2018 Gembrook Hill J.K.M. Pinot Noir
Yarra Valley, VIC
The latest beguiling chapter in the Gembrook Hill story.
$76.00
Out of Stock
About The Wine
For our money Gembrook Hill is one of the finest Pinot Noir producers in the land, and this is another exciting addition to the range.
After the introduction in vintage 2017 of the 'IJM' Pinot in honour of late Gembrook Hill founder Ian Marks, current winemaker Andrew Marks has added the 'JKM' Pinot in honour of his still-working mother, June Marks.
Both wines come from a small block of excellent Pinot fruit on the Gembrook Hill vineyard, and while IJM is all about the vineyard, this wine gives Andrew a change to experiment a bit in the winery, with one third new oak and one third whole bunch employed to add extra depth and complexity.
Just 80 dozen produced and a must-try for overs of this cult estate.
About Gembrook Hill
Based in the cool upper reaches of the Yarra Valley, Gembrook Hill is one of the country's most loved producers of Pinot Noir.
Founded in 1983 by Ian and June Marks, Gembrook is one of the most picturesque vineyards in the region. As well as their stunning Pinot Noirs, they produce excellent examples of Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and an elegant Blanc de Blanc in certain vintages.
Ian Marks sadly passed away in 2017. His son Andrew now tends the family vineyard and makes the wines, continuing the family legacy for producing outstanding examples of Upper Yarra wine.
Yarra Valley, VIC
From the Producer
Please welcome the inaugural release of the JKM Pinot Noir to the Gembrook Hill lineup.
As a new season approached, it occurred to Andrew that while 2017 had been a fitting year to celebrate Ian, it made even more sense to celebrate the living. Enter the JKM or June Kathryn Marks. While the IJM was a powerful but humble expression as a vinous memorial to Ian, the JKM seeks to capture some of June’s natural exuberance.
Here we have more of a winemaker's wine. The intention for this wine was to explore both new viticultural and wine making techniques, while still capturing the essence of the vineyard. The viticultural technique was shoot selection - a refinement of shoot thinning which we have always used in the vineyard. This serves to open up the canopy, reducing disease risk and increasing sunlight into the canopy, while producing more intense fruit. The winemaking technique was the use of some whole bunch fermentation from our newest plantings of Pinot which was then matured in an old French hogshead. This made up a third of the wine while the majority comes from our Lower block Pinot which was 100% destemmed. There were two barrels of this Lower Pinot, one was matured in a new French oak hogshead while the other in an old one.
The result is a complex, aromatic Pinot with plenty of flavour.
Vintage Details
Wines from Vintage 2018 are maturing well in barrel. 2018 was a tale of two seasons with some of the most challenging humid weather ever experienced during the growing season (Oct-Dec 2017) followed by exceptionally dry conditions after Christmas. We are very excited with the resulting wines but more on that in good time.
Picked: 7th & 15th of March 2018
Blend: 100% Estate Grown Pinot Noir
Alcohol: 13%
Tech Specs: pH: 3.65 TA: 5.4gl
Cellaring: 10-15 Years
Closure: Diam Cork
Blend : Pinot Noir (100%)
ABV : 13%
Closure : Cork
Drink Until : 2028
Bottle Size : 750ml
Critic Reviews
"One third new oak, and one third whole bunch, as opposed to the I.J.M which was only old oak. Strawberries, juicy sweet and poached, plenty of exotic spice and green herb top notes. It’s light and sweetly red fruited, but autumnal too, and sappy and savoury, rhubarb and cinnamon, fine tannin, dry and dusty/spicy/herbal to close, with good length. Good wine here, and of typical Gembrook Hill style." - Gary Walsh (The Wine Front)
Delivery is Free for any order of $99 or more, or just $10 for any orders less than $99. There is no minimum order quantity and you can order in any combination you like. Make your perfect mixed pack!
Estimated Delivery Times for each postcode can be viewed here.
Authority to Leave and other delivery instructions can be left in the ‘SPECIAL REQUESTS’ box during checkout. The 'SPECIAL REQUESTS' box can be found on the here page before the final checkout page.
Warehouse Pickupis available from our Sydney warehouse in Ultimo, 2007. Just select Local Pickup at checkout. We are open 8am to 4pm, Monday to Friday.
Our Heat Policy can be viewed here. If you would like us to hold dispatch of your order for milder weather please leave instructions to do so in the 'SPECIAL REQUESTS' box found on the cart page before the final checkout. We are happy to hold it for as long as you like. All orders are fully insured so you can buy with full confidence that these tasty beverages will get to you in tip-top shape.
Returns are free for 100 days after purchase. You can view the conditions of our return policy here
For any other shipping related inquiries, please see our helpful FAQ, email us at hello@differentdrop.com or call us on 02 8376 8775..
Do I have to order in dozens? No, please mix it up! You can order wines in any quantity and variation you like. You can order 1 bottle or 50. We challenge you to make the ultimate mixed pack of wine!
Are there volume discounts? No, our pricing is designed to be the best in market already - no marking up and then discounting down! For very large orders (weddings, etc) we are open to negotiating though. Just give us a call.
Do we price match? Yes, within reason. Everyday low & consistent pricing is something we strongly believe in. We want our customers to feel confident they are always getting the best price. If you see a price lower somewhere else let us know and we'll consider matching it. We'll even retrospectively issue you store credit if you have already purchased from us but you see a lower price somewhere later on. Our price match policy can be seen here.
Can coupons and discounts be stacked? No, only one discount or coupon can be applied to an order at once.
I am trying to add more of a wine to my cart but it won’t let me? This means we are running low on stock of that wine. So for example, if the website will only allow you to add 3 bottles and no more, then that is all we have of that particular wine. The good news is we may be able to order more for you. Just contact us on 02 8376 8775 or hello@differentdrop.com and we'll organise the additional quantity for you.
Does Different Drop have a physical store? No. Just an a warehouse/office. We occasionally do events however, so sign up to our newsletter or follow us on instagram to stay in the loop.
Can I special order a wine you do not sell? If it’s doable, then we’ll make it happen. Just contact us directly via phone, chat or email and we’ll find out for you right away. Please note that in most cases special orders such as these will need to be in full case lots (6 or 12 bottles).
More FaQs: here
Sign up for the latest news & special offers
No spam, just the good stuff!