2023 GARAGISTE MERRICKS PINOT NOIR - Mornington Peninsula Vic.
Like the Merricks Chardonnay, the vines for this Pinot are 26 years old and sit on grey loams and red ferrosols, but here with a north-facing aspect. The whole bunch portion was lower than in its predecessor (25% as opposed to the 60% in the 2021 release). Due to dramatically reduced yields in 2022 (around 70%), there were simply fewer parcels to play with when it came to the whole-bunch component, and Flanders found the balance at a lower percentage. The winemaking was, in true Garagiste form, pretty hands-off: natural fermentation, gentle extraction and nine months in 25% new oak.
Like the Merricks Chardonnay, the vines for this Pinot are 26 years old and sit on grey loams and red ferrosols, but here with a north-facing aspect. The whole bunch portion was lower than in its predecessor (25% as opposed to the 60% in the 2021 release). Due to dramatically reduced yields in 2022 (around 70%), there were simply fewer parcels to play with when it came to the whole-bunch component, and Flanders found the balance at a lower percentage. The winemaking was, in true Garagiste form, pretty hands-off: natural fermentation, gentle extraction and nine months in 25% new oak.
Like the Merricks Chardonnay, the vines for this Pinot are 26 years old and sit on grey loams and red ferrosols, but here with a north-facing aspect. The whole bunch portion was lower than in its predecessor (25% as opposed to the 60% in the 2021 release). Due to dramatically reduced yields in 2022 (around 70%), there were simply fewer parcels to play with when it came to the whole-bunch component, and Flanders found the balance at a lower percentage. The winemaking was, in true Garagiste form, pretty hands-off: natural fermentation, gentle extraction and nine months in 25% new oak.
