Serré Pinot Noir 2023

Serré, planted in 1984 and extended in 1986, certified organic in 2021, is planted to 1.2m x 1.2m vine spacing, MV6 clone Pinot Noir on its own roots. This is likely the oldest high-density planting of Pinot Noir in Australia. North-south row orientation on a complex soil profile of mixed clay over weathered basalt and limestone is naturally low-yielding; this vineyard is responsible for some of our finest, most powerful, and long-lived Pinot Noir wines.

The fruit was handpicked on the 23rd and 24th of March, completely destemmed, and fermented on skins for 10 days, before pressing to French oak hogshead barrels of which 33% was new. The wine was left undisturbed and went through malolactic fermentation in Spring and was blended and bottled in February.

The 2023 Serré offers vibrant and lifted aromas of berries, cherries, spice, damp earth and other autumnal leafy characters. There is subtle rhubarb and beetroot aromas with a hint of reduction and various brown cooking spices. The flavours follow on from the aromas with lovely fruits of the forest to the fore, with more savoury, earthy and spicy flavours framing. The tannin and oak integration is very well executed and the palate draws long, elegant and with purity. A beautiful expression of this great vineyard.

97 points. Pure red fruit is supported by notes of potpourri, cassia bark, graphite and wet stones. The palate is medium-bodied with piercing fruit and fine tannins, giving notes of dried herbs, spices, orange rind and salt brine. A very complex and complete wine that will live for decades. Made from vines planted in 1984. Drink or hold. Screw cap. Ryan Montgomery, jamessuckling.com.

95+ points. I had a sneaky glass of this the night before I was due to formally taste it, which might sound like a free ride for the wine but often turns out to be the opposite; when I’m on the hunt for a “likely contender” I often go through a handful of bottles before finding one that lives up to the expectation. This is no such wine; I was hooked from the first sip. This is autumnal and sinewy and savoury and spiced, but it’s also sleek, harmonious and settled. It just feels right. It bursts onto the palate with red cherries, rhubarb, tangerine and strawberry, with inlays of dried leaves, pepper and smoked cedarwood, but it’s the soft-firm of the finish, and the way it seems to both dry and expand at once, and the way the juices keep flowing and fanning, that really mark its quality. This will be released in August 2024. It’s a top release, and it will mature beautifully. Campbell Mattinson, winefront.com.au.