Whisson Lake
Adelaide Hills, South Australia
In 1985, Andrie and Mark Whisson made the fortunate decision to grow and vinify Pinot Noir in the Adelaide Hills highland. Half-way up the very top of Mount Carey, they decided to build their home and small winery and dedicate their passion to this single, most captivating variety. Over years of observing, nurturing and careful adjustments, they tamed the extreme slope, a defining feature of their wines and a driving force in their pursuit of excellence.
Andrie and Mark are standing atop their Mount Carey vineyard, contemplating this season’s soon-to-be crop while I take in the 180-degree view of the Piccadilly Valley expanding below the vertiginous slope. Their synergy is palpable in the way they describe the interplay between their winemaking philosophy and the Piccadilly Valley’s cool climate. They truly complement each other, both in the vineyard and the understated winery adjacent to their house.
Mark’s viticultural methodology strives to improve the health of the vines and the soils, while his somewhat acrobatic aptitude proves to be fundamental in taming the near-45-degree, east-facing hillside rising 615 meters above sea level. In the winery, Andrie’s scientific precision and eye for detail comes as naturally as the ambient yeast and wild malolactic bacteria. Tannin, pH, and acid adjustments are nil. There is no fining or filtration either. Thanks to the cold air blowing from the southerlies up the long gully no refrigeration is required for cold soaks pre and post fermentation. In fact, open ferments heating is often needed.
They’ve come to know the site intimately over the last three decades, dedicating their deep sensitivity and curiosity to amplifying the subtleties of Pinot Noir through their terroir-driven wines. They’ve divided the vineyard according to four different mesoclimates, influenced by elevation, aspect, slope, or proximity to large bodies of water – observing their unique effect on the vines over the seasons. So attuned to those subtle variations are their wines. As you drink the Whisson Lake wines, you can’t help but marvel at the crystalline prism that Andrie and Mark’s organic vineyard practices and unadulterated winemaking offer.
2023 Pinot Noir Black Label
The Black Label Pinot Noir grapes grow in the lower half of the property, a spot that's sunny and warm during the grape growing season, but cold in winter— the cold air lingers at the bottom of the steep slopes where the younger vines are planted. Some older vine fruit from higher parcels goes in the blend, which helps mitigate the effect of heat spikes during the growing season (clones 114, 115, 777, MV6, D2V6, D5V12, and G8V3 were planted in the 1990s).
Winemaking:
10% whole bunch adds a stalky appeal and tannin structure. After 10 days of cold soaking under argon the fruit, voluptuous and extremely well balanced, was pressed to tight grained French oak, 15% new. The wine was aged for 22 months on lees prior to racking with no filtration or fining. Fruit is wholly drawn from the bottom block with pressings
Tasting Notes:
The product of a remarkable season in the Adelaide Hills, this ‘Black Label’ represents the very best of a young wine from Whisson Lake. Its pale colour belies its intense fruitiness, with heady perfumes of strawberry, roses, and sour Davidson’s plum. Dig deeper to uncover restrained aromas of wax crayon, aniseed, and fresh earth, with tart fruits on the palate and very pretty tannins. This is another Pinot from Whisson Lake that punches well above its weight.
Reviews:
Some may not like the comparison (or may love it?!), but this is so Burgundian. Can’t help it when, with the first sniff, the perfume of the wine unlocks a memory of a Pinot Noir from the Golden Slope. These vines from the ‘bottom of the hill’ aka Black Label, were planted in 1995.
The summer of 2023 in Adelaide Hills was cold and it can be felt in this wine as haunting tart red fruit perfume and wet forest. As a result, the wine is ethereal. The aromas are high-toned, scents of pure strawberry and mineral tension, red rose petals and gunflint notes. Tannins are very fine, not quite silky, more velvety or silty. The texture long carries the flavours that you long for in a Pinot–wild berries and sous bois, moss and alpine herbs. It’s an impressive Pinot Noir and very much Burgundian in its suit. 95pts. Kasia Sobiesiak, The Wine Front
2024 Pinot Noir White Label
A wine that beautifully encapsulates Andrie and Mark’s fascination for Pinot Noir. It hails from the cool and well-drained upper section of the Bunny Block planted in 1985 (clones D5V12, D4V2, and 777). These vines are now hitting their peak, both in quality and altitude—sitting between 560 to 610 meters above sea level. They thrive without irrigation, crafting a tightly structured wine, intricate in flavour, and with great tannic feel.
Winemaking
A blend of four clones, the 2024 White Label includes 15% whole bunch fermentation and was matured in French oak, with 15% new barrels. The wine captures the generosity of the season while retaining the hallmark structure and finesse of Whisson Lake Pinot Noir.
Tasting Notes
Deep plummy colour with a subtle blue hue. The nose is immediately expressive and voluptuous, layered with satsuma plum, dark cherry, dried mandarin peel, and a Campari-like citrus bitterness, lifted by floral aromatics. The palate is thoroughly Whisson Lake, deluxe and silky in texture, with velvety tannins and fine acidity carrying through to a long, composed finish.
2024 Pinot Noir ‘Monopole’
The fruit comes from the four rows adjacent to Andrie and Mark’s house. Each vintage, barrels from all plots are selected and tasted blindly in the assemblage process. Interestingly, the Monopole Pinot Noir always derives from those four rows of clone D5V12. This parcel has the potential to produce outstanding quality fruit when given the right amount of attention throughout the seasons.
Winemaking
Made from a single clone (D5V12), the wine includes 10% whole bunch fermentation and was matured in 12% new French oak. The restrained oak influence allows detail, minerality, and structure of the vineyard to remain front and centre.
Tasting Notes
This cuvée of ‘Monopole’ shows a striking divergence in character from the ‘White Label’. Its pseudo-French naming hints at parallels to the great wines of Burgundy, and while it remains firmly rooted in the Adelaide Hills, it carries overtones reminiscent of that revered region. This is a hauntingly beautiful Pinot Noir—reserved in its youth, yet already revealing dark cherry fruits, licorice root, and violets.
Deep plum in colour with flashes of blue and garnet. The nose is intensely aromatic, driven by blood orange, citrus peel, and lifted florals. On the palate, the wine is finely defined and elegant, with a transparent, mineral edge that gives the wine tension and shape. Firm yet fine tannins and vibrant acidity frame a long finish, promising exceptional ageing potential.