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Certified organic. The Pinot Noir is sourced from the Springvale block, southwest of Orange, just outside the town of Cargo. This is believed to have been the first organic-certified vineyard in NSW and, as with the Chardonnay, the vines are some of the oldest in the region at roughly 30 years. The vineyard comprises Abel and 115 clones on their own roots at an altitude of 820 metres.
Byrne has worked with fruit from this site for a dozen years, mainly with the Abel clone, which he prizes for its Christmas spice perfume. The fruit was handpicked, 85% destemmed and sent to three-tonne open fermenters where it cold-soaked for four days, followed by a 10-day ferment on skins. The wine was then lightly pressed to 500-litre oak barrels, where it matured for 10 months (5% new) before blending.
The cool vintage has given another Byrne Farm Pinot of impressive purity and drive. Plenty of detail: it’s red-fruited, pretty and refined while having woodsy, spicy depth fringed with savoury, floral lift. There’s a lovely frame here―Jeff leans into texture for Pinot Noir―and some proper flavourful stuffing.