Hurley Estate Pinot Noir 2019

It was a love of Pinot Noir that was the impetus for Kevin Bell and Tricia Byrnes to move to the Mornington Peninsula and plant a vineyard. After a period of fruitless searching, trying to find a block of land with good soils, the right aspect and natural drainage, the historic Hurley Farm finally presented itself. It was a derelict farm that had fallen into disrepair - broken fencing, covered in weeds and pine trees, and an 1876 cottage that had seen better days. And while the refurbishment to the property and lands was expensive, it had great soil, excellent drainage and the aspect was ideal.

Kevin works as the viticulturalist and winemaker, while Tricia is the business manager and everything else! Together, they planted three contiguous blocks that wrap north to east around the gentle slopes of a small volcanic hill in Balnarring. These are named Garamond, Lodestone and Hommage. Each is planted to slightly different Pinot clones to best capture the differences between the sites. An Estate wine is made too, which is usually a blend of all three sites.

Kevin and Tricia planted most of the vines in 1998 and 1999, adding a little more to the Lodestone site in 2007. Both viticulture and winemaking are relatively straightforward - as little intervention as possible to allow the natural site and fruit to express themselves as purely as possible.  Essentially, Kevin only does what needs to be done - nothing more, nothing less. These are some of the best Pinots, not just from the Mornington, but in the whole of Australia. The subtle distinctions between the three Hurley sites are a worthy testament to Kevin's innate talent.