Masterclass: Pinot Noir, presented by Tom Carson

Pinot Noir Tom Carson 23 rd September, 2010 Landmark Australia Tutorial

History – Australia
James Busby and the first cutting of Clos Vougeot clone, December 1831
Pinot Noir beginnings 1970’s and 1980’s
History

World’s Top Dozen – Time Magazine 18/02/80
Château Petrus: Seductive red, exquisite bouquet
Château Lafite-Rothschild: Rich, mellow, perfumed
Château Mouton-Rothschild: Strong and dark great staying power
Château Haut-Brion: Great distinction and power, long maturing and lasting
Romanée-Conti: Spicy, warm and velvet smooth. The most sought after wine
Chambertin - Clos de Beze: At it’s best this Burgundy outshines its neighbouring Chambertins
Georges de Latour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon: Magnificent wine, ranks with the best of the old world
Vega Sicilia: Great distinction when aged properly
Tyrell’s Vat 6 Hunter River Pinot Noir: A rich superb wine able to stand in comparison with the greats of the Cote de Nuits
Le Montrachet: The greatest white wine in the world
Château d’Yquem: Incredibly rich, incomparable dessert wine
Ayler Herrenberg Beerenauslese: A German wine with all the depth of a great Sauternes

There are many strongly held beliefs that Pinot Noir can only achieve greatness by growing it on a site which as closely as possible mimics the conditions in Burgundy
The Enigma of Burgundy and Pinot Noir

Many experts believe you must have all of the below to produce quality Pinot Noir:
Continental Climate
Limestone based soils
Cold climate
Very Northerly (or Southerly) Latitude
Old Vines >50 years
Selection Massale
If this were the case, nowhere else in the world would be suitable
Every ‘terrior’ is unique by definition!
Assumptions

Continental climate
Maritime climate
Altitude
Latitude
Heat Summation – Heat Degree Days (HDD)
Climate

Climate Data – Regions in the Zone Region MJT(oC) HDD
Cote D’or-Burgundy (Dijon) 19.6 1223
Yarra Valley(18.6) 19.5 1227
Mornington Peninsula 19.2 1435
Gippsland 18.7 1294
Macedon Ranges 18.5 1072
Adelaide Hills 17.7 1160
Tasmania-Southern 17.3 1017
Central Otago-NZ 16.7 838

Pinot Noir Climate Data Mornington Peninsula Yarra Valley Macedon Ranges South Gippsland East Coast Tasmania Southern Tasmania Central Otago Willamate Valley Cote D'or # Wineries 61 148 59 19 10 34 114 275 n/a Vineyard Area-Ha 940 3800 203 195 234 481 1522 3860 9631 Pinot Noir Area-Ha 433 839 55 54 105 216 1196 3417 6594 % of region Pinot Noir 46% 22% 27% 28% 45% 45% 79% 89% 68% Pinot Noir Production(1,000's Cases) 193 315 14.4 11.5 16.2 78.6 563 1,309 3,399 Growing Season Rainfall (mm) 386 597 367 530 142 359 535 323 429 Growing Season Rain days 63 69 79 77 41 89 57 64 90 MTWM (degrees C) 19.2 18.2 18.5 18.7 16.9 17.3 16.7 19.2 20 Heat Degree Days 1435 1227 1072 1294 1024 1017 838 1205 1189 Growing Season Ave Mean Temp 16.8 15.9 15.1 16.2 14.9 14.8 13.8 15.6 15.4 Growing Season Daily Range 5.2 6.2 6 5.9 10.4 4.6 11.1 5.2 5.7 Continentality 9.8 10.9 12.7 10.3 8.5 10.5 12.6 15.3 18.1 LTI 417 406 416 402 303 311 251 278 247 Growing Season Sunshine Hours 1420 1490 1629 1384 1492 1423 1388 1660 1449 Latitude 38 13' S 37 45'S 37 35'S 38 38'S 42 57'N 42 53'S 45 03'S 45 32'N 47 16'N Elevation 20-250 50-400 350-700 83 8 50-175 200-450 47-150 150-300

Regions, Sub-regions, and Individual Vineyard sites
Subtle variations; wind direction, sun exposure, soil type, soil depth, slope, aspect
Australia is on the way to achieving this depth of knowledge of the land
Terrior doesn’t mean the wine should taste of dirt
Regional Diversity

Planting Data – Pinot Noir Region ha % of Region
Cote D’or – Burgundy (Dijon) 6594 68%
Yarra Valley 839 22%
Mornington Peninsula 433 46%
Gippsland 54 28%
Macedon Ranges 55 27%
Adelaide Hills 588 33%
Tasmania 321 45%
Central Otago-NZ 1196 79%
Australia 4400 2.6%

Major Pinot Noir Clones in Australia Clone Origin Description
MV6 Clos Vougeot Small bunches, concentrated, great structure Busby Sel Excellent colour, most preferred in Australia
D4V2 Pommard Small Bunches, high colour, very structured UC Davis Can be quite tannic
D5V12 UC Davis Improves with age, better for sparkling wine
D2V5 UC Davis Sometimes herbal and thin, can over crop
G5V15 UC Davis Good colour, can crop high, big bunches Kept under control can be excellent
114 Dijon Early ripening, good aromatics, structure OK
115 Dijon Early ripening, excellent colour/aromatics

Major Pinot Noir Clones in Australia Clone Origin Description
667 Dijon Newer import, promising quality vines still young
777 Dijon Newer import, promising quality vines still young
Abel Dijon Newer import used extensively in NZ, very promising

2008 Mac Forbes – Woori Yallock, Yarra Valley, Victoria
2008 Mayer Vineyard, Yarra Valley, Victoria
2008 Farr Rising, Geelong, Victoria
2008 Garagiste, Mornington Peninsula, Victoria
2008 William Downie, Gippsland, Victoria
2008 Stefano Lubiana, Tasmania
2008 Curly Flat, Macedon Ranges, Victoria
2008 Yabby Lake Block 5, Mornington Peninsula, Victoria
A taste of the past and a look into the future

Paringa Estate
Bass Phillip
Freycinet
Mount Mary
Bannockburn
Bindi
Coldstream Hills
A look back at the pioneers

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Masterclass: Pinot Noir, presented by Tom Carson

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Masterclass: Pinot Noir, presented by Tom Carson — Presentation Transcript