2023 Place of Changing Winds Between Two Mountains Pinot Noir

95 pts
EXTREMELY LIMITED! A no-fuss blend of the estate’s top Pinot sites that nails the sweet spot between structure, perfume and drinkability.
5.0
Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars
1 Review

Price:
Sale price$135.00
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In stock, ready to ship
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Description

For 2023, the team at Place of Changing Winds decided to bottle just one Pinot - and honestly, it just made sense. When they blended all the best parcels together (even the ones usually set aside for the top cuvée), it clicked. No overthinking, no need to separate them out. The result is a seriously impressive wine, but it’s also just a beautiful, expressive Pinot that speaks plainly and clearly.

There’s about a third whole bunch in the mix, and it was aged for close to two years in a mix of Stockinger barrels and a few glass globes. The oak’s subtle, just enough to add shape. You’ll find bright red fruit, spice, florals, a bit of grip and plenty of energy. It’s got that fine, mineral feel you’d expect from this site, and while it drinks well now with a good decant, it’s definitely built to go the distance.

Only one Pinot this year, but it might just be one of their best.

95 points - "This is the only pinot noir from 2023 from POCW. About a third is whole bunch across all the clones and sites on the estate vineyard. The wine ends up in Stockinger barrels for 21 months. Serious approach. A very good wine. Very. Fine, tight, tense, succulent, dark cherry, sour cherry, fennel, blood orange, white pepper, game meat – a lot on, you could keep listing detail but the idea is this is complex, compelling, with everything woven beautifully together. Fruit feels bright and sweet yet just on the cusp, and so fresh, the persistence of all that superb – a touch overtly fruity for those who seek that. An elegance but with a kink of funk and interest. The x-factor we seek. And the personality of place. Stellar." - Mike Bennie (The Wine Front)

"Quite brilliant… It’s beautifully aromatic. It’s so floral, it’s fresh. Black cherries, wild strawberries. Really, kind of a little bit of grainy detail as well. Some Asian spices. The mouth feel is beautiful. It’s elegant, it’s fresh, it’s purposeful. There’s a nice sort of linear quality to the fruit but it’s not at all heavy, it’s super elegant. And under that silky, elegant, refined fruit, there’s a bit of substance. There’s some spicy detail. There’s a bit of tannin. There’s good acidity. And this will, I think, age quite well, although it’s so delicious now it’s very hard to resist. Really beautiful wine." - Jamie Goode (@drjamiegoode)

93 points - "The 2023 Between Two Mountains Pinot Noir leads with sandalwood and clary sage, cranberry, cigar box and graphite. In the mouth, the wine is loaded with dried herbs, cold tea and wet asphalt, and it lingers long on the palate through the finish. There are also notes of rose petals and cracked pistachios. Texturally, the wine is shaped by sandy tannins that feel both pliable and supportive to the fruit. All things point toward the clarity and focus of this wine being exacerbated by another day open, be sure to give it some air. It was made with around 30% whole bunches and matured for 21 months in a range of Stockinger casks (228, 500, 600 and 1,000 liters) and Wineglobe. 12% alcohol, sealed under Diam and wax." - Erin Larkin (The Wine Advocate)

Customer Reviews

5.0
Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars
Based on 1 review
Total 5 star reviews: 1 Total 4 star reviews: 0 Total 3 star reviews: 0 Total 2 star reviews: 0 Total 1 star reviews: 0
1 review
  • JL
    jo l.
    Verified Buyer
    Wine Knowledge Level Cork Dork
    2 years ago
    Wine Knowledge Level Cork Dork
    Reviewing
    2021 Place of Changing Winds Between Two Mountains Pinot Noir
    Rated 5 out of 5 stars
    Sensational

    A beautiful complex delightful Pinot. Despite the serious fruit it was still elegant.

    Berries cherries balanced with subtle oak. I loved it.

We have produced only one Pinot Noir from 2023. This was because when we sampled a blend of all our best parcels (including those that typically produce our Beyond the Forest cuvée), they simply worked best together. The result is a perfumed, complex, and structured Pinot that is also one of the most seductive Pinots we have produced.

There is a core of sweet fruit that belies the cool, late season and speaks more to our low yields, but there is also plenty of Asian spice characters on the nose and palate, crystalline red fruit, high-toned florals (violet and rose) and driven finish with plenty of fine structure for aging. It is a gorgeous drink now if you give it plenty of air in a decanter, but it will certainly cellar well. Bottled in January 2025, whole bunches made up almost a third of the ferments (bringing a lot of perfume and spice), and the wine spent 21 months maturing in a range of Stockinger casks (228, 500, 600 and 1,000 litres) and some Wineglobe (glass fermenters), with only around 5% new oak.

Alcohol: 12%. Closure: Diam. 6449 bottles and only 24 magnums produced.

Price Bracket $101 and Above
Type Red
Body Medium Bodied
Variety Pinot Noir
Country Australia
Region Macedon Ranges
Australian State VIC
Reviewed By The Wine Front
The Wine Advocate
Critic Score 95
93
Alcohol 13%
Size 750ml
Vintage 2023
Closure DIAM Cork

Place of Changing Winds

The Place of Changing Winds vineyard was planted by notable Australian wine importer, journalist, and author, Rob Walters.

Rob had hunted for a special site to plant in the cooler climes of Australia for many years. One day, esteemed grower/winemaker at Bindi, Michael Dhillon, called him and said, "Rob, I've found your vineyard."

The site sits at 500m above sea level in the Macedon Ranges. Rob has farmed it organically from the start. Planted to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay at an incredible average of 15,000 vines per hectare, this is one of the most exciting emerging viticultural projects in the country.

New to the Place of Change of Winds range are wines from Heathcote high country, organically planted in collaboration with Rhone legend Alain Graillot. These delicious Syrahs, and a Marsanne for the first time from the 2019 vintage, were previously under the Graillot Australia label but are now fully vinified at Place of Changing Winds in Macedon.

Rob Walters at Place of Changing Winds Place of Changing Winds

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