Hoddles Creek Estate Pinot Noir 2019 has aromas of red berries and dark cherry which dominate the nose, firm mid palate tannins lead to pleasing acidity on the back.
"It just came in the door, and reviewed within about five minutes. I can tell when a courier is anywhere near, because our dog goes into meltdown. Loves a delivery man (they are so rarely women, I note).
Nose in glass, and first impression is that this is a great vintage for HCE Pinot. Darker fruit profile, but with raspberry in there too, plenty of spice and perfume of dried rose, some lead pencil and cedar happening. It’s medium-bodied, savoury and fruit sweet, almost earthy, and packed with gravelly tannin and bright cherry acidity. The finish is long, spicy, dried herb and cherry-laden, beautiful tannin pushing it out. It puts me in mind of 2013 with its grip and deep fruit. It’s bloody outstanding."
94+ Points - Gary Walsh, The Wine Front, April 2020, Drink: 2020 - 2030
Hoddles Creek Estate was established in 1997 when the D'Anna family decided to establish a vineyard on the property that has been in the family since 1960. The vineyard sits astride Gembrook Road and adjacent Hoddles Creek. Its steeply sloping blocks prohibit mechanical harvesting, with both vineyards being hand pruned and harvested.
All our wines, which are single vineyard, estate grown, are made in our 300 tonne winery, constructed for the 2003 vintage. The split-level winery has a barrel store located three meters underground.
All fruit for the 2019 Yarra Valley Pinot Noir is hand-picked in the morning and immediately de-stemmed with no crushing. In tank the fruit will have a small addition of sulphur. Some batches were left to cold soak for approximately 4-5 days, whilst others started fermentation immediately.
Natural and cultured yeasts were used on different ferments. Pigage and delastage were used for cap management. Some ferments will undergo post maceration, depending on the tannin structure and the style of the wine.
On completion of fermentation the wine was gently pressed and transferred to 30% new, 30% one year old and the balance in two and three year old oak, After 11 months of barrel maturation, the wine was assembled and bottled without filtration or fining. Winery Notes
