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Murdoch Hill Phaeton Pinot Noir 2022

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Murdoch Hill Phaeton Pinot Noir 2022
Producer Murdoch Hill
Region, Country Adelaide Hills, Australia
Bottle Size 750ml
Case Size 6
Product Code 21861-750

The Phaeton is a 50/50 blend of fruit from the Murdoch Hill Lenswood Vineyard, and two of the original growers in the Piccadilly Valley who have always contributed to the wine. From the lofty Lenswood site (500 metres), four blocks of clones D5V12 and Dijon 114 and 115 (planted in 1989 and the early 2000s respectively) are used. The complexity of clones adds a dense core of fruit as well as structure and great aromatic fragrance. The Piccadilly sites are planted to clones 114 and 115. The first site lies at 520 meters altitude outside the town of Piccadilly, below Mount Lofty. Its easterly aspect provides Downer with delicacy, pretty aromatics and pure, red-fruited notes. The second vineyard, also with an easterly aspect but in Ashton, sits on a steep slope at 560 meters on quite shallow sandstone and hard soils, and adds forest floor complexity.

Downer handled each parcel separately, both with a portion of whole berries and whole bunches (17%). The whole bunch portion was pulled back dramatically this year as small yields and a low juice-to-stalk ratio meant a more restrained approach was required. Fermentation occurred in stainless steel followed by maturation, mostly in puncheons with a small amount in barrique (approximately 25% new) for eight months.

The power of the vintage and the pedigree of the Lenswood site is immediately apparent here in the pure red summer fruits, tea cake spice, a touch of warm earth and bright floral allure. There’s a nice, tight composition with balanced complexities and a real sense of energy. The whole-bunch component is spot on, beautifully integrated with the tight structures, silky flow and complex length. Power, poise and outright quality in the glass.


Murdoch Hill Phaeton Pinot Noir 2022

Reviews

"Quite a meaty scent, shiitake mushroom, truffle too, some minty lift, pretty exotic spice notes too with dark cherry the mainstay of fruit character. Silky texture, quite light on overall but a better word is understated and lively in a subtle mode. That equals charm. Nice grip to fine, lacy tannin profile too, and feels pure and refreshing to drink. Good gear, is the message."
94 points, Mike Bennie, The Wine Front
"A translucent ruby. The mouthfeel barely nudges mid-weight. Yet there is something rather beautiful about this. Subtle aromas of red cherry, ume, peony and musk burn with an incendiary glow, casting an initial awkwardness and the vegetal whiff of whole bunches aside as the wine opens with air and the trajectory of fruit sweetness grows. Nothing trop, mind you. Everything in good measure. The tannins, detailed. The freshness, contagious. This is a pinot brimming with charm and the capacity for haunting complexity with mid-term cellaring. Drink or hold."
94 points, Ned Goodwin, jamessuckling.com
“Deep-ish red-purple colour with a bold, bright and youthfully straightforward aroma, black fruits laced with a reductive note. It's bold and stolid on the palate also, without detail or subtlety but a whack of firm tannins. There is concentration. Time may bring more out of it.”
92 points, Huon Hooke, The Real Review
"The 2022 Phaeton Pinot Noir is a little more spacious than the concentrated Apollo tasted beside it. Here, the fruit trails from red berries to tobacco/bay leaf, hints of cardamom pods and nutmeg through the finish, with inflections of aniseed and star anise as well. 12.5% alcohol, sealed under screwcap."
93 points, Erin Larkin, The Wine Advocate

Reviews

"Quite a meaty scent, shiitake mushroom, truffle too, some minty lift, pretty exotic spice notes too with dark cherry the mainstay of fruit character. Silky texture, quite light on overall but a better word is understated and lively in a subtle mode. That equals charm. Nice grip to fine, lacy tannin profile too, and feels pure and refreshing to drink. Good gear, is the message."
94 points, Mike Bennie, The Wine Front
"A translucent ruby. The mouthfeel barely nudges mid-weight. Yet there is something rather beautiful about this. Subtle aromas of red cherry, ume, peony and musk burn with an incendiary glow, casting an initial awkwardness and the vegetal whiff of whole bunches aside as the wine opens with air and the trajectory of fruit sweetness grows. Nothing trop, mind you. Everything in good measure. The tannins, detailed. The freshness, contagious. This is a pinot brimming with charm and the capacity for haunting complexity with mid-term cellaring. Drink or hold."
94 points, Ned Goodwin, jamessuckling.com
“Deep-ish red-purple colour with a bold, bright and youthfully straightforward aroma, black fruits laced with a reductive note. It's bold and stolid on the palate also, without detail or subtlety but a whack of firm tannins. There is concentration. Time may bring more out of it.”
92 points, Huon Hooke, The Real Review
"The 2022 Phaeton Pinot Noir is a little more spacious than the concentrated Apollo tasted beside it. Here, the fruit trails from red berries to tobacco/bay leaf, hints of cardamom pods and nutmeg through the finish, with inflections of aniseed and star anise as well. 12.5% alcohol, sealed under screwcap."
93 points, Erin Larkin, The Wine Advocate

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