2024 Meadowbank Pinot Noir

The fruit for Meadowbank’s lithe, detailed Pinot is drawn from a north-facing parcel of vines planted by Gerald Ellis in 1987 (which winemaker Peter Dredge thinks is probably a combination of clones MV6 and D5V12). The slopes descend over Meadowbank's typical loose sand and sandstone over dark brown coffee rock (sand cemented by iron oxides and organic matter), and these vines benefit from lovely exposure and airflow. Vintage 2024 here was very dry; although temperatures were generally fairly moderate, there was barely any rain. Happily, there was a return to more “normal” yields relative to a run of leaner years, and the quality was exemplary again. The fruit for the 2024 Pinot was harvested by hand over two weeks. The wine fermented on skins for two weeks before being pressed to finish fermentation in a mix of old and new French oak barriques. It then matured in oak for nine months (just 10% new) before bottling without fining. Look out for the intensely fragrant, spiced red fruit aromas so typical of the Meadowbank site, alongside subtle undergrowth earthiness and sappy, cherry-spiked freshness. It isn’t a powerhouse, however (unlike many of our most revered examples); this is not what the Meadowbank site delivers, but a wine of perfume, sinuous charisma and dangerous drinkability!