Tasting Profile
April 2025
The inaugural release of this single block wine is sourced from the newest Pinot Noir plantings at the Kooyong vineyard. Now at 15 years of age the vines are now truly expressing the site at a quality level on par as some of the older parts of the vineyard. Taken from only a 0.8ha section of our Nord block, the northern most part of the property which was selected for its free draining yellow grey dermosol soils and planted to a modern clonal mix at a high density of 5800 vines per hectare.
The fruit was hand harvested and then gently destemmed with 15% whole bunches included to a wooden vat for fermentation with ambient yeasts, The ferment was gently pumped over and plunged over a period of 16 days. Following fermentation, the wine was pressed and racked into a mixture of French oak barriques and puncheons (15% of which were new) and underwent indigenous malolactic fermentation. Aged for a period of 12 months before the wine was gently racked was then bottled without fining or filtration.
The 2023 Nord reveals an opulent bouquet of red and blue fruits—dark cherry, blueberry, and ripe plum—interwoven with delicate violet florals. Earthy tones and leaf litter add complexity, while subtle bunchy spice and a hint of background toast frame the wine with depth and elegance.
On the palate, the wine is rich and deeply fruited, showcasing dark berries and cherries alongside a delicate citrus lift. The tannins are plush and rounded, offering a soft structure, while the bright acidity sits seamlessly within the fruit, enhancing the wine’s balance and vibrancy. The finish is long, pure, and finely etched, with the wine maintaining its poise and composure from start to finish.
13%
Reviews
Jancisrobinson.com, March 2025
Tamlyn Currin
A brand-new wine, from newer plantings (15 years old) planted at double vine density, 4,500–5,000 vines/ha. Densely planted vineyards ‘hit their straps faster, limiting yield per vine by natural means’. 15% whole bunch. Spontaneous fermentation in wooden vat. Inaugural release. Smells like membrillo! So much more intensity. This is vibrant! Denser texture; spicier; plush. Quince, ferrous undertones, notes of smoky chilli, deeper timbre. Vibration and sumptuousness. Fabulous. And very different to the other Kooyong Pinots. Quite a bit more showy, but in a compelling way.
17.5 points
Wine Pilot, July 2025
Jeni Port
This is the inaugural release of fruit from this single block, the vineyard’s most northern. It’s a bit of a charmer. Shows a wealth of the kind of dark cherry, red fruits that define Mornington Peninsula pinot and, in a cool year like 2023, they shine with an attractive purity. Aromas combine the earthy and leafy with the ripe fruited: undergrowth, leaf, earthy dusty beetroot, cassis and cherry, vanilla, red liquorice and a splash of blood orange. It is bright, rose and cherry fresh with layers of firm, concentrated flavour. Shows a pinot of ripeness and freshness with some lovely orange peel and pomegranate touches that really lift in tandem with some crunchy acidity. All round delicious AND worthy of some time in the cellar.
94 points
The Real Review, July 2025
Huon Hooke
Deep red purple colour, bright and vibrant. Rich, ripe black-cherry aromas, a lacing of dried herbs, the palate rich and full, with amplitude and succulent depths of sweetly ripe cherry fruit, quite complex also, and backed with silky-fine tannins that barely impose themselves. A very impressive debut from this new single-block of close-planted vines.
96 points
Halliday Wine Companion, August 2025
Jane Faulkner
A new wine with fruit off the northernmost part of the vineyard (hence ‘Nord’ in French), planted 15 years ago to a mix of clones, high-density 5800 per ha, but this off 0.8ha, made with 15% whole-bunches, fermented wild in large oak vats, pressed to French barriques and puncheons, 15% new, and aged 12 months. It’s the most fragrant of the single-block wines and, in its way, the most harmonious. Beautifully aromatic with florals, spice and raspberry leaf, flavours of red cherries, pips, a little woodsy/twiggy note. It manages to align savoury elements and sweet fruit very well. Mid-weighted, just, with fine tannins and raspberry sorbet acidity caressing the palate. A lovely wine; impressive debut in a tough vintage.
95 points
The WineFront, August 2025
Gary Walsh
The first release from this close-planted block. Dark cherry and spice, dried flowers, a most pleasing damp earthy stony sort of bass, a suggestion of liquorice and dried orange peel. It’s medium-bodied, a stony feel to tannin, cherry and almond, a juicy freshness to acidity, with a rosehip, pomegranate and red fruited finish of fine length. There’s a little bit of ‘extra’ in this wine, and I’d say it’s the pick of the four single vineyard releases from Kooyong in 2023. Nord. Nice.
94 points
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.