Hoddles Creek Pinot Blanc 2020

93 Points Gary Walsh

Hoddles Creek Estate was established in 1997 when the D’Anna family decided to establish a vineyard on the property that has been in the family since 1960. The vineyard sits astride Gembrook road and adjacent Hoddles Creek. Its steeply sloping blocks prohibit mechanical harvesting, with both vineyards being hand pruned and harvested. All their wines, which are single vineyard, estate grown, are made in their 300 tonne winery, constructed for the 2003 vintage. The split-level winery has a barrel store located three meters underground.

All fruit is hand picked in the morning, destemmed and loading into the press. It is gently pressed (Pinot Blanc is already quite phenolic) into tank. We settle naturally for five days then rack dirty and turbid juice for fermentation. From here we let the wine do it’s own thing. Left on lees for 6 months then lightly filtered for bottled. No additions apart from sulphur.

“Apple, lemon peel, a sort of white flower perfume. Feels a bit chalky with a slight lemon pith character, quite savoury and nutty, but with cool grapefruit acidity through its core. Finish has grip, raw almond and almost a radicchio bitterness, which I like. Always an interesting wine, and a good release in 2020.” – 93 Points Gary Walsh, Winefront.