Elanto Vineyard Pinot Noir 2023

Described by Jane Faulkner in James Halliday’s Wine Companion magazine as “The most exciting winery you’ve never heard of,” we have a tiny allocation of the inaugural vintage of the 2023 Chardonnay and 2023 Pinot Noir (both $150) from Mornington newcomers Elanto. Established by acclaimed winemaker Sandro Mosele who describes the vineyard as “my chance to put into practice all the best practices I’ve learnt and seen in great vineyards around the world.” Grown on red volcanic soils, these vines are ultra high density (11,111 vines per ha), 4x the Australian average and at a level akin to (and sometimes greater to) Grand Cru Burgundy. As for the wines, they have been getting rave reviews (which peaked our attention) and if you’re a classic kiwi Pinot and Chardonnay drinker, we’d wholeheartedly recommend trying some of these wines from the West Island.

The Pinot Noir is from five lieu-dits (parcels) which again are kept seperate in advance of final blending. The wine is fermented in concrete for maximum texture with about 5% whole bunch for lift, spending about 30 days on skis total before being pressed into barrel for 11 months. This is classic Occa Pinot which may surprise some kiwi palates… Jane Faulkner describes it, “Full of heady aromatics, all florals and wood spice with flavours of dark cherries, cherry compote, and poached rhubarb, but it’s not at all fruity as it also comes with a hint of charred radicchio and Italian-bitter herbs.”