Managed by the Quealy team, the Tussie Mussie vineyard was planted on the site of a former rose farm in 2007 (hence the name—tussie mussie is an old term for a flower bouquet). In Merricks North, the vineyard’s 3.5 acres of Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir is rooted in the Peninsula’s most prized soil: deep red volcanic clays. North-facing at 120 to 150 metres altitude, the site is well-protected and warm. Quealy notes all these attributes, along with the youthful vine stock, result in an exuberantly fruity style of Gris.
The fruit was hand-picked and whole-bunch-pressed over six hours at low pressure (Alsatian style) to capture only the grapes’ most delicate phenolics. Only the free-run was used and fermented in stainless steel. The wine was left to mature on lees for nine months before being bottled unfined and unfiltered.
Enticing from the get-go, the 2022 is bright with fleshy orchard fruits, florals, spice and a ripple of marine salinity. The wine flows beautifully through the palate, the lees-derived richness and weight are aligned to fresh acidity and some rocky minerality. it's complex and lengthy with poised elegance, powerful flavours and plenty of character in the glass.