Description
Garagiste is definitely one of Mornington Peninsula’s brightest rising stars! Named in honour of the ‘Garagiste’ – ‘garage’ vintners of Bordeaux who thumbed their nose at the rigid traditions of chateaux, winemaker Barney Flanders makes succulent, finely tuned and elegantly crafted cool-climate Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Gris,highlighting the subtleties of the Peninsula’s different sub-regions with small batches of very limited and high quality wines. Fruit is sourced predominantly from highly prized Merricks Grove vineyard, Silverwood vineyard (Balnarring) and Hugh Robinson vineyard in Moorooduc. Since their first release in 2006 their wines are highly sought after, highly regarded and seem to be getting better every year!
Merricks North again takes a lead role here, accounting for 33% of the blend, with the balance Balnarring (40%), Red Hill (17%) and Merricks Grove (10%). In previous years, the Stagiaire Pinot Noir has been all MV6 clone. The inclusion of the Merricks North site brings Dijon clones (114 and 115) into play, which lend a distinct, pretty plushness and perfumed nuance to MV6’s natural structure and power.
The Merricks Grove site, Barney’s flagship, contributes bright fruit characters and a signature savoury quality. The Balnarring site, which Barney has farmed for 12 years, adds shade and spice, while the higher, cooler, more southerly site in Red Hill contributes linear drive. After sorting in the vineyard and winery, spontaneous fermentations took place in concrete and stainless steel with whole berries complemented by a 15% whole-bunch component. The fruit spent 23 days on skins, with gentle pumpovers and a small amount of plunging towards the end. The wine matured for seven months on gross lees divided equally between 300-litre hogsheads and foudre, with just 5% new oak. It was bottled unfined and unfiltered.
This is the very model of Mornington Pinot Noir: pretty fruit, bright perfume, brown spices and subtle stem influence allied to vibrant freshness, juicy weight and soft round tannins. Magic. There’s satisfaction in every sip.
We were thrilled with this 2024 release it steps it up.. Bargain alert !
Review for 2023: 93 points, Jane Faulkner, Halliday Wine Companion “Now aren’t you a pretty pinot, and charming with flavours of wild strawberries and red cherries all lightly spiced. Supple tannins with a juiciness across the palate and the right amount of refreshing acidity.”
RRP $39 Our Special Price $29.99 when you buy 6 bottles or more of this wine.
