Tasting Profile
April 2025
This single-block wine is sourced from 0.75 ha of 27-year-old vines within, as the name suggests, the most sheltered of our vineyard sites. The lack of exposure to strong winds allows the vines to keep a rich green canopy until comparatively late in the ripening period and the resulting Haven wines always possess fruit in the more purplish spectrum, with a certain richness and lushness yet a firm underlying tannic structure. The vineyard (6.88 ha in total) comprises seven different parcels, with the same two parcels historically being selected for this wine.
The fruit was entirely destemmed, the ferment occurred spontaneously with ambient yeasts and took place in large-format wooden vat and pumped over and plunged over a 17 day period. Following fermentation, the wine was pressed and racked into French oak barriques and puncheons (14% of which were new) and underwent indigenous malolactic fermentation. The wine was racked only once, with the total maturation period lasting 12 months. It was then bottled without fining or filtration.
The 2023 Haven is deeply expressive, with aromas of red and dark cherry leading the way, supported by notes of forest strawberry, dried brown spice, and a subtle hint of twig. A twist of citrus adds lift and brightness, while understated oak rests quietly in the background, framing the wine with finesse.
The palate is generous and layered, with lashings of red and blue fruit flowing across a silky texture. Tannins are soft and velvety, lending structure without weight, while bright, balanced acidity carries the fruit with clarity. The finish is long and fine, with a gentle dusting of spice and earth, leaving an impression of quiet power and place.
13%
Tasting Profile 2023
Tasting Profile 2021
Tasting Profile 2020
Reviews
Jancisrobinson.com, March 2025
Tamlyn Currin
The Haven block is a protected site, away from strong winds. Sustainable viticulture. Spontaneous fermentation in an open-top wooden vat. No whole bunch, all whole berry. This little feels like a pearl, it’s smooth and glowing and blooming in the mouth. The tannins feel like apple peel in texture and the way they curl and curve around the wine. White-apple acidity. All about the heart of the wine. Concentric circles. Raspberry fruit. Really transparent. Glowing finish.
17.5 points
The Real Review, July 2025
Huon Hooke
Medium depth of bright colour, tinged with a good purple rim. The aromas are mineral with dried herb and boronia touches, superbly fragrant, while the palate is medium weighted and intense, with a very attractive complexity of flavours. The back-palate is long and harmonious and it has a lot of charm.
94 points
Matthewjukes.com, August 2025
Matthew Jukes
Usually my favourite because the amplitude of flavour is heightened, and the texture is always a little more velvety. These twin traits often arrive with a little more tannin to boot, and this is the case in 2023. Yes, the fruit is more exotic and seductive, but you ought to wait at least twelve months before diving into this wine because the finish is foursquare and unyielding. It is my favourite again, but I will be enjoying all three Pinots in this year’s release because they all perform different tasks brilliantly. And when they are all distant memories, I will pour my first glass of 2023 Haven heaven!
19+ / 20
The Vintage
The Vineyard
The Kooyong vineyard is located on the Mornington Peninsula at Tuerong, on Miocene sedimentary soils. Our wines are made from domain grown, handpicked grapes and aim to manifest terroir: the integration of our geology and soils with the macroclimate of our region, the mesoclimates of the various sites within our vineyard and the weather of the annual grape growing season. Our cultural operations in the vineyard and practices in the winery endeavour to articulate these unique characteristics diligently, respectfully and without artifice.