Ten Minutes By Tractor McCutcheon Pinot Noir 2021

Ten Minutes by Tractor is a winery located on the Mornington Peninsula, which began in 1997 with three family-owned vineyards in Main Ridge, all ten minutes apart by tractor. Over time, new vineyards have been added, each with its own unique character defined by aspects, slopes, soils, altitude and winds flowing through the valleys from Bass Strait. The winery's aspiration is continual improvement and a dedication to learning and improving on everything they do. Their reward is producing wines that reveal more and more of the unique quality and character of their vineyards, wines that are harmonious, sing with food and keep luring back to the glass. The winery invites people to share in their journey, enjoy the wines and food they produce from the special places they live and work on the Mornington Peninsula, and visit their cellar door and restaurant. The winery's journey is defined by the wines they make, which can seem like worlds apart and their learning is integral to producing wines that reflect the unique qualities of their vineyards.

Ten Minutes by Tractor's vineyards are located in the Mornington Peninsula, a region known for producing high-quality Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The area has a climate ideal for producing light to medium-bodied table wines, and the region's winemaking potential began to gain recognition in the 1880s. Ten Minutes by Tractor owns several vineyards, including the McCutcheon, Judd, Coolart Road, Wallis and Spedding vineyards. The McCutcheon vineyard has a high elevation and gentle slope, providing good vigour and canopy shoot position for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay to ripen slowly and evenly. The Judd vineyard is located on the west-facing slope of a valley and the Coolart Road vineyard covers 13.68 hectares with a gentle north-east facing slope. The Wallis vineyard has a gentle north/north-east facing slope and is home to Pinot Gris. The Spedding vineyard is home to Mornington Peninsula's first high-density organic Pinot Noir vineyard. The Gabrielle vineyard was planted in 2004 and became the region's first organically certified vineyard in 2007. In November 2019, a new high-density Chardonnay vineyard was planted named after the owners' eldest daughter.

The Ten Minutes By Tractor McCutcheon Pinot Noir 2021 is a classic McCutcheon Pinot with elegant red fruits and a finely detailed structure. On the nose, a symphony of rose petal, sweet rhubarb, spiced sumac, bramble and autumnal characters lift from the glass. There is an ever-changing range of secondary fruit characters that evolve beautifully in the glass, given time. It is a complex wine that is alluring, light on its feet and leads a merry dance right to the end. The vintage was controlled by La Niña weather pattern, which delayed bud burst and flowering due to wet spring and start to summer. However, below-average temperatures and rainfall over summer allowed the grapes to ripen slowly but evenly, resulting in great concentration of flavour and good natural acidity. The fruit was handpicked and chilled overnight, then hand-sorted and 100% de-stemmed into small stainless steel fermenters. A cold soak for approximately 4 days at 8˚C was followed by a natural fermentation with occasional pump overs and plunging. The wine was fermented on skins for 14 - 16 days and then pressed to tank before being racked to barrel. The wine was aged for 14 months in 25% new oak and 173 dozen were bottled. This Pinot Noir pairs well with Coq Au Vin Rouge with bacon shallots and mushrooms and is best drinking between 2023-2030, served at 14-17°C.

The Finer Details
Style - Red Wine
Varietal - Pinot Noir
Country - Australia
Region - Mornington Peninsula, Victoria
Vintage - 2021
Bottle Size - 750ml
ABV - 12.5%