2022 Marchand & Burch Villages Pinot Noir, Mt Barker Great Southern

So fragrant with lavender and roses it’s perfume-like. Of course, plenty of bright red cherries and pips, red licorice and all in all, very juicy. Not a big wine even if the tannins are a little sinewy, just more time needed to settle. Still lovely now if you must drink it in its youth.

91 points Jane Faulkner winecompanion.com.au

Marchand and Burch Villages Pinot Noir from Mount Barker in the Great Southern is a finely judged, cool climate expression that channels Burgundian sensibility through one of Western Australia’s most compelling Pinot Noir regions. Mount Barker sits at elevation with a genuinely cool growing season, long hang time and consistent maritime influence. Ancient granite and gravelly loam soils bring natural restraint, bright acidity and a savoury edge that suits Pinot Noir beautifully.

Marchand and Burch is a collaboration between Burgundian vigneron Pascal Marchand and Western Australian wine figure Jeff Burch, built on a shared belief in site expression and minimal interference. The Villages range is about clarity and regional honesty rather than winemaking gloss. Fruit is handled gently, extraction is restrained and oak is used sparingly to frame the wine, not define it. The result is Pinot Noir that feels composed, detailed and unmistakably cool climate.

In the glass, the wine is fragrant and precise. Red cherry, wild strawberry and cranberry sit at the core, followed by rose petal, dried herbs and subtle spice. With air, more savoury notes emerge, forest floor, tea leaf and a faint ironstone character that reflects Mount Barker’s soils and cooler conditions.

On the palate, this Pinot Noir is medium bodied and beautifully balanced. Bright red fruit flows through a supple mid palate, supported by fresh, integrated acidity that gives lift and length. Tannins are fine and chalky, providing structure without grip. Oak sits quietly in the background, adding texture and shape rather than flavour. The finish is long, dry and gently savoury, lingering with red fruit, spice and earthy nuance.

This is a Pinot Noir that excels with food. Roast chicken, duck, pork, mushroom dishes or lighter game are natural matches. It is drinking very well now for its freshness and balance, but it will also cellar comfortably over five to eight years, gaining more savoury complexity while retaining its clarity and line.

Marchand and Burch Villages Pinot Noir is elegant, restrained and deeply regional. A thoughtful expression of Mount Barker Pinot Noir that rewards attention rather than shouting for it.