Sorry if you missed out, but we sold out at noon of this year's Amungula Creek Pinot Noir. There will be a bit more Maipenrai available in October, and so the time window for getting an order in should hopefully be more than a few hours.

If you live in Canberra, I always give Plonk, at the Fyshwick Markets, a few cases, which they sell by the bottle (2 bottle max, usually). They should have it starting June 16th until they sell out. You should call to check availability (02 6260 6336)

Brian Schmidt

We have started the process of releasing our 2016 Amungula Creek Pinot Noir. Wine availability is tight this vintage, for which I am sorry. If you miss out, the Maipenrai Pinot Noir will be released in October, and should be a bit easier to get as we release it in boxes of 6.  

Wines will be released to

• Gold and Silver Customers on 3 June
• Bronze Customers on 11 June

2016 Amungula Creek Pinot Noir

2015/16 season started off with good spring rains, typical temperatures, and therefore a welcome return to an October 1st budburst. From there the weather suddenly became abnormally warm, with temperatures in the 30s in the first week of October, with the October average high temps more than 5C warmer than the long-term average - smashing the previous records. The warmth continued through mid December with Temps 3C warmer than average during this period, and we, unfortunately, received very little rain. This caused some unwelcome water stress in our vines and reaked havoc with our yields. The weather moderated from mid-December through mid February, and while still above average, was more or less in the zone of normality. Things heated up again in mid Feb and remained warm through vintage.

The ferments were uncomplicated, and we used 15-25% whole bunches given the ripeness of the stems, and pressed the wines after 15 days. Stored in French Oak (30% new) for 22 months - the wine was bottled unfined and unfiltered.

The 2016 Amungula Creek is made from fruit from two nearby Canberra District vineyards. It has a ruby/garnet colour, with a potent and spicy nose. On the medium bodied palate, a wild and complex savoury character is rounded out with a medium backbone of tannin and spiced fruit. A pinot noir through and through, the wine is really meant to be consumed with food. It will provide immediately drinking pleasure, and remain at peak over the next 5 years.

Release of the 2015 Maipenrai Pinot Noir  (Sold Out)

We have now sold out of the 2015 Maipenrai Pinot Noir

it will be available for purchase in small quantities at Plonk, in the Fyshwick Markets, until sold out

Also will also be available at the following restaurants

• Aubergine (Canberra)
• Boffins (Canberra)
• Chairman and Yip (Canberra)
• Grazing (Gundaroo NSW)
• Silo (Canberra)

We will release our latest Vintage of Maipenrai Pinot Noir as follows

Oct 23, 2017: Gold Members

Oct 30, 2017: Silver Members

7am - Nov 6, 2017: Bronze Members

While we made more wine than in any previous vintage (or subsequent), it will likely
still sell out quickly on November 6th. If you have signed up for our Mailing list, you will receive an email from brian@maipenrai.com.au

The 2015 Maipenrai Pinot Noir has a complex, intense, earthy nose that jumps out of the glass. On the palate, savoury and meaty, with some plums, the wine is supported by a bit of grippy tannin which will ease over time, and provide a 10 year+ drinking window. Good to try now, but will be even better in a couple of years.

Limit one case of 6 per customer

We are in the process of releasing our 2015 Amungula Creek Pinot Noir. The good news, we have more wine than in previous years. 

Wines will be released to 

• Gold Customers on 28 May
• Silver Customers on 6 June 
• Bronze Customers on 13 June (We Sold out at 6:20pm on 13th of June - sorry for those who missed out)
  

If you have signed up to our mailing list, You will be emailed when the wines are available to you.

The 2015 Amungula Creek Pinot Noir

The 2014/15 season was one of the least complicated vintages in a long time. Good winter rains, normal budburst, and warm, but not hot weather. Indeed, the hottest day of the vintage, was on November 23rd when we hit 37.4C, and the temperature never again exceeded 33C. A huge fruit set - not just on our vines, but throughout the district - meant we had to remove excess fruit - a welcome change to the previous 5 vintages! We picked 5.5 tonnes of close to perfect fruit on March 15th - our largest crop ever (but still only 2.2 tonnes/acre). Our vintage (as well as some astronomy) was featured on ABC Landline

Vinification was very easy for these wines with the wild ferments sailing through in record time. We used approximately 30% whole bunches given the ripeness of the stems, and pressed the wines after 10 days. Stored in French Oak (1/3rd new) for 22 months - the wine was bottled unfined and unfiltered.

The 2015 Amungula Creek is a 50:50 mix of fruit from Maipenrai vineyard, and another nearby vineyard. It has a brickish red hue, and a brambly nose with some dried meat and spice. On the palate, its complex gamy and savoury character is set within a medium body of plummy fruit. The wine has a nice tannin line that defines the palate, but due to 22 months in barrel, is ready to drink now. I expect it to continue to improve over the next 5 years, and be drinking well for at least a decade.

We made 18 Barrels of wine in 2015 - the most ever - so there is a lot more wine to go around than normal.

We will release the 2015 Amungula Creek Pinot Noir in May, and the 2015 Maipenrai in October. 

Those who are mailing list members will receive an email when they are released. 

The 2015 wines show lots of vibrant fruit - and will be approachable young.

The 2014 Maipenrai Pinot Noir Rogha Crois Vineyard is now available to our Gold and Silver members, and will be made available to Bronze members on the afternoon of November 24th, 2016. You will receive an email reminder.

    2014 Amungula Creek Pinot Noir - SOLD OUT

I am sorry to report that we have sold out of all of our 2014 Amungula Creek Pinot Noir.

A small amount will be available at these two retailers in the coming weeks

Plonk in the Fyshwick Markets, Canberra, ACT

Killcare Cellars, Hardy's Bay. Central Coast, NSW

We have started the pre-release of our 2014 Amungula Creek Pinot Noir exclusively to our Gold and Silver mailing list members. 

What remains will be available to Bronze mailing list members starting at 5pm, Monday, June 13 on a first come, first served basis. Our last two releases have sold out in less than 2 hours, so you will need to be quick. 

For those who miss out, we have substantially more wine available from the 2015 and 2016 vintages, so you will have a better chance to get these wines when they are released in 2017 and 2018, respectively.

For those waiting for our flagship Maipenrai Pinot Noir. It is an exceptional wine, and will be released in October 2016.

Unfortunately we have sold out very quickly of the 2013 Maipenrai Pinot Noir this year.

I apologise to all those who have missed out.

Our 2013 Maipenrai Pinot Noir is available until we sell out. There is not much left, so you will need to be quick.

If you do miss out, The 2014 Amungula Creek Pinot is about to be bottled, and will be released in March 2016, followed by the 2014 Maipenrai, which will be released Next October. There is a fair bit more of these wines than what we produced in 2013. The 2015s are looking even better - one of our most exciting wines, and we made a lot of it!
After two cool wet years in 2011 and 2012, the 2013 growing season was much more typical for Canberra, with a very hot January, moderate rains throughout most of the growing season, followed by a dry autumn with moderate temperatures. Poor flowering meant our total crop was very small.

The 2013 Maipenrai Vineyard Pinot Noir was fermented with wild yeasts and included 20% whole bunches. We hand plunged the grapes with the ferments reaching temperatures up to 34C. We kept the wine on skins for a total of 14 days and used our basket press to gently extract the wine from the skins. Neither fined nor filtered, we bottled the wine under vin-o-lok glass stoppers after 20 months in french oak barrels (1/3rd new).

The 2013 Maipenrai Pinot is of a medium garnet/burgundy hue, with a classic pinot noir nose. On the palate the wine has fresh acidity, some savoury meat characters that accompany the predominant flavours of stone fruits. The wine is of light to medium body, and should gain in complexity over the next 3-5 years, and drink well for 5 years after that.

$180per case of 6 (includes shipping to NSW, ACT, VIC, Adelaide, or Brisbane - other destinations there is a small charge). Wine will be shipped within 2 weeks by Australian Post. We, unfortunately need to restrict everyone to 6 bottles due to the limited quantities.

I am afraid the available wine sold out in less than 24 hours.  For people located in Canberra,  Plonk in Fyshwick has a small amount. Otherwise, there will be a fair bit more wine next year - and it is looking very good in barrel.