Winery & Vintage Info
2022 was a high quality but low yielding season in the Yarra Valley. A very cool, wet and stormy spring resulted in some challenging conditions around flowering and hence very poor fruit set. The season proceeded to dry out into December, with a dry and warm Christmas period. This exacerbated the already small bunch weights, leading to bunches that weighed up to 40% lower than average. The mild summer meant long, slow ripening and flavour concentration throughout summer, with some well-placed rain in January refreshing the vineyards at just the right time. The strong canopies and low fruit load meant we sailed neatly into picking with very little disease or weather pressure affecting our picking decisions. The grapes from 2022 came off the vine with lovely concentration and flavour with great natural acidity and tannin.
The Primavera Vineyard is located in Woori Yallock, and was planted in 2001. With an elevation of 230 metres above sea level. Red clay loam, with north and north-east facing slopes over 12 hectares. After discovering Yarra Valley wines 25 years ago, Lou Primavera planted this vineyard in Hoddles Creek in 2001. We have a long-standing relationship with the Primavera family, having sourced fruit from the vineyard from 2006. This small vineyard has Pinot planted on two slopes of the gully right at the start of the Lone Star Creek – with MV6 planted on north slope and 115 and G-clone on south slope. This vineyard always produced our most floral, red fruited and fragrant Pinot Noir, with a sweetness and softness.
Hand picked, all fruit is chilled overnight to 12 degrees Celsius. Fermented in small oak fermenters and stainless steel open vats. The fruit was sorted to create individual, clonal ferments. The 115 was fermented as whole bunches in a seasoned oak vat, while the MV6 and G clone were fermented as whole berries with an extended cold soak. The ferment spent around 10 – 14 days on skins, with gentle mixing throughout that time using gravity. All parcels were matured in French oak – 20% new, 80% older – for ten months in 225L barriques and D&J. The wine was not moved and kept in contact with its lees before blending in December. Bottled by gravity with no fining or filtration. Winery Notes
