2022 Mac Forbes Little Yarra Vineyard Pinot Noir

95 pts
The youngest of Mac’s single-vineyard Pinots, Little Yarra shows a racier, tightly wound side that will reward patience in the cellar.

Price:
Sale price$100.00
Stock:
In stock, ready to ship, only 2 units left
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Description

Little Yarra is the baby of Mac’s single-vineyard Pinot sites – planted in 2009 at Gladysdale, down in the southern end of the Valley. It’s the earliest block to be picked, shaped by warm air drifting down the valley and grey-brown clay soils that give the fruit a slightly fleshier profile than some of Mac’s higher, rockier sites.

The 2022 season was wet through winter and spring, which cut yields but left the vineyards healthy. Picking needed careful timing, and the small crop that came in had intensity and real drive. Fermentation ran with wild yeasts, about 20% whole bunches, and then a year in old oak before bottling unfined and unfiltered.

The wine is taut and a little racy at this stage. Red cherry, raspberry and rhubarb leaf sit alongside savoury spice and a firm line of tannin. It’s bright and energetic now, but the structure points clearly to more complexity with a few years’ rest in the cellar. A good decant is your friend if you’re drinking it young.

Vineyard
The Little Yarra vineyard in Gladysdale, at the southern end of the Yarra, has become our earliest site to be harvested. Warm air travels down the valley, with increased air moisture from surrounding forests and higher solar radiation. Grey-brown clay soils dominate, producing wines with rich aromatics and a supple structure that sits prominently on the front palate.

Tasting Notes
A classic profile with aromas of fresh dark cherries, earthy rhubarb, and raspberry leaf. The palate is bright and pretty, bursting with wild raspberry and cherry pip, finishing savoury with a pleasing astringency and chewy tannins. Well composed and elegant, though still youthful, with plenty of development ahead.
Recommendation: Decant prior to serving at 12–16°C.

Vintage
A wet winter and spring created challenging flowering conditions and lowered yields. However, vigorous green canopies thrived in the dry-grown vineyards. Agility was required to hit the right picking windows, but the resulting fruit showed excellent quality and density of flavour.

Wine Analysis

Alc/Vol: 10.5%

Acidity: 6.4 g/L

pH: 3.48

Vineyard Details

Rootstock: 101-14

Clone: MV6

Planted: 2009

Soils: Grey-brown clay loam

Density: 2.5m x 1.5m

Aspect: North

Elevation: 202m

Winemaking

Yeast: Wild

Fermentation: 14 days in open stainless fermenter, 20% whole bunch

Maturation: 11 months in small old oak

Fining: None

Filtration: None

Bottles Produced: 682

Price Bracket $51 to $100
Type Red
Body Light Bodied
Variety Pinot Noir
Country Australia
Region Yarra Valley
Australian State VIC
Reviewed By Halliday Wine Companion
The Wine Front
Critic Score 95
Alcohol 11%
Size 750ml
Vintage 2022
Closure Cork

Mac Forbes

If you love premium and artisanal Australian wine, Mac Forbes is a name you need to know. He’s not only one of the country’s most talented winemakers, but he’s one of the most influential spokesmen for promoting the concept of Australian ‘terroir’, believing that wine should represent a time and a place.

Mac specialises in single vineyard Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Syrah and Cabernet from the Yarra Valley. His wines are delicate and finely etched, characterised by subtlety and grace.

His Pinot Noirs are fine-boned, the Chardonnays are adored by lovers of fruit purity rather than winemaking artifice, and his array of off-dry Rieslings from the Strathbogie Ranges are among the country's most interesting. Additionally, his ever-expanding range of experimental wines is a treasure trove for the curious drinker.

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