkirch Maximus Pinot Noir 2019

"Vibrant ruby red colour, and delightful aromas of violets, red roses and juicy red cherries. Like the colour, the palate is vibrant, it literally bursts with crunchy red cherry and cranberry fruit. The fruit is perfectly balance with taught acidity and velour like fine tannins. This is a top class wine, it is drinking well now, and will for many years if it is well cellared."
- Winemakers Notes

As always, this is 100% estate fruit, and was sourced from 10- to 30-year-old vines on basalt, gravel and loam soils. 2019 was the last average summer before a string of cool vintages, a solid year with a healthy-sized crop and good ripeness levels. This allowed for a good portion of whole-bunch use in 2019 (25%), while the rest of the fruit was destemmed but not crushed. Fermentation was in small, open-top vessels, and it was plunged once a day, then pressed to tank after 17 days to used French barrique for 18 months. Minimal SO2 added (50ppm).

abv 13%

John & Jennifer Nagorcka’s family vineyard (20 acres) is part of a larger integrated Demeter certified mixed Biodynamic farm of 700 acres. The vineyard is close planted at 5,000-6000 vines/Ha on a North facing slope, 250m above sea level near Tarrington in southwest Victoria.

Situated about 3.5 hours drive West of Melbourne, at the foothills of the Grampians is the town of Tarrington, formerly known by the name given to it by its German settlers, Hochkirch. A mere 70km north of the cold Southern coast of Western Victoria this Western neck of the Henty sees gently undulating hills, cold breezes and the perfect conditions for cool climate farming.