Lightfoot Myrtle Point Pinot Noir 2024 Gippsland

Winemaking Notes
The Lightfoot Myrtle Point Pinot Noir 2024 is crafted exclusively from fruit grown at the Myrtle Point Vineyard in the coastal Gippsland Lakes District, Victoria, a unique site located high on a limestone bluff above the Mitchell River. The vineyard's soil structure—classic Terra Rossa over limestone—is highly unusual in Gippsland and contributes the distinctive site-specific savoury elements of sage, oregano, cured meat and subtle smoky spice that define this wine's character. Located between the Great Dividing Range and Bass Strait, the Gippsland Lakes District enjoys a cool, semi-maritime climate that produces Pinot Noir of exceptional quality and regional typicity. The wine was made in a series of open fermenters using a variety of winemaking techniques to build complexity, structure and depth. Three different yeast strains were employed throughout the ferments—RC212, IOC Revelation Terroir and M2—with all ferments hand-plunged twice daily and allowed to ferment until completion. Temperatures were kept below 25 degrees Celsius through the main part of the ferment to preserve the wine's vibrant colour and fresh acidity. The wine was then pressed to tank, combining both the pressings and the free-run fractions, before being sent to barrel the following day for maturation and malolactic fermentation. Ten per cent new French oak barrels were used in the blend, with the remainder in seasoned French oak from coopers including Damy, Sirugue, François Frères and Mercurey, and allowed to age in the cellar for seven months. The wine was cross-flow filtered prior to bottling in November 2024 and was not fined with any animal products, making it proudly vegan.

Vintage Conditions
The 2024 vintage at Myrtle Point Vineyard began with a wetter than average spring punctuated with beautiful warm sunny days, creating ideal conditions for the vines to emerge from dormancy. The vines were a little later than normal waking from their dormant period, which was welcomed as it lessened frost risk—a crucial consideration for this cool-climate Pinot Noir site. The plentiful rain and warm conditions quickly saw the growth catch up to a normal year, and fortunately conditions over flowering allowed a fairly consistent crop to set. The vineyard team worked diligently throughout the season, with shoot thinning, trimming and regular trellis work keeping the canopy open and minimising disease pressure whilst supporting the developing bunches. Regular feeding with fish emulsion, seaweed and dynamic lifter saw the vines growing strongly and the soil around the vines alive with biota, contributing to the overall health and quality of the fruit. As the new year rolled around, the rain eased and the sun shone at just the right time to dry out the vineyard and focus energy on ripening grapes. What had been a slow start quickly caught up and even overtook normal vintage milestones, meaning that picking started significantly earlier than normal, with Pinot Noir picked in February instead of the usual March dates. The quality of the 2024 fruit was excellent, all helped by what could only be described as a pretty dream run by viticulture standards, resulting in a wine that Wine Companion's Jane Faulkner awarded 93 points, describing as "a gorgeous, lighter-framed pinot and immediately appealing, gently spiced, softly fruited with red cherries, with wafts of rosehips and petals and a touch of savouriness, tangy and juicy, with bright, refreshing acidity and feathery-fine tannins."