Mount Pleasant Mothervine Pinot Noir 2023 [JH 95]

Australia’s oldest Pinot Noir vineyard, planted in 1921 by Maurice O’Shea. The vines from this block have given the Australian Wine Industry the famed MV6 clone which is now planted throughout the greatest Pinot Noir grape-growing regions in Australia.   Still producing today, these vines are carefully tended and provide wines of structure and power.

Widely accepted as Australia's 'mothervine' vineyard, from which the extensively planted MV6 pinot noir clone was sourced, this site was planted in 1921 by Maurice O'Shea. The vineyard traces its origins to cuttings brought to Australia by James Busby, said to be sourced from the Grand Cru vineyard Clos Vougeot in Burgundy. These historical reasons alone are enough to drink this wine. Add to that the incredible intensity of supple red fruit, with a thread of acidity that builds from the very front of the palate. You will find dried cherries, rosehips and a whisper of lilac. The mid-palate is sweet-fruited, plush, mellow and flowing, with intense, contemplative dark fruit flavours on the close. It is an excellent expression of the site and an authentic slice of Australian wine history. 95 points.

Toni Paterson

Published 07 April 2025.