Made in exactly the same manner as the Estate range, the Yea Valley’s cool climate and altitude result’s in the most fine-boned of Wickham’s four regional Pinot Noirs (Yarra, Gippsland and Tasmania being the other three). The fruit was picked by hand in the morning and destemmed but not crushed to tank for fermentation. Franco took a varied approach to the batches, using a combination of cold soaks, post-ferment macerations, punch downs and pump overs to find the right balance between flavour and structure. The wine was then pressed to oak (30% new) for 11 months’ maturation.