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Elements of peach and citrus with sourdough yeast, cashew and natural yoghurt. The creamy palate is elegantly structured, with great tension in the balance of dosage, acidity and tannin.

Zontes Footstep has been on a quest to find and grow the worlds best white varieties in regions that express the fruits best attributes for more than a decade. Our Pinot Noir comes from one of the finest cool-climate vineyards located in the Adelaide Hills. The soils in this vineyard are ancient; research estimates the soils are 1800 million years old, mostly gravel with limestone/calcium silicates and ferrous pebbles spread throughout. Hand-pruned, harvested and made it is our holotype for Pinot Noir. Winemaking Whole bunches of hand-selected and picked in the cool of the early morning dawn. Destemmed without crushing the fruit. 30% of this was the whole cluster fermented, while the remaining fruit was crushed and went through traditional open fermentation with 30 days of extended skin contact. These parcels were packed into 30% new and seasoned French oak hogsheads to mature and take on the character for seven months. Deepish red with a healthy tinge of purple hue. Dark cherry aromas, rich and ripe, fruit-driven with abundant spice, nettle characters. Red cherries and plum are to the fore followed by some subtle hints of fresh rocket and anise. Medium-bodied driven by cherry again hints of strawberry sasparilla root and dried oregano. Damson plums and cinnamon kick in with notes of cedar-like flavours and tannins. Long aftertaste of ripe red cherries/plums, subtle anise and spicy cedar notes. Absolutely delicious.

Red cherries and strawberries along with notes of undergrowth and preserved lemon. Bright and juicy red fruit characters with a savoury back half of earth, leather and subtle dried herbs. The palate is of medium weight with graceful, fine tannins that lend it a plush quality throughout. Grapes were handpicked, keeping individual clones separate in small open fermenters. Some whole bunch fruit was added to ferments, enhancing aromatics and structural complexity. Fermentation was initiated by indigenous yeast (wild ferment). Each clonal parcel was basket pressed and filled to seasoned French oak barrels with full solids. All barrels were kept on lees to build palate, body and complexity. They were racked and blended just prior to bottling. Stephen Georges three hectare, dry-grown, Ashton Hills vineyard lies in the Piccadilly Valley sub region of the Adelaide Hills on a ridge just below the summit of Mount Lofty. Planted in 1982, its a quality site that, thanks to the humility and integrity of its gifted farmer, has been the source of some of South Australias most intriguing cool-climate wines, and certainly its most authentic and fascinating Pinot Noir. You dont need to spend much time in the Piccadilly Valley to realise why this area was granted sub-regional statusit is totally different to the rest of the Hills. In short, its much colder and wetter. Georges Estate vineyard lies at 570 metres above sea level and the vines shudder through some of the coolest vintage conditions in the country. Meanwhile, rainfall is a whopping 1200mm a year, well over double that of the Barossa. Whether its the lifted perfumes, elegant structure and Alpine freshness of the Pinot Noirs or the icy purity of the Riesling, Piccadilly Valleys bona-fide cool-climate imprint is never far away. A healthy portion of old-vines and the vineyards south-facing aspect afford George the luxury of late harvesting that plays a significant role in the personality of these wines. Terroir is one thing, how its worked is another, and Stephen George clearly has an intuitive touch and the drive to continually evolve. Most recently this evolution has resulted in George grubbing out all varieties except for Pinot Noir, and a little bit of Riesling, focusing his Pinot Noir on four specific clones selected from a line-up of 25 that he had tested. The Ashton Hills winery is incredibly basic, with an earth floor and next to no equipment whatsoever. The Pinot fruit is destemmed via a small, customised, gentle destemmer that keeps as many whole berries as possible. The fruit is then basket pressed, and the wine is made without any sulphur additions until bottling. Some whole bunches are included, and the percentage varies according to the style of the vintage. The red wines are mostly raised in aged, neutral French hogshead barrels. Having already cemented his living-legend status amongst his peers and compiled a storied CV that includes his role at Wendouree (since the 1980s) and twenty five vintages at the helm of Ashton Hills, you could forgive this reclusive winemaker for taking his foot off the gas. Not a bit of it. Stephen George is in fact making the best wines of his career.

These traditional sparkling varieties of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier are sourced from the cool climate Adelaide Hills, and are picked early to retain high natural acidity. Small batches of these low yielding grapes are gently pressed in stainless stell basket presses. Following primary and partial malolactic fermentation the inidividual parcels are bottled and inoculated with yeast and sugar to encourage secondary fermentation. The cuvee is fermented in the bottle to develop complexity for approximately four years. This is a dry style sparkling with minerality, a crisp acid backbone and layers of flowers, fruits and toasty savoury nuances.

Penfolds Bin 23 Adelaide Hills Pinot Noir is named after the maturation Cellar 23 at Magill Estate. Bin 23 Pinot Noir is a bold, new addition to the Bin collection and promises to be a dynamic member of the Bin family - reflecting its evolving style, regional definition and the complexities of the many & varied clones of Pinot Noir.

Pale straw with pear green at the edge. Bouquet An exquisite nose combines subtle flint with citrus blossom, verbena and white peony. Uncompromising varietal purity is joined by secondary complexities as baked almond pastry and subtle spice reveal time in oak with elegance and subtlety. Palate Terrific natural acidity is cut with lemon curd, natural yoghurt and crème fraiche. The gentle layering of secondary elements (hazelnut, biscuit and almond meal) builds shape and body. Pristine fruit and impeccable oak yield linearity and focus to a palate with stunning length and persistent, fine texture.