2024 3 Drops Mount Barker Pinot Noir, Great Southern

Medium depth of purple-red colour; dark-cherry/cherry liqueur, earthy/briary whole-bunchy bouquet, with some savoury smoky-oaky barrel touches. A core of sweet ripe fruit. Delicious. Drink 2025–2037.

95 points Huon Hooke The Real Review, August 2025

The Pinot Noir fruit comes from the Patterson Vineyard, planted in 1982 and one of the oldest Pinot Noir sites in the Great Southern. Three Drops acquired it in 2007 and it has been the backbone of their red wine range since. Old vines, cool climate, and a site that has had four decades to find its footing — that's a good starting point for any Pinot.

The 2024 vintage ran warm and early across Mount Barker, arriving about a month ahead of schedule. That warmth gave the wine more immediate generosity than cooler years — a little more plush, a little more fruit-forward — while the region's natural cool-climate acidity kept everything in check. Destemmed, fermented in closed tank with daily pump-overs, then 24% new French oak and lees ageing for texture and complexity.

Bright garnet in the glass. The nose is fragrant and appealing — wild strawberry, red currant, rose petal and a subtle earthy undertone. The palate is medium-bodied and juicy with silky tannins, lively acidity and a fine savoury thread running through to a clean, persistent finish. Good drinking now and worth holding for a few years yet.

Grilled salmon, Korean japchae, a simple mushroom pasta or pork belly. Also fine slightly chilled on a warm evening — this is exactly that kind of wine.

Drink now through 2030.