2021 Mac Forbes Gladysdale Little Yarra Pinot Noir

Highly Rated
Limited single vineyard Pinot from Mac Forbes, the master of elegant, terroir-driven Pinot Noir.

Price:
Sale price$110.00
Stock:
In stock, ready to ship
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Description

Another gorgeously expressive Pinot Noir here from Yarra Valley master winemaker Mac Forbes.

Situated in Gladysdale, Mac Forbes' Little Yarra vineyard benefits from warm air currents, high solar radiation, and grey-brown clay soils, creating a unique microclimate. The outstanding and cooler 2021 vintage allowed for slow, even ripening, resulting in exceptional fruit quality from this site. Mac employs gentle winemaking techniques, including wild yeast fermentation, 20% whole bunch inclusion, and 14 months of maturation in small old oak barrels. This approach preserves the purity and delicate expression of the vineyard.

On the nose, it's bursting with fresh herbal aromatics, earthy rhubarb, and wild raspberry. The palate is vibrant and lifted, with crunchy red fruits and zesty pink grapefruit, framed by grippy talc-like tannins. The finish is complex, with hints of coriander seed and cardamom, offering an appealing balance between savory and sweet.

The 2021 Little Yarra Pinot Noir is delightful now but promises even greater finesse with age, making it a wonderful addition to any cellar.

96 points
"From the Little Yarra vineyard in Gladysdale in the Upper Yarra; 20% whole bunches, five-day cold soak, 16 days on skins. Matured 11 months in seasoned barriques. A light, bright garnet. Gently perfumed with its complex amalgam of red fruits, gentle rose petal, blood oranges and spice. Classically structured with a fine vein of acidity and silky yet persistent tannins. Moreish. Idiosyncratic."
- Philip Rich (Halliday Wine Companion)

95 points
"The perfume. The lightness of being. Coolness of tannin. Slate-like smooth texture, tart fruit. Hibiscus tea, raspberry basket, blueberries, rose petals, gentle wood smoke. It has a dead flower lift to red fruit, mushroomy and meaty bit, walking the thin line between savoury and sweet. It’s pretty without being juby and does a great deal of mouthwatering umami deliciousness all the way through."
- Kasia Sobiesiak (The Wine Front)

96 points - "From the Little Yarra vineyard in Gladysdale in the Upper Yarra; 20% whole bunches, five-day cold soak, 16 days on skins. Matured 11 months in seasoned barriques. A light, bright garnet. Gently perfumed with its complex amalgam of red fruits, gentle rose petal, blood oranges and spice. Classically structured with a fine vein of acidity and silky yet persistent tannins. Moreish. Idiosyncratic." - Philip Rich (Halliday Wine Companion)

95 points - "The perfume. The lightness of being. Coolness of tannin. Slate-like smooth texture, tart fruit. Hibiscus tea, raspberry basket, blueberries, rose petals, gentle wood smoke. It has a dead flower lift to red fruit, mushroomy and meaty bit, walking the thin line between savoury and sweet. It’s pretty without being juby and does a great deal of mouthwatering umami deliciousness all the way through." - Kasia Sobiesiak (The Wine Front)

2021 LITTLE YARRA PINOT NOIR

Sitting at the southern end of the Yarra, our Little Yarra vineyard in Gladysdale has become our earliest site to be harvested. It receives warm air travelling down the valley,
with increased air moisture content due to the surrounding forests and higher solar radiation. Grey/brown clay soils dominate, with full, rich aromatics and a supple structure that sits prominently on the front palate.

TASTING NOTES

Fresh herbal aromatics burst from the glass, with earthy undertones of freshly picked rhubarb and wild raspberry. A bright, lifted palate of crunchy red fruits and zesty pink
grapefruit is framed by grippy talc-like tannins and a complex spiced finish featuring characters of coriander seed and cardamom. Purity is the hallmark of this wine, the
elegant shape and length so appealing in its immediacy but with whispers of finesse that will only increase with further ageing. We recommend decanting this wine prior to serving between 12-16Cº.

VINTAGE

A stunning vintage with near perfect conditions during flowering and fruit set. Good rainfall over winter built strong reserves of soil moisture, and the long cool growing
season allowed for slow and evening ripening across key varieties. The 2021 vintage was one of the very rare years where we saw both quality and quantity of fruit.

WINE ANALYSIS

Alc/Vol: 11%
Acidity: 5.6g/L
pH: 3.50

VINEYARD

Rootstock: 101-14
Clone: MV6
Planted: 2009
Soils: Grey-brown clay loam
Density: 2.5m x 1.5m
Aspect: North
Elevation: 202m

WINEMAKING

Yeast: Wild
Fermentation: 18 days in concrete fermenter, 20% whole bunch
Maturation: 14 months in small old oak
Fining: None
Filtration: None

Price Bracket $101 and Above
Type Red
Body Light Bodied
Variety Pinot Noir
Country Australia
Region Yarra Valley
Australian State VIC
Feature High Score
Reviewed By The Wine Front
Halliday Wine Companion
Critic Score 96
95
Alcohol 11%
Size 750ml
Vintage 2021
Closure Cork

Mac Forbes

If you love premium and artisanal Australian wine, Mac Forbes is a name you need to know. He’s not only one of the country’s most talented winemakers, but he’s one of the most influential spokesmen for promoting the concept of Australian ‘terroir’, believing that wine should represent a time and a place.

Mac specialises in single vineyard Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Syrah and Cabernet from the Yarra Valley. His wines are delicate and finely etched, characterised by subtlety and grace.

His Pinot Noirs are fine-boned, the Chardonnays are adored by lovers of fruit purity rather than winemaking artifice, and his array of off-dry Rieslings from the Strathbogie Ranges are among the country's most interesting. Additionally, his ever-expanding range of experimental wines is a treasure trove for the curious drinker.

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