The only blended Pinot in the range is drawn from all five of Quealy’s premium vineyards, from the lower-lying Campbell & Christine to the late-ripening Musk Creek Vineyard. Planted to different clones and with varying degrees of vine age, what binds these sites together is Quealy farming—led by viticulturist Will Byles, the estate manages every vine. All ferments were wild and spent an average of 25 days on skins. The batches matured in older barrels for 12 months before assembling and bottling.
2023 was the third low-yielding season in a row for Quealy, with crops down more than 50% in some sites. That said, the ripening season couldn’t have gone better. The fruit enjoyed a warm, lengthy autumn, so ripening was slow and even, and the resulting wine is concentrated and balanced. With the fruit selected for ripeness and gentle tannin, this is the estate’s most generous, early-drinking Pinot. It’s light, bright and lifted with lip-smacking, crunchy red fruits mixed with spice and sweet/savoury tang. Moreish stuff.