2023 'Desert Flower' Pinot Noir

Only 300 bottles made

Artwork

The oil-on-wood painting by Kate Lewis is of the Ngooringa or Sturt’s Desert Pea, one of Australia’s most beloved wildflowers. The flower holds a special spot for Tom as a reminder of a borderline comical RV journey from Darwin to Alice Springs as a child. 

Tasting Notes

The Desert Flower is an elegant wine with silky tannins and gentle acidity. Hints of raspberry and cherry come first, followed by deeper, earthier cacao and coffee bean characters. This is a wine to be savoured. 

Winemaking

In mid-April 2023, a tiny amount of Pinot Noir was meticulously handpicked. 90% was destemmed and the maceration on the delicate skins extended to 20 days. After a light pressing, the Desert Flower was put into a single French oak Hogshead. It remained there, resting, maturing and intensifying until it felt ready to be bottled by gravity then labelled by hand in June 2024, after 14 months in its neutral barrel. 

Vineyard

Lucas, with help from family and friends, manages his hobby vineyard organically, bringing his community together to produce what he describes as ‘real food’. The vineyard lies just meters away from the cooling Goulburn River in Thornton, with an elevation of 500 meters above sea level where the air is crisp, it’s the perfect Pinot Noir growing territory. Alongside his vineyard, Lucas also looks after a few sheep and grows an assortment of peppers, vegetables and olives, which he generously sends Tom home with after his visits.

Wine Region

Upper Goulburn, Victoria

Year

2023

ABV

12.25% 

Occasion

Sit-down dinner, with your main course