2018 Lethbridge Block 4 Pinot Noir Biodynamic, Geelong

The Lethbridge Block 4 Pinot Noir is grown on a patch of vines on the black clay, basalt and limestone soils in the northwest corner of the lofty, cool Lethbridge vineyard in the Moorabool Valley. The block was planted in 1998 predominantly to MV6, with a smattering of 115 in the mix. Though the cool, wet start to the 2018 season gave rise to some concern early on, come November, things had dried out and warmed up, with the rest of the season playing out as “one of the most pleasurable” Ray has witnessed in decades. “The vines were perfectly set up to produce great fruit.”

Perfectly ripe fruit was picked by hand, fermented spontaneously in open-top vessels with 50% whole bunches, and matured in barrels (50% of which were new). Perhaps due to his scientific background, Nadeson, whose wines never taste oaky, is a specialist when it comes to oak use. He works closely with a single French cooper, and all Lethbridge barrels are custom-built to his specifications: light toast and a tight grain to facilitate micro-oxygenation and help polymerise the tannins. This is super classy, bottle-aged Pinot: bold and richly textured, laden with deep red fruits, exotic spice and well-integrated savoury notes from the oak.