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2010 "Le Gris de
Noir"
 'The
gris coloured wine from the black grape'. 'Gris' is neither rosé,
white nor red but rather a light peach/copper colour unique to
Pinot Noir. To make a gris wine from ripe grapes with lively palate
tension, we hand picked fruit from six south-east facing rows of
vines directly behind the homestead that can be seen on our label.
Because this part of the vineyard is protected from the strong
light of afternoon (when it is almost entirely shaded by the
hillside) it yields Pinot Noir fruit with high acidity and
billowing floral and musk aromatics. The bunches are picked and
cooled before being transferred directly to a press; the resulting
juice is then put into new oak for fermentation without any prior
clarification/decanting. Once the wine is fermented to sugar
dryness, and has also passed its malolactic fermentation, it is
bottled with a first and minimal sulphur addition. 967 made,
bottled on
June 15th, 2011. POA*.
2010 Black
Label
 Whisson
Lake Black Label is based on fruit from a particular section of the
top half of the vineyard where a north-east orientation leads to
immense fruit ripeness and wine of exotic intensity coupled with a
firm but ultimately gentle tannin/acid structure. As with all our
wines, the fruit is picked by hand before being de-stemmed ahead of
a natural fermentation that is allowed to continue on skins for as
long as necessary with post-fermentation soaks lasting for over one
month. The wine is then drawn off into barrels and left on lees
until the following spring when, at the completion of malolactic
fermentation, it is decanted to fresh barrels for another six
months or so before bottling. Around 4300 made, bottled on June
15th, 2011. POA*.
2010 White
Label
 Whisson Lake
White Label Pinot Noir embodies the hallmark characteristics of our
vineyard: fruit driven wine with strong natural structure that will
age for a decade and more. Three main parcels of fruit from the top
of the vineyard contribute to this wine, all of them having in
common: low-vigour soils; light crops; and a generally east-facing
orientation. The wine that results is naturally balanced and
typically described as having 'spicy' aromas of cloves, anise and
cinnamon. The viticulture and vinification behind White Label is
straightforwardly traditional as it is the vineyard’s own
personality that shapes the wine. 1267 made, bottled on June 15th,
2011. SOLD OUT.
2010
"Monopole"
 Whisson Lake “Monopole” typifies our terroir-focused approach to growing
wine. Fruit from just four uniquely well balanced rows to the right
of the homestead featured on our label provide enough for three
barrels of wine whose natural personality is allowed to express
itself through a completely hands-off winemaking approach. Monopole
is poised and polished, pure and direct and we are proud to let it
stand alone as a singular expression of its terroir. 967 made,
bottled on June 15th, 2011. SOLD
OUT.
2010
"Pinot
Nero"
 The block of vines directly in front of
the homestead is protected from the cool southerly breeze by a line
of trees which, since the time when they were sketched for our
front label, have grown to turn this part of the vineyard into a
warm, sheltered, and northerly oriented suntrap. Inspired by the
Amarone wines of Valpolicella, the grapes here are left to
dehydrate on the vine until the concentration of the remaining
juice is such that the wine which results is the epitome of vinous
hedonism. It is the only wine of its kind in the world and a
seductive nectar that puts the focus on one of the most extreme
subsections of the already extreme Whisson Lake Vineyard. 500mL.
1050 made, bottled on June 15th, 2011.
POA*.
2010
Piccadilly Valley Bowhouse
Vineyard
 The grapes
for Piccadilly Valley Bowhouse Vineyard come from a site just down
the track from Whisson Lake. This exceptional vineyard sits about
100 metres lower than Whisson Lake but is similar in geography and
aspect: a steep, sloping site facing east. Typically, the wine has
a softer structure and rounder fruit characters than Whisson Lake
Pinot Noir. The motivation for this joint venture is our belief
that the Piccadilly Valley merits fame which cannot be realised if
the grapes are blended into the wines of large, industrial
producers. Piccadilly Valley Bowhouse Vineyard is a defence of our
regional terroir and a declaration of our intent to spread the
philosophy of making wines from other outstanding and
specifically named
vineyard
sites in the Piccadilly Valley.
POA*.
*For all
prices and ordering please contact Tom Munro on 0421 739 789 or
tom.munro@whissonlake.com.
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