2021 Medhurst Reserve Pinot Noir, Yarra Valley

Made from a single block of MV6 pinot noir planted in 2000. Whole bunches (20%) with 20 days' skin contact. Only two barrels, with one new. Having won the trophy for best wine at the 2022 Yarra Valley Wine Show with its Yarra Valley Chardonnay 2021, Medhurst is firing on all cylinders and this reserve pinot noir is another super wine. A light, very bright crimson red. Delicately perfumed with a bouquet of crystalline red fruits, pomegranate and rose petals, this is a wine that reveals itself slowly, and in waves. Fine boned, silky and structured, it’s a joy to drink now but will only continue to build and improve in bottle for at least the next five to eight years.

97 points Special Value Philip Rich, Halliday Wine Companion  August 2023

Medhurst has been quietly building its reputation at Gruyere since Ross and Robyn Wilson established the estate in the late 1990s. The Reserve Pinot Noir is drawn from the estate’s best fruit and sits above the Estate bottling, with greater depth and structure while retaining the fragrant, finely shaped character that suits this part of the Yarra Valley so well.

The 2021 vintage was an excellent one for Yarra Pinot, with mild conditions and a long, even growing season allowing flavour to develop slowly while natural acidity remained beautifully intact. Now with several years in bottle, the Reserve is moving into an especially attractive phase. The bright primary fruit is still there, but more savoury notes are beginning to emerge and the tannins have settled comfortably into the wine.

Translucent ruby garnet, the bouquet moves through Morello cherry, wild strawberry and redcurrant into dried rose, blood orange and thyme. With air come clove, black tea, porcini and a touch of damp forest floor. The palate is silky but structured, with cherry and cranberry carried by fine, savoury tannins and lively acidity. Orange peel, tea leaf and earthy spice build through the middle before a persistent finish of red fruit, herbs and gentle woodland notes.

Peking duck with cucumber and hoisin would be terrific, alongside grilled quail with pomegranate, pork and shiitake dumplings, miso glazed salmon or a wild mushroom and Gruyère tart. Our pick is the quail. Smoky skin, delicate meat and tart pomegranate play beautifully with the Pinot’s cherry, spice and developing earthy complexity.

Cellaring: Drink now to 2036.