Quealy Seventeen Rows Pinot Noir 2021

Quealy Seventeen Rows Pinot Noir is a savoury, structured single-block Pinot Noir from old organic vines on the Mornington Peninsula.

Of the three single-site Pinots made here, this is the most serious and the most Burgundian in cut, and the reason is vine age. The 1982 rows on the gentle north-facing slope at Balnarring, shallow loam over clay, have been organically certified since 2019 and give tiny quantities of intensely flavoured fruit. Hand-picking fell on 16 March in 2021. The fruit was fully destemmed with no sulphur, wild-fermented in one-tonne pots, and only the free-run juice was settled and racked to hogsheads, a third new, the balance split evenly between one and two-year-old barrels. Tom McCarthy keeps intervention to a minimum and lets the block speak.

Forest berries, turned earth and spice, the weight svelte and silky, acidity crunchy, the finish concentrated and long. Serve at 15 degrees, decanted if you have the time. Roast pigeon, veal with morels or a well-aged gruyere would all suit.

*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.