Curly Flat Pinot Noir 2018
Style: Red Wine
Closure: Screwcap
Curly Flat Pinot Noir 2018
Camberwell
Burke Road
Camberwell VIC 3124
Australia
Producer: Curly Flat
Country: Australia
Region: Macedon Ranges
Vintage: 2018
Critic Score: 97 and ★★★★★
Alcohol: 13.5%
Size: 750 ml
Drink by: 2035
James Suckling Top 100 Wines of Australia 2020
"2018 was Matt Harrop's first complete vintage. And it just happened to be an outstanding year. Don’t miss these wines!" Huon Hooke
The 2018 Curly Flat Pinot Noir is the first vintage with new winemaker Matt Harrop in charge (he finished the 2017 vintage wines and oversaw the bottling of the 2016 pinots, but 2018 was his first complete vintage). The wine is a blend from the Central and Western blocks, planted from 1992 to 2000 and made up of clones 114, 115, Mariafeld, D5V12 and MV6 – the famous Mothervine 6 that is said to have reached Australia in the 1830s from Burgundy. The blend consists of 20% whole bunches and was matured for 16 months in 20% new oak.
"This is a watershed for this producer with such well-assembled complexity, well-guarded purity and the kind of bright, vibrant tannin that is rarely seen outside Burgundy. Intense aromas of blood orange, pomegranate, red cherry, boldly spicy oak and a sapid, reductive edge. Lot of energy here. The palate has rich red and dark-cherry flavor with crisply defined tannins that carry long and refreshed into the finish with assertive acidity. Crunchy red-fruit finish. Give this a little more time to settle." James Suckling
"Violets, black cherries and wild raspberry swirl as scents of undergrowth and potpourri enhance complexity to form a rich, fragrant and savoury nose. On the palate, a delicate fruit wave is supported by a subtle raft of tannin floating on a current of lively acidity. The palate journey starts as a single point that gently, but assuredly, expands and evolves into a flourishing finish." Curly Flat
Expert reviews
"This is a watershed for this producer with such well-assembled complexity, well-guarded purity and the kind of bright, vibrant tannin that is rarely seen outside Burgundy. Intense aromas of blood orange, pomegranate, red cherry, boldly spicy oak and a sapid, reductive edge. Lot of energy here. The palate has rich red and dark-cherry flavor with crisply defined tannins that carry long and refreshed into the finish with assertive acidity. Crunchy red-fruit finish. Give this a little more time to settle. Try from 2023. Screw cap." James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com - 97 points and Top 100 Wines of Australia 2020
"This is the main release from all parts of the vineyard. MV6, 115 and 114 clones, 20% whole bunch, 28 days on skins, matured for 16 months in oak (20% new). Fine, elegant and fragrant cherry and pomegranate fruit. Overall balance and length are very good. QED. Drink by 2040." James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion - 96 points and Special Value Wine ★
"A blend of the Central and Western blocks and the first wine that Matt Harrop produced from start to finish and it represents a complete and complex example of what can be produced from the coldest region in mainland Australia. Dark cherry, rhubarb with nutmeg and cinnamon spice on the nose. Medium bodied with a tannin structure that delivers waves of texture and combines fruit with earthen spice. The finish has impressive concentration and length to burn. A classic curly flat that will live for decades." Patrick Eckel, Wine Reviewer – 96 points
"Inviting deep red fruits with redcurrant and cranberry at the top of the list. Supported by spicy cedar oak, cinnamon and potpourri notes. The palate is firm, flavorsome with textured 'sticky' tannins. All are supported by well balanced acidity. Long black cherry driven finish leaves you wanting more. Top Australian Pinot." Clive Hartley, Australian Wine Guide - Outstanding (95-100 points) ★★★★★
"I believe this is the first vintage with Matt Harrop at the controls. Dried rose perfume in with some fresh mint, deep raspberry flavour, a little almond and vanilla, plus some spice. It's ripe, but not overly so, with cool acidity, a dusting of graphite tannin, and a long biscuity finish. It's generous in style, but keeps itself trim. I'm particularly tickled by the quality of tannin here. Excellent. Drink : 2020 - 2028+." Gary Walsh, The Wine Front - 95 points
"This is a first for Curly Flat. As in the 'first' vintage made by new winemaker, Matt Harrop, following the departure of the winery’s co-founder, Phillip Moraghan, in late 2017. Harrop is a young gun – still, in my book – formerly with Shadowfax, and chairs leading wine shows around the country, so he’s a winemaker who thinks about the macro as well as the micro.
This is the flagship pinot noir for the company, the one that defines the house and regional (Macedon Ranges) style. It’s from an excellent vintage, one according to Harrop that delivered a 'near perfect expression' of site. There’s whole bunch and skin contact at play here as well as wild yeasts but, really, it all adds up to a delightfully complex wine which is important to remember because this is a bare youngster. Approachable now with the fragrance of crushed red berries, musk, potpourri. The wine glides across the tongue leaving an impression that is both sweet-fruited, studded with lively red cherries, and don’t you just love that touch of pepper to close. Cool climate pinot to the very end. Drink: Now - 2028." Jeni Port, Wine Pilot – 95 points
"Deepish red colour with a good purple tint and a spicy, charred-oak note on the aroma, suggesting a substantial oak input. The wine is medium to full-bodied and well-concentrated, with an excellent tannin backbone that would enable it to partner hearty foods. A gutsy, structured wine. I'd like to drink this with a rich beef casserole. drink: 2021–2033." Huon Hooke, The Real Review - 94 points
"Immediately prettier than the 'Central' wine, though not as high toned as the Western. It's a generous Curly Flat Pinot, with quintessential red fruit through nose and palate. Tannic too. It's a step-up wine, a 'let's get serious about Pinot Noir' release, of compelling grip and power plus prettiness. Good. Better than good, it's excellent Pinot. Best drinking: now to at least six years." Andrew Graham, Australian Wine Review – 94 points
Awards
James Suckling Top 100 Wines of Australia 2020
Special Value Wine – Halliday Wine Companion ★
Matt Harrop
The text below is taken from an article by Huon Hooke that appeared in The Real Review
I met with owner Jenifer Kolkka soon after Matt Harrop (ex-Shadowfax) had taken the reins at Curly Flat, and she could not disguise her excitement. Speaking again last week, her enthusiasm for the future of Curly Flat was undiminished.
"Matt is so hands-on, both in the vineyard and the winery," she enthused.
"He even tops the barrels up with Ben (Kimmorley, assistant winemaker). Every barrel gets that individual attention. We used to always give the pinot noir 20 months in oak, but when Matt took over the 2017 pinot was in barrel, and it was a big vintage so there were a lot of new barrels, and he went through all the barrels and took a lot of the wines out of the new oak and put them in older, neutral oak because it’s a delicate year and he didn’t want the new oak to crush the delicate fruit."
She says Harrop gets out in the vineyard and prunes with the rest of the crew, and gets the team in at least four times a year to show them how the wines are progressing, and show them how different pinot noir can be from different parts of the vineyard.
Another Harrop change has been frost control. Curly Flat has a great supply of water, from a massive 20-megalitre dam (which covers four acres), as well as a bore supplying high-quality water.
Until Harrop arrived, frost was controlled with a sprinkler system, but he discovered that too much water was going into the soil, so he installed frost fans and turned the water off. Then he found that due to soil variation, some parts of the vineyard weren’t getting enough water, so he installed soil moisture probes. Now irrigation is managed specifically for each part of the vineyard.
Another change is with the second label, Williams Crossing.
"No more Williams Crossing," says Jeni Kolkka.
"We used to treat all of the fruit the same as it came out of the vineyard. The best wine went into Curly Flat, the rest went into Williams Crossing. Matt decided that if it doesn’t make it into Curly Flat it goes into White Pinot (a rosé style), which sells like hot-cakes. No oak. It sells in the year of making so it’s quick turnover and good for cash-flow."
And the wine is delicious, incidentally.
Harrop, who also owns a vineyard in the Macedon area with his wife Tamara Grischy (head of Langton’s Fine Wine Auctions), started at Curly Flat in October 2017. He finished the 2017 vintage wines and oversaw the bottling of the 2016 pinots, but 2018 was his first complete vintage.
Harrop was asked in April 2024: "Is there one thing that you wouldn’t have done, if you could go again?
"Oh God, there’s about 5000 things. I would have spent more time in the Northern Hemisphere sucking up a little bit of what they’re doing there. I haven’t done enough of that. Not a flying winemaker job. Just going in and talking to people – like you’re doing here today. We’ve got access to a lot of wine over here now, but things were different twenty years ago.
From a winemaking point of view – maybe wouldn’t have farmed in Heathcote for ten years, like I did at Shadowfax. I’m glad I’ve got regrets about what I have done, rather than what I haven’t done.
With regards to Curly Flat, one thing we will do is slowly converting things over to VSP. Whether we top-work stuff like we’ve done in the past and re-trellis. It is a ten-year project.
Stepping back and looking at wines from 2020… one of the things we love about the ‘20s is that they talk a little bit more about the earth rather than the sky. One of the massive limiting factors in this part of the world is that big orange ball in the sky. It’s a strong influence. If there’s one thing that can obscure where a grape is from, it is too much sun. The 2020 is savoury tannins, more earthy and quite reserved. We think there is a Curly Flat theme. One of the things that shits me about the Aussie industry is that our 'most important producers', the Penfolds of the world, are actively working to persuade people that vintage variation doesn’t exist. The rest of us think it’s really important to say to people that wine is not the same every single time. That’s part of the pleasure of it."
About the winery
Curly Flat, a small privately owned vineyard and winery in the Macedon Ranges, was founded in 1989 by Phillip Moraghan and Jenifer Kolkka. The Macedon Ranges is the coolest viticultural area on mainland Australia and the Curly Flat Vineyard has proved to be ideal for growing the early ripening varieties of pinot noir and chardonnay.
The first vines were planted in 1991 but problems with clonal identification and quality of planting material resulted in these vines being removed. The hard work of planting was repeated in 1992. Subsequent plantings (1993 to 2000) have seen the vineyard grow to 14.5 hectares. The majority of the area is planted to Pinot Noir (72%), with smaller plantings of Chardonnay (23%) and Pinot Gris (5%).
The Curly Flat Vineyard is acknowledged as the greatest influence on wine quality. This unique viticultural site owes much to the combination of altitude (540 metres), latitude (south of The Great Dividing Range), and distance from the mitigating influence of the ocean. A diversity of aspect and clone provide multifaceted winemaking opportunities. The climate is ideal for growing Pinot Noir and Chardonnay - warm summer days, then crisp, cool evenings which slow ripening and produce fruit of high natural acidity and intense flavour. The red volcanic basalt soils have structure and depth allowing the roots to descend many metres, increasing the soil volume able to be exploited by the vines.
In 2006 Curly Flat ceased using herbicides and have seen a marked improvement in soil microfauna. The resulting increase in organic matter has been staggering and bodes well for the future health of the vines.
Curly Flat wines are naturally fermented; the use of ambient yeast (those that are native to the vineyard and winery) leads to improved texture, mouthfeel and more varietal flavour components in the wines.
In 2017, Jenifer accepted Phillip's offer to take over sole ownership of Curly Flat. Under her leadership, the winery's reputation for high-quality winemaking continues. Jenifer and her team, led by new winemaker Matt Harrop, are fully committed to producing the best possible wines from their carefully nurtured site.
The Vineyard
Curly Flat Vineyard Plantings
"We’ve got about 15 hectares under vines, starting with a block of Pinot Noir planted in 1992. Followed by Chardonnay in 1993; then at the top of the hill there’s Pinot Noir from ’95 and ’96. What we refer to as our 'Western' plantings were in 1997 and ’98. The big block was planted in 2000, and every year we’ve progressively planted more.
We are about 70% Pinot Noir, 25% Chardonnay and 5% Pinot Gris. There’s a massive thirst for Pinot – especially in Melbourne. It’s very parochial down there, and we have an advantage over most other winegrowers in Australia, as we can ripen Pinot. We’re quite continental here – a long way from the sea. We farm very simply and have this mix of young and old vines. We shoot-thin in the Spring and there’s a lot of natural crop control, because we are a frosty site.
The winery was built in 2002, we farm sustainably here, but not organic. In a year like this, you hear stories from places like Heathcote where they haven’t got fruit. We haven’t used any herbicide here since 2006, and we like the effect we get from just mowing underneath the vines. That works for us – keeps the disease pressure down. We do get a bit of botrytis in the Chardonnay, but I don’t think a little bit is a bad thing.
With our geology, it is quite similar across the site – degraded basalt – but we’ve got this 430-million year old devonian-era sands up here, which we found after a soil survey in 2019. Our 'Western' plantings have an easterly aspect – so morning sun. They don’t get the afternoon sun, so are the coolest slopes in the vineyard. Quite supple, textured, aromatic, and by 2018 we thought 'these look really different to everything else we’ve got' and we now bottle the 'Western' individually. Initially a blend of two blocks and two different clones, in 2018 to 2020. And now, we’ve got seven rows of clone 114 that we’ll do separately.
'Central' is from the oldest vines in the place – MV6 clone from 1992. I really like MV6. They reckon James Busby brought it over from Clos du Vougeot in the 1830s. That’s north-facing so it cops the afternoon sun. Much smaller berries and smaller bunch architecture. More tannin and very musky red fruit. There’s a bit of it in NZ, but they don’t like it over there. I think it’s genetically modified itself over here, to suit what happens here.
Same can be said for Abel – I’ve yet to try an Australian Abel wine where I’ve gone 'well that’s better than everything else'. It works well in Martinborough but they’re not such fans of it in Central Otago. That whole clonal thing is really interesting. I read and see about people who I respect in other parts of the world, where the clonal debate has taken a back seat. We’ll be taking some cuttings from our 1992 MV6 and cultivating from that, to plant the place with.
Historically our Pinot Noir has been planted at 3.2 by 1.8 metres in a lyre trellis. Today we are planting at 2.2 by 900, which we really like. We won't be doing high-density planting like over at Bindi. I think that after 30 years in the ground here, Pinot has this ability to adapt to site. I take my hat off to anyone, like Michael, who is doing that density of planting, but I see it fraught with all sorts of things. I have too many questions about it. There were cultural reasons why it occurred over in Burgundy. Winemaking, grape growing – it’s a commercial pursuit. And it’s expensive to put a vineyard in anyway, so three times more expensive to put a close-planted vineyard in." Matt Harrop - from an interview with David Walker Bell that appeared in WineFolio
Victoria
Victoria is home to more than 800 wineries across 21 wine regions. The regions are Alpine Valley, Beechworth, Bendigo, Geelong, Gippsland, Glenrowan, Goulburn Valley, Grampians, Heathcote, Henty, King Valley, Macedon Ranges, Mornington Peninsula, Murray Darling, Pyrenees, Rutherglen, Strathbogie Ranges, Sunbury, Swan Hill, Upper Goulburn and Yarra Valley.
Victoria's first vines were planted at Yering in the Yarra Valley in 1838. By 1868 over 3,000 acres had been planted in Victoria, establishing Victoria as the premier wine State of the day. Today, the original vineyards planted at Best's Wines are among the oldest and rarest pre-phylloxera plantings in the world.
Victoria's climate varies from hot and dry in the north to cool in the south and each wine region specialises in different varietals. For example, Rutherglen in the north is famous for its opulent Muscats and Topaque and bold reds, while the many cooler climate regions near Melbourne produce world class Chardonnay and pinot Noir. Victoria is truly a wine lover's playground.