Garagiste Le Stagiaire Pinot Noir 2024

Garagiste Le Stagiaire Pinot Noir is a Mornington Peninsula red drawn from four separate vineyard blocks.

Four sites feed the blend and the arithmetic shifts each year. Merricks North, a fermage Barney Flanders took on recently, contributes 40 per cent from Dijon 114 and 115 planted three decades ago, while Balnarring supplies 44 per cent and Red Hill and Merricks Grove the remaining 16, all of it MV6. The Dijon material lends perfume and a plusher middle; the MV6 brings frame and grunt. Sorting happened twice, in the vineyard and again at the winery, before spontaneous ferments got under way in concrete and stainless steel, whole berries plus a five per cent bunch component. Twenty-one days on skins, then seven months on lees in hogsheads. Bottled unfined and unfiltered.

Red berries and spice up front, earth underneath, and a mineral line that keeps everything moving. The weight is juicy, the core powerful. Serve at 15 degrees in a large glass. Roast quail, duck ragu or mushrooms on toast all work.

*Every effort is made to ensure the current vintage is accurate; however, variations can occur. If you are after a specific vintage, please contact us prior to ordering.