Planted in 1997 by Kevin and Kathleen with predominantly MV6, the Musk Creek vineyard at Main Ridge is a considerably cooler, and hence later-ripening site than Tussie Mussie or Seventeen Rows. As such, it’s a marginal place to ripen Pinot and low yields are a must (along with plenty of work with the canopy). In 2019, for example, Quealy started picking the home block (for KK01 and Seventeen Rows) on March 4 and 5, while picking at Musk Creek didn’t commence until March 29!

As with most of the Pinots here, the wine was 100% destemmed and no whole bunches were used. Tom McCarthy did not sulphur the juice until pressing, trusting the “biology of the vineyard to leave its mark”.  Fermented in two- to three-tonne fermenters, the juice spent four weeks on skins with just one plunging per day. Only the free-run wine was sent to barrel (25% to François Frères, with the remainder to one- to three-year-old hogsheads). 

Bottled unfiltered, Musk Creek is the prettiest of the Estate’s 2019 Pinot Noirs. With its gentle colour, lifted florals and pure raspberry notes, this looks and smells like a classic Mornington Pinot from ‘up the hill.’ And while this classicism follows through onto the delicious and poised palate, there is also considerable power wrapped up within that elegant framework.