This is a delicious pinot noir from Curly Flat in the Macedon Ranges and the 2017 vintage. It has an attractive aroma of black currant, cherry and bacon. The palate has great length, cedar, considerable balance and a savoury, enjoyable mid palate. It actually reminds of a Côte de Nuits villages wine from a warmer…Continue readingCurly Flat Macedon Ranges Pinot Noir 2017
Tag: Viticulture
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Yarra Valley 2019
With the 2019 harvest underway, I spent the morning in the winery at Helen & Joey in the Yarra Valley. Here are a few vineyard photographs and observations. Photo above: East-west planted pinot noir, looking to the west. Grafted merlot vines planted on north-south facing rows, and nearing harvest. Phylloxera continues its march through the…Continue readingYarra Valley 2019
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McLaren Vale visit
I visited McLaren Vale briefly with my fellow MW students in November, with stops at Coriole and Noon. Some vineyard pictures and brief comments follow. (Above) Shiraz vines at Coriole, against a backdrop of dry fields. Some (possible) wind damage on shoot tips on right hand side. Fruit set on 1919 shiraz vines at Coriole.…Continue readingMcLaren Vale visit
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Vine density
I’ve been having a close look recently at vine density. From the simple and incorrect dogma that denser plantings are better (in fact, this holds it would seem only in some circumstances), it is fascinating to read the various studies. At its simplest, for any given area of land, vine density refers to how many vines…Continue readingVine density
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Organics that are inorganic
An interesting anomaly of organic viticulture is its treatment of copper. Gladstones in Wine, Terroir and Climate Change (2011, Wakefield Press) summarises it well at p89: ‘Organic’ viticulture, as it has been formally defined, authorises only traditional forms of disease, pest and weed control, using products deemed to be natural and eschewing all that have been artificially…Continue readingOrganics that are inorganic