Description
Ashton Hills has the oldest pinot vineyard in the Adelaide Hills. Stephen George wears two winemakers’ hats … one for his Ashton Hills wines coming from his estate vineyard high in the Adelaide Hills, the other for the iconic Wendouree wines in Clare. He refers to his dry grown Piccadilly Valley vineyard planted back in 1982 as the “Burgundy of the Adelaide Hills”. Stephen is one of Australia’s most highly respected winemaking viticulturalists and a pioneer of Adelaide Hills Pinot Noir. In 1982 he planted his dry-grown 3 hectare vineyard (which he refers to as his garden!) and has experimented much with trellising and planting 21 different pinot clones and settled on the best performing 5 clones. To give you an idea of the attention to detail of this craftsman, sometimes they go through 4 times hand picking the same row to ensure optimum ripeness! The result is sublime pinot noir.. unfortunately in minuscule quantities!
The 2021 Piccadilly Valley Pinot Noir is a blend of fruit from a few of the neighbours as well as a contribution from de-classified Ashton Hills Reserve/Estate parcels. Stephen George has taken great interest in applying his winemaking approach to parcels from elsewhere within the Piccadilly Valley and seeing how the wines compare with those from the Ashton Hills vineyard. The resulting blend benefits from varied fruit character and vineyard expression, while maintaining the fine tannin structure that is typical of the Ashton Hills style.
Notes about this vintage from the winemaker: “2021 was widely considered to be an excellent vintage across South Australia and the Piccadilly Valley was no exception with healthy, balanced vines producing a crop with impressive flavour and concentration. Ideal conditions at flowering allowed good fruit set and several rain periods in late January/early February ensured adequate soil moisture levels, optimum conditions for berry development. The final stages of ripening were slowed by cool temperatures, resulting in ideal conditions for flavour development.”
Aromas of Juicy red fruits, plum and cherry are supported by florals and spice from the use of whole bunches. Plum, blackberry and strawberry entwine with autumnal leafy characters and soft spice on the palate. There is a juicy suppleness to the tannins, but a bright acid line and a hint of charry oak ensure the flavours linger on the palate.
This 2021 is an exceptional release… 94 Points, 2022 Halliday Wine Companion, Jeni Port “Fermented with 30% whole bunches, matured in French oak for 9 months. In the dark and brooding class of pinot, with undergrowth, autumnal leaves, dark berries, woodsy spices and sage. The amount of whole bunches has been decreased from 2020, a good sign, bringing an element of added complexity rather than sharpness. A strong, firm, exciting young pinot.”
93 Points, Campbell Mattinson, Winefront “This is in lovely form. It tastes spicy and it feels well structured but the fruit is ripe and juicy. Cranberry into boysenberry and red cherry, florals and woodsy spice. It’s fairly light on its feet but it has enough insistence to make its quality clear. Oak, gently smoked, is so very well played here, so neatly tucked. It’s well played all around.”
RRP $46 Our Special Price $39.99 – Limited
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