Tasting Notes

Background: Pinot Noir is one of the worlds most ancient grape vine varieties. Because of its genetic make up Pinot Noir grapes usually have less colour and tannin than other varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz and tend to produce light to medium bodied table wines. They are also extremely sensitive to climate and tend not to perform well in hotter climates. Making a good Pinot is therefore first a question of selecting the right environment in which to grow the grape.

At Three Hills the bulk of the planting is the old Western Australian selection that is simply known as 'droopy pinot'. We have added three other more recent selections, the best of which we consider to be number 2325 followed by 0013 and 2222. We like pinot noir and on the basis of our experience fancy our chances of doing better with this variety than other producers who have tried it, and in many cases given up the chase.

The flavours we get from pinot have substance, the wine can stand extended maceration and it can also stand extended barrel maturation. After experimenting for some years with cold soak techniques and whole bunch ferments we have opted for a simple de-stem and pump operation with irrigation of the cap several times a day via a circulation pump. It is all very pedestrian. The absolutely critical thing is to limit the crop by thinning, be lucky with the weather, avoid heat in February through till mid March, get the crop properly ripe so as to avoid any late palate sappy greenness while avoiding the tendency for too much raisining of the fruit and run a good ferment to dryness.

Pinot Noir after harvest.

Current Vintage: 2004

Awards: Silver Medal. Mount Barker Western Australian Wine Show 2004. Two silvers were the top awards in this class.