Tasting Notes
Hannah and I first started farming this plot 5 years ago. At that time it was a sprawling mess of vines that had not been tended to for over 3 years. It took a lot of hard work, long days and a lot of sweat to bring it back into the balance of a productive harmonious vineyard.
I have always had a great affection for this piece of land. With it’s decomposed granite soils and large granite boulders strewn through out and surrounded by an olive grove and large sprawling trees.
This rosé is made entirely from Pinot noir of various different clones. As the soils are relatively sandy and devoid of much nutrient at all the cropping levels have always been kept very low, usually less than 1kg per plant. The vineyard has been free of any non-organic treatments for 7 years now and in the last 3 years has been producing some really incredible fruit.
The resulting wine is fine boned and detailed whilst still having flesh and complexity in spades. Fermented and aged entirely in stainless steel this is by no means a ‘fruit forward’ rosé. It is savory and mineral driven, largely from the granitic soils from which it is grown but the 2019 also has more substance than the previous vintages, a shade darker if you will.
These soils and the large granite boulders give the wine an intense electric nature and energy. I’m extremely happy with this wine, it is definitely the best rendition of it yet and is bitter sweet because after this release there will be no more. - Winery Note
Momento Mori and most recently, Nikau Farm were founded by Dane Johns, a native New Zealander who honed his craft working for Gippsland legend Bill Downie. Bill is a legend in his own right and someone who definitely helped Dane forge his own path as he now follows a very similar ideology in his winemaking and viticulture.
Dane under the artwork that is the Momento Mori label focusses mainly on Italian varietals sourced from the Chalmers Vineyard, even his Syrah gets a splash of Nosiola! All of his wines are as hand made as it gets…. Small wild ferments, no new oak, no mechanical pumps, filtration, no additions other than the a very small dose of SO2 before bottling for some wines if needed. Given the nature of his operation there are only ever very small volumes of wine produced each year and for those fans of Momento Mori they get snapped up quickly.
| Product Type | Wine Red Rose |
| Volume | 750ml |
| Country | Australia |
| Region | Victoria |
| Sub Region | Cardinia Ranges |
| Winemaking Practices | Natural |
| Vineyard Practices | Organic/Biodynamic |