100% Pinot Noir from the Little Hampton vineyard near Trentham in the Macedon Ranges. This site sits at 730m above sea level and is one of the coolest in the Macedon Ranges. Good spring rains set the season up well. Soil moisture continued through to harvest. The dry summer allowed us to harvest fruit on phenolic and flavour ripeness alone, a rare treat in the Macedon Ranges.
Fruit was handpicked in pristine condition and we carefully sorted and destemmed it with 100% whole berries going into small open fermenters. Natural fermentation occurred with daily hand plunging to extract fine tannins and flavour. After two weeks on skins the wine was pressed then racked into second-use French hogsheads and puncheons where it rested and grew. The wine was then blended and filtered prior to bottling in February 2019.
Deep purple with a deep crimson hue. Floral violets, lavender and rose petal waft from the glass, bolstered by plum and raspberry fruits. Further complexities reveal themselves, such as cardamom, cassis and sarsaparilla. Mineral aspects including gunpowder and graphite provide intrigue. Given time in the glass the Little Hampton’s signature aromatics intensify and seduce. Raspberry, plum and cherry sap fall immediately onto the palate, along with savoury notes of game, graphite and white pepper. A focused and mineral core has drive, vibrancy and poise. Fine and lacy tannins frame the complex cardamom spice and subtle fruits. The wine has energy and lift that can only been seen in high-altitude, cool-climate Pinot Noir. – Al Timms, Shadowfax