Lethbridge Mietta Pinot Noir 2020

Mietta Pinot Noir, named after one of Maree Collis and Ray Nadeson’s daughters, is Lethbridge’s flagship Pinot Noir, sourced entirely from the property’s original Pinot Noir block. Otherwise known as the ‘Top Block’ and located on the eastern part of the property, these were the first vines to go into the ground when the replanting began in the mid-‘90s. “It’s a block planted by PhDs”, quips Ray, referencing the assistance from friends and colleagues when they were starting out. The low-yielding block is planted entirely to the MV6 clone on black clay, basalt and limestone soils.

The Mietta site is one of the region’s coolest, so these bunches were given extra time on the vine. This brings the intensity of flavour and structure: then, Ray likes to see good lignification of the peduncle before harvesting, as the fruit mostly ferments as whole bunches. The fruit was picked by hand and fermented spontaneously in open-top vessels with 80% bunches. The wine matured for 11 months in new wood and three years in bottle before release.