Bress Gold Chook Macedon Pinot Noir 2010

"Adam Marks is one of the most reflective minds in Australian wine right now, and this is his finest pinot yet. Elegantly poised, silky structured, fragrantly lifted, gorgeously perfumed and hauntingly persistent. It unites rose petals, red cherries, wild strawberries, dried herbs and exotic spice into a seamlessly flowing stream which rolls over a tannin bed of silky yet firm and assured structure."  Tyson Stelzer

"This Pinot Noir was grown at three vineyards in the Mount Macedon Ranges. The Mount Macedon vineyard is situated 5 kilometres south east of Woodend and at 650 metres above sea level and is one of the coolest sites in the Macedon Ranges. The vine clones are MV6 and Mariafeldt and are 20 years old. Chanter's Ridge Vineyard is twelve years old and is situated approximately 15 kilometres west of Woodend and is planted to D5V12 clone. Kyneton Ridge Estate vineyard is fifteen years old and is situated 8 kilometres north of Kyneton and is planted to MV6 clone.

Youthful, vibrant and deep garnet colour. On the nose, the wine offers a complex array of fruit aromas of plum, cherry and forest floor.   The oak aromas are of char and spice. This Pinot Noir has fruit flavours of plum, cherry and forest floor.  The oak characters are integrated into the wine and add a savoury richness."  Bress

Expert reviews

"Adam Marks is one of the most reflective minds in Australian wine right now, and this is his finest pinot yet. Elegantly poised, silky structured, fragrantly lifted, gorgeously perfumed and hauntingly persistent. It unites rose petals, red cherries, wild strawberries, dried herbs and exotic spice into a seamlessly flowing stream which rolls over a tannin bed of silky yet firm and assured structure."  Tyson Stelzer, Wine Taste - 96 points

About the winery

Adam Marks is a qualified winemaker and viticulturalist who has made wine in all parts of the world since 1991. Disillusioned with large corporate winemaking but inspired by the artisan producers of the Côtes du Rhône & Burgundy, he and his wife Lynne Jensen started Bress in 2001. The name 'Bress' and accompanying logo pay homage to Adam's life-long love of chooks and his admiration for the famous chickens of Bourg-en-Bresse in France, where Adam spent some time. Three years later, he happened on a 66 acre farm with a rundown vineyard and orchard on Harmony Way at Harcourt and took over the property. The farm was already home to grapes (originally planted in the 1980s) and cider-apple trees, so wine and cider making both became staples of the Bress repertoire.

The 14ha Bendigo Harcourt vineyard was originally planted to 17 grape varieties, but now is only planted to 4 varieties – Riesling (2ha), cabernet sauvignon (3ha), cabernet franc (3ha) and shiraz (1ha). In addition, Bress source grapes from a vineyard in Macedon, planted to chardonnay (6ha) and pinot noir (3ha), and a vineyard in Heathcote planted to shiraz (2ha).

In June 2020, Adam sold Bress to Tim Robertson and Chris McCormack. Tim is a local vigneron and businessman. He and his wife Di, own their own wine label (Lome) and a vineyard just around the corner from the Harcourt vineyard. Chris worked at Bress for 4 years prior to joining forces with Tim to acquire the business.