Murdoch Hill Pinot Noir 2025
Wines taste best when shared with friends!
Following four finals appearances, two Winemakers’ Choice awards, and winning the top prize, it seems Michael Downer may be one of the most lauded producers by the Young Gun of Wine Awards.
After a few low-yielding years in Piccadilly Valley, Michael Downer cast his sourcing net a bit wider for Pinot Noir in 2024. He settled on a well-established site in Forreston in the northern sector of the Adelaide Hills. The organically managed vineyard sits just north of the Gumeracha township at 450 metres with northwest-facing slopes. The MV6 Pinot Noir, which makes up 55% of this year’s blend, comes from a ridge with lean soils, and Michael tells us the fruit has lovely purity and supple structure. The rest of the fruit comes from Murdoch Hill’s estate vineyard in Lenswood (30%) and the usual, high-elevation Piccadilly sources. The Lenswood site delivered spice-driven, weighty, deeply flavoured fruit balanced nicely by the cool, fresh, elegant structure of the Piccadilly stock.
Despite possessing plenty of depth & structure, this is classically fragrant, pretty and elegant, with lots of energy and sap weaving through graceful red fruit. Expect vibrant primary fruit, buoyant acidity and background tannins holding everything together--there's something so joyful here, yet there's also more than enough for the Pinot cognoscenti. The value is hard to beat.
"One-third estate fruit, the rest from growers in the Piccadilly Valley and Lenswood regions. MV6, D5V12, 114 and 115 for the clone nerds; 15% whole bunch and 15% new French oak. There's an elegance to this release. A delicate floral perfume awakens the senses first, followed by crunchy red fruit, cherry, cranberry and pomegranate. There's a wildness to it, too, polish and poise, yes, but not too much. A forest forage, you'd say. Add a dusting of dried herbs and a gentle release of orange oil, not unlike a Negroni, and you have one very smart Hills pinot.” 94pts | Katrina Butler | Halliday Wine Companion
Organic Principles
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