2026 Mandala Pinot Noir, Yarra Valley

An expressive, fragrant nose greets with aromas of red berries and gentle notes of roses, cinnamon, cedar and a light dusting of white pepper. The medium-bodied, balanced palate follows the nose, with red fruit held to the fore by fine, chalky tannins and refreshing acidity.

Delicious on release, it drinks well on its own and would pair nicely with a mushroom risotto and lighter hot pots. Serve cool but not fridge cold to best capture the crunchy red fruit.

More about this wine

The estate grown fruit was hand-picked and de-stemmed, with whole berries allowed a three-day cold soak before open fermentation in small batches with both cultivated Burgundian yeast strains and indigenous yeasts. The musts were pumped over and hand plunged throughout the fermentation, and the pressed wine matured for nine months in French oak barrels of which 20% were new.

About this producer

Mandala was established in 1999 by the Smedley family with the first plantings of Pinot Noir in the Upper Yarra Valley. Today, their vineyard covers four hectares and is planted to exclusively various clones of the variety, with Chardonnay bought from contract growers in the area. The elegant sparkling and table wines offer good value and are true regional expressions of each variety.