2023 Lethbridge Estate Pinot Noir Biodynamic, Geelong

Lethbridge’s approach to winemaking is rooted in biodynamic principles, which involve holistic farming practices that promote soil health and biodiversity. The grapes for this Pinot Noir are hand-harvested from low-yielding vineyards, ensuring the highest quality fruit. Fermentation is carried out with indigenous yeasts, and the wine is aged in French oak barrels, with minimal intervention to allow the true character of the vineyard to shine through.
 
The Lethbridge Pinot Noir marries fruit from the home vineyard in the Moorabool Valley and Hat Rock vineyard on the Bellarine Peninsula, midway between Drysdale and Portarlington. Named after a hat-shaped rocky outcrop on the shore of Corio Bay a short distance from the vineyard, Hat Rock vineyard was planted in 1996 and sits on a gently undulating slope that faces north. The soils are volcanic clay/loam over limestone, and the cooling effects of the bayside location moderate temperatures in the warmer months. The Lethbridge home vineyard was planted in 1996 and is the Moorabool Valley’s coolest site. It sits at 270 metres with black clay topsoil on bluestone and honeycomb basalt above limestone bedrock. Though the Lethbridge site is planted to two clones of Pinot Noir (MV6 and Abel), only MV6 is included for the wine, while Hat Rock contributes 114, 115 and a touch more MV6.
 
The fruit was picked by hand and fermented spontaneously in open-top vessels with a high proportion of whole bunches (approximately 50%). The ferment was handled gently over 20 days, with once-a-day punch-downs evolving to just a wetting of the cap as the days progressed. The wine matured for 11 months in 40% new wood. Expressive and transparent, the 2022 is layered with bright fruits, mineral lines and captivating purity. It strikes a lovely balance between savoury character and engaging fruit presence.