Description
This single‑vineyard estate, first planted in 1995 in Dixons Creek in the Yarra Valley, sits on 11.2 hectares of well‑drained, gently sloping vines sheltered by the Toolangi State Forest and oriented to the northeast. For many years the fruit was crafted by respected winemakers including Rick Kinzbrunner, Franco D’Anna and David Bicknell, but since Helmut Konecsny, the owner of Rochford Wines, purchased Toolangi Vineyards in 2017, winemaker Kaspar Hermann has elevated the site’s individuality and expression. Hermann brings experience from respected Yarra Valley estates—including eight years at Mount Mary—along with time at Seville Estate, Coldstream Hills and Punch. He works closely with viticulturist John Evans, whose two decades of Yarra Valley experience guide the vineyard’s thoughtful management. The soils—fine silty clay loam over richer clay silts—provide a natural balance of vigour and fruitfulness, while the team’s practices, from shoot‑thinning to enhance airflow to minimal spraying and under‑vine mulching, support healthy ripening and a thriving ecosystem.
About this wine: Already an impressive Yarra Pinot, from the 2024 vintage this label has upped the stakes. It is now made from Toolangi’s E Block Pinot Noir, just 10 rows of 25-year-old MV6 clone vines identified as growing the property’s most impressive and expressive Pinot. These rows are a direct continuation of the Paul’s Lane parcel to the east, so Kaspar Hermann is convinced something unique is happening beneath the surface.
E-block delivers lower-than-average yields for this already moderate-yielding site, and the fruit holds markedly more drive and intensity. The fruit fermented with 50% bunches over 15 days before being pressed to used French oak barriques (just one new oak barrel accounts for 10%) for nine months’ maturation. Until 2024, this wine was labelled E-Block and cost twice as much. So, hear here you are getting all the wine at half the price. Philip Rich’s note below captures the wine well; it’s a bright, vivid, juicy, complex, single-vineyard Yarra Pinot from a great season, site and grower. Only 200 bottles made.
95 points, Philip Rich, The Wine Companion “24-year-old MV6 vines. 50/50% whole berries/whole bunches. A bright crimson. Subtle and complex aromas of forest fruits and hedgerow together with some spice and ferrous notes. Medium bodied, this energetic wine fills out nicely across the palate with ripe, juicy tannins and bright acidity keeping this energetic and fresh.”
RRP $52 *Our Special Price $41.99 when you buy 6 or more of this wine.
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