Product Description:
This wine has a gorgeous depth of colour and flavour: plums and black cherries, a spritz of acidity, and opulent tannin. Always, elegance is characteristic of the fruit sourced solely from our site in the Coal River Valley of Tasmania’s south.
Their Pinot Noir is unique in that they have over 18 different clone and rootstock combinations in the vineyard. Each combination has subtle but noticeable differences both in growth and flavours. Some will have larger bunches, some smaller, some grow upright, some like to flop. Some rootstocks are more tolerant of drought, others are not. Each combination has a different way of expressing the terroir of the vineyard; therefore each is picked by hand, and processed separately from the others. The wine is then stored in 100% French oak for 9-10 months before being bottled. This provides the winery with 18 different wines that they taste individually and blend into the final wine.
Maker:
Two families brought together from a love of wine supported by a passionate and talented team. Greg Melick and wife Michelle founded Pressing Matters in 2002, inspired by the potential of the neighbouring Morningside Vineyard to produce the noble European varieties of Riesling, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Cabernet. The first vintage was in 2006.Greg's love of Mosel and Burgundy wines inspires Pressing Matters but Greg’s role as father and grandfather are his proudest achievements.
Not long after, the opportunity to unite the Morningside vineyard with Pressing Matters saw the Hall family join the Melicks as partners in late 2019. A friendship formed from a love of burgundy and holidays shared in the family home in Meursault now fuels the next stage of the Pressing Matters story. Significant investment in a new winery, tasting room and general infrastructure and new plantings are some of the first steps of the partnership.
Vineyard:
Pressing Matters vineyard is located on the side slopes of the Coal River Valley. Most of these hills are composed of dolerite, a volcanic rock that emerged during the Jurassic period. The soils are alkaline dark clay-silty. Careful rootstock selection was made to take advantage of the high level of active limestone for a better development of the roots and to better reveal the ‘terroir’. These soils are rich in all nutrients, especially in iron, magnesium and manganese, which is very important for obtaining quality in red wines.
With more than 20 combinations of clones and rootstocks, some planted on own roots, provides a complex viticultural palate to manage. Generally a green and organic approach applies to all inputs and operations but in wet seasons disease risk is mitigated with chemicals. Work in the vineyard is focused on canopy and vine management and the cultivation and promotion of healthier soils.
Taste:
Nose - Concentrated Black Cherry, Dark Berries, Leaf Litter
Dark red in the glass with aromas of black cherry and dark plum dotted with spices, Chinese roast duck, mushroom broth, rhubarb, leaf litter, dried herbs and soy.
Palate - Plush, Bright Acidity, Sapid Minerality
Lovely ripe cherry fruits on the palate with a nice sapid line of minerally acidity.
Finish - Bright, Long, Persistent
All the right notes of fruit tension, gamey complexity and effortless drinkability.
Impressively deep purple-red colour; concentrated black cherry to blackberry aromas laced with a hint of dried herbs, while the palate is superbly concentrated and plush, with luscious flavour with bright acidity striking sparks off the fruit sweetness, the tannins chiming in with fleshy density, mouth-feel and persistence. A superb pinot noir is emerging, and a little more time will bring even more to it. - Huon Hooke, The Real Review, 96 Points.
Coal River Valley-sourced pinot noir. Dark red in the glass with aromas of black cherry and dark plum dotted with spices, Chinese roast duck, mushroom broth, rhubarb, leaf litter, dried herbs and soy. Lovely ripe cherry fruits on the palate with a nice sapid line of minerally acidity hitting all the right notes of fruit tension, gamey complexity and effortless drinkability. Geez, it's easy to pour another glass of this. - Halliday Wine Companion 2022.
The Finer Details
Style - Red Wine
Varietal - Pinot Noir
Country - Australia
Region - Coal River Valley, Tasmania
Vintage - 2021
Bottle Size - 750ml
ABV - 13.8%
Closure - Screw Cap
