Ten Minutes By Tractor McCutcheon Pinot Noir 2022

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 2022 season started with a very wet and variable spring before and during flowering, resulting in small bunches and berries and reduced yields across most sites. However, the exceptional summer and autumn months that followed provided perfect ripening conditions, resulting in great concentration, colour and striking flavours across all varieties. Handpicked and hand sorted, each parcel was cold soaked for 5 days before a wild yeast fermentation for 14 days on skins in a combination of concrete and stainless steel fermenters with gentle cap management and gentle press. After 8 months in a combination of new and old oak, the wine was bottled and filtered.

A lovely dark colour, with luscious dark fruits showcasing bramble spice, rose petal and fruit compote. The spice of cinnamon and star anise combine with dark plum and give this a sultry look. The fine velvety tannins cloak the wine and round out the finish. Drink now until 2032. 

The Finer Details
Style - Red Wine
Varietal - Pinot Noir
Country - Australia
Region - Mornington Peninsula, Victoria
Vintage - 2022
Bottle Size - 750ml
ABV - 13%