“Deep, bright red/purple hue, with a dry spice, pepper and walnut bouquet, balsamic herbs too, savoury and bold, the varietal fruit still a touch suppressed, while the palate is intense and lively, deep and backed up by supportive but not assertive tannins. Black cherry emerged more the longer it was in the glass. A superb wine.”
96 points, Huon Hooke, The Real Review (April 2022)
“The tannin structure of this wine and the overall reach through the finish is elite. It has ample flavour, in varietal terms, but structure is what this wine is all about. It mixes red cherry with satsuma plum, cedar wood with green-ish garden herbs, and while it has a bit of grunt it’s not heavy; it trips along in its own certain way. Hold onto it; don’t rush in; it’s on its way to a lovely place.” 95 points, Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front (May 2022)
“A vibrant and glossy red in the glass with red cherry and wild cherry contrasted by finely filimented spice and understated earth. The palate showcases an exceptional site with fruit moving from red to black cherry and brown baking spices melding with earth and the characteristic lines of acidity that set the Macedon Ranges apart. Fruit, savoury influences and the generous impact of oak provide a complex and lingering finish.”
95 points, Patrick Eckel, www.winereviewer.com.au (April 2022)
Curly Flat Pinot Noir represents our passion as winegrowers to faithfully capture the essence of our remarkable site coupled with the unique expression that is derived from each vintage.
From the vineyard
Compared to the warmer growing seasons of 2018 & 2019, 2020 walked a cooler path. Budburst commenced mid-September to the frosty welcome that can be part and parcel of our cool, continental climate. After a slightly warmer than usual October, November saw the return of much cooler weather for flowering and fruit set. These cooler conditions led to smaller than usual bunches being formed across the vineyard. Fruit set completed in a warmer than average December, that in hindsight stands as one of our warmest and driest on record. This warmth served as the last hurrah of substantial heat, with the remainder of the season receiving heat best described as gentle warmth. As temperatures decreased, rainfall began to increase with most months receiving above average moisture. With our usual great attention to detail in the vineyard, plus some great end game weather, a compact yet highly qualitive harvest was completed by the end of the first week of April.
From the winery
Our 2020 Estate Pinot Noir consists of eleven separate lots representing distinct aspects, clones and soils. Each of these parcels were handled with attention to vineyard details with the aim of maximising site expression. Indigenous yeasts connect all ferments but varying amounts of whole bunch, post ferment skin contact and individual oak handling were utilised respective to the lot characters themselves. Each of these parcels combine to form our most complex Pinot Noir, with fragrant spices and a red fruit lift that seamlessly merges with darker fruits and more savoury complexities. A myriad of vineyard based tannin entwines with gentle oak handling to accentuate a length of mineral clarity. After 14 months maturation our Estate blend consists of 12% whole bunch and 36% new oak and was bottled without filtration.
Harvest date | 26th March-9th April |
Clones used | MV6, 114 & 115 |
Rootstock | Own roots, Teleki 5C, SO4 & Kober 5bb |
Vine age | 19 to 28 years |
Trellis | Lyre & Geneva Double Curtain |
Soil type | Volcanic Basalt & Upper Ordovician |
pH | 3.65 |
Titratable acidity g/L | 5.7 |
Malic acidity g/L | <0.05 g/L |
Baume / Alcohol | 13.0% |
% whole bunch | 12% |
Yeast | Indigenous |
Malolactic fermentation | 100% |
New | 36% |
Second fill | 33% |
Third fill | 31% |
Maturation | 14 |
Fining / filtration | No |
Available formats | 375ml, 750ml & 1.5lts |
Available | Online, cellar door, select restaurants |
Curly Flat © 2019 All Rights Reserved
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