Description
Hurley Vineyard wraps north to east around the crest of a little volcanic hill in Balnarring on the Mornington Peninsula of Victoria, Australia. Kevin Bell and Tricia Byrnes are immersed in the task of showcasing what their 3 differing single vineyard plots or climats can express. Burgundy clearly inspired them to this endeavour, not to mimic the wines from the Cote d’Or in terms of taste but the ethos of single site expressions, terrior driven wines. Planted in 1998 and 1999 the estate has 3.43 hectares of Pinot Noir across 3 clearly defined climats: Lodestone, Hommage and Garamond.
Kevin says: “Our principles are: organic viticulture, non-irrigation, low yields and true expression of the terroir of a vineyard and the individual climats within a vineyard”.
Hurley Vineyard’s position receives abundant sunshine and free-moving air, yet is well-protected from strong winds by 100 year old pine trees and the surrounding topography. The hill is capped by stony, red-brown earth. This ‘Older Volcanic’ soil type is quick to warm and slow to cool, and retains moisture and drains freely.
Winemaking consists of hand-picked fruit arriving to the winery where grapes are cooled overnight before 100% destemmed whole berries (no whole-bunch) go into 2 ton open top fermenters. Pre-ferment maceration cold soak of approximately one week before fermentation with natural yeasts. Pieage twice a day then post ferment maceration 5 to 7 days vintage dependent. Gravity fed into a basket press then into barrel for aging. Kevin and Tricia are passionately committed to one cooper, Sirugue, based in Nuit St George. Kevin highlights that he loves the fact the staves are air-dried for a minimum of 4 years before they are used for the barrels, giving the wood time to season and low toasting. 1/4 to 1/3 new oak for the elevage of each wine, 20 months approx total aging, no racking at any stage until bottling and under gravity.
About this wine: Hommage is in-between Lodestone and Garamond in almost every way. It is harvested second. Typically, it smells distinctly of ripe plums and the forest floor. It can have the subtle fragrance of flowers. Invariably it tastes of wine gums and jubes. You can always see soft, squishy berries, like mulberries, and firmer ones, like blueberries. The fermenting vats actually smell and taste that way! Hommage tastes more of fruit than earth. It is full and supple in the palate, but not loose. Our emphasis now is more on the freshness of the fruit – the point where the sweetness is balanced by velvety tannins. It is often described as ‘Burgundian’.
Hommage is North East facing and a lot more sheltered than Lodestone from the elements. A very small plot of just over 1 Hectare planted in 1998 & 1999. Kevin and Tricia are quick to acknowledge that this vineyard was made possible from the generosity of Main Ridge Estate who offered cuttings of the G5V15 Pinot clone. They regard Main Ridge as one of the key founding estates of Mornington, hence the title ‘Hommage’.
About the 2024 vintage by winemaker Kevin Bell: “”The 2024 vintage was difficult in spring and early summer 2023 due to wind and rain, especially in November at flowering time. As in most recent years, this resulted in relatively poor fruit set and lower than average yields. However, warmer and drier conditions in January-March 2024 produced divine conditions for ripening the reduced crop. An orderly harvest in lovely weather occurred in late February to early March, a week or so earlier than average. The cool nights helped to create ideal winemaking conditions. The medium-bodied wines are of exceptional standard and among the best we have made. They are pure, well structured and express elegance and finesse, and have exceptional terroir expression. We think we have made quintessential Hurley Vineyard wines this vintage, both as to the Estate blend and the benchmark single vineyard wines. They all have moderate alcohol, bright natural acidity and inherent balance. ” – Kevin Bell
95+ points, Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front “The tannin in this wine starts from the mid palate. It’s arguably the most structural of the 2024 Hurley Vineyard releases. Pronounced herb notes rest on cherry-plum fruit, with fresh cedar and sweet spice notes soaked within. This isn’t a big Pinot Noir, it’s varietal and fresh, and yet it feels imposing. It’s a wine with a beautiful future.”
95 points, Jane Faulkner, Halliday Wine Companion “A lovely Hommage with its light garnet hue and still quite primary. Cherries with some cranberries, spiced up with sumac, fresh herbs and a dash of Angostura bitters. The palate feels light and bright, the tannins delicately textural, with tangy acidity to close.”
RRP $109 Our Special Price $94.99 – VERY LIMITED
