The first acre of Jinks Creek vineyard was planted in 1979 consisting of equal portions of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Owner winemaker Andrew Clarke’s philosophy on growing is minimalist. Soils consist of weathered granite on clay loams with small to large deposits of granite throughout the vineyard. The soils are very free draining and impart medium vigor and vine age tends to regulate crop size. Vines are cane and spur pruned and trained vertically. Crops are normally in the 2 tonne per acre range, bunches are generally loose and moderately exposed. Crop thinning is carried out in heavier years to ensure balance. There is no fertilizer used and some sparing irrigation is carried out to hold leaves in late summer autumn. Winemaking is the same: minimal inputs, lots of solids, some wild ferments and no filtration (except for Sauvignon Blanc). Andrew likes to think that the vineyard is as close to its "terrior" as possible and that the wines reflect that.

This wine is made from vines grown at Tonimbuk, ranging in age from 12-26 years old. There are eight different Pinot Noir clones and crops kept to less than two tonnes to the acre. West Gippsland is a great climate for Pinot Noir. The grapes were hand picked March 26 and 30, 2004. The grapes were crushed with some 80% destemming into pots and left to soak until a fermentation starts wild, some pots are inoculated with RC212. It was left to ferment up to 35 celcius. After ferment the wine was left on skins for a few days and then pressed and settled for a few hours and racked into French oak to go through malolactic fermentation. The wine was then left matured in oak for 11 months on lees, racked and bottled unfiltered.

Bright red with good clarity, some purple and brick red hues. The nose is fragrant and seductive with whiffs of redcurrant and cherry fruit with a perfumed whisper of cedary oak in the background. A full palate of cherry, raspberry and spice with some very intense palate depth. A full-bodied finish accentuates the silky fine, yet lingering tannins. Drinking exceptionally well now but definitely worth cellaring a few bottles to see it develop into something that will be even more alluring in time. A perfect wine to serve with roast duck, venison or turkey.

Alcohol: 14.2%

pH: 3.6

TA: 6.5g/l

Residual Sugar: 0.1g/l