Vintage 2018 at Nine One Six presented an opportunity to capture the most precise and expressive selections from the 5 acre vineyard. As the ripening period progressed, it became clear that there were some quality hotspots, with strong character attributes from some specific locations across the vineyard presenting themselves in the grapes at the peak of ripening.

Of the three blocks at Nine One Six (North, South and West), it was the South and West blocks that presented the most singular expressions of Nine One Six. A single tonne of each parcel, yielding 1 puncheon each was produced of each wine. Winemaking was kept the same for both parcels, to highlight the differences in site expression rather than differences in winemaking.

Whole bunches were placed in a 2.5 tonne open-top fermenter, covered with carbon dioxide and sealed. Fermentation began naturally after 6-7 days. Once fermentation peaked and temperatures increased beyond 32 degrees, the ferment was foot-stomped in the morning and evening to softly burst open the berries and coax the interaction between skins, juice and stems. The foot-stomping festival took place over a period of four days, with one extensive aerative pumpover at around 4 Baume to cool the ferment and feed the wild yeast with nature’s own (oxygen). Both ferments were left alone to finish alcoholic fermentation, with a period of post-fermentation maceration of 5 days for South, and 10 days for West - greater for West due to the extent of lignification in their bunch stems, and a desire to build more structure in this wine due to its more concentrated fruit. Each ferment was gently pressed, and left to settle overnight, before being moved to neutral 500L French oak puncheon barrels to complete malolactic fermentation, and to embark on maturation. Maturation to took place on gross lees for 7 months, before racking to stainless steel tank for a further month prior to bottling on the 16th November 2018.

The 2018 Nine One Six  Pinot Noir duo reflect the shortest maturation period for Nine One Six. Longer maturation has been a hallmark of Nine One Six Pinot Noir since 2012, with the subtle oxidative nuances of extended barrel time, and complexity and texture garnered from lees ageing forming a signature part of the savoury style. The

immediate balance and sense of effortlessness, coupled with complexity and vibrant detail, called for an earlier bottling to preserve the youthful exuberance of these wines, opting for slow bottle-ageing to lay on the charms of maturity instead.