Winemaker Sandro Mosele of the nearby Kooyong Vineyard and Winery has worked closely with Paul to help clarify and implement the Scorpo wine making philosophy.

Scorpo's philosophy in the vineyard is simple yet has a profound impact on what ends up in the glass. In essence, the major objective being the creation of wines that represents the confluence of the appropriate grape variety, site and wine making approach in each bottle.

The Pinot Noir is made in a predominantly Burgundian winemaking tradition, using carefully selected clones. The classic MV6 clone provides the body of this wine while the rarer Bernard clone 115 and small plantings of 114 add a degree of finesse and elegance to the structure and provide additional layers of complexity.

Constant experimentation with other Pinot Noir clones will extend blending options even further.  Each clone is vinified

individually and includes a significant percentage of natural ferments. Already we are noticing interesting differences that relate to particular areas of the vineyard, i.e. soil, microclimate and clonal differences. Ultimately we have found it is not so much the clone that determines the quality but rather the terroir. The unique attributes of the site and winemaking give the wine its personality and distinctive characteristics.

Pre-fermentation cold soaking of the fruit, followed by fermentation in open fermenters and an extended maceration, facilitate the enhancement of individual flavours.  After pressing, the wine is transferred to a careful selection of mostly old (1-3 years) and the odd new tight-grained French oak barriques to impart further complexity to the wine in harmony with the fruit characters.  The wine is fined, lightly filtered and bottled 12 months after vintage.  The resulting wine shows finesse and elegance yet retains a powerful structure necessary for