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Blog - 2018 Amungula Creek Pinot Noir

Release of the 2018 Amungula Creek Pinot Noir - SOLD OUT

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Our 2018 Amungula Creek Pinot Noir is unfortunately now sold out.

Mother Nature has made it hard for us to make as much wine as we would like.Unfortunately we did not make a Maipenrai Pinot Noir for 2018 due to kangaroos destroying our crop, but the good news is the Amungula Creek Pinot Noir is awkwardly good to be my second wine, and is certainly one of my all-time favourite Amungula Creek Pinot Noirs (2009 being perhaps the other). If you want to wait for the next Maipenrai, our 2019 Maipenrai Pinot Noir will be released in September 2021. We, like the rest of the Canberra district, lost our entire 2020 crop due to smoke taint.

2018 Amungula Creek Pinot Noir

The 2017/18 vintage started off with dry winter with normal temperatures. Because 2017 had been quite wet, water stress was not particularly acute given the lack of rain. Budburst occurred around 1st of October as per usual, but disaster struck Maipenrai as the very abundant numbers of kangaroos had no grass to eat, and resorted to munching on the emerging shoots in the vineyard. Essentially every plant was eaten, and while the green growth returned, these new shoots had essentially no fruiting buds on them, and the year’s crop was a complete loss.

For the rest of the district, 2018 remained significantly warmer than the historical average throughout spring, with very little rain, until a major deluge in December provided much needed moisture. The heat continued throughout summer and autumn – although it was in the form of being consistently hotter than average, rather than being savagely hot. This entire period was accompanied by lower than average rainfall. In the end 2018 was, after 2016, and 2007, the 3rd hottest growing season in Canberra’s history. Like 2016, it was a relatively gentle heat, that produced very good wines throughout the district. Given our lack of fruit, we purchased Pinot Noir from 3 district vineyards located on our Lake George side of town. The blend of the three wines ended up being better than any of the individual lots - I love it when it works like that.

The wine is a bright garnet colour with cedar, mixed berries, and a hint of spice on the nose. The 2018 Amungula Creek features a savoury palette, with a hint of sour cherries - glycerin and tannins provide structure into a lingering finish. It is a formidable wine that wins on sophistication rather than wow. You really want to age it for a couple of years and it will drink well for the coming decade or two.