Cobaw Ridge High Density Block Pinot Noir 2024

When Alan and Nelly Cooper planted their first vines in 1985, they weren't just starting a winery – they were pioneers. Nestled 610 meters high in a natural amphitheatre on the northern slopes of the Great Dividing Range, Cobaw Ridge sits in one of Australia's most remarkable vineyard sites.

What makes these wines so extraordinary? It begins with their quiet devotion to listening – really listening – to what the earth and seasons wants to tell them. Fifth-generation farmer Alan and Nelly were practicing low-intervention winemaking decades before it became fashionable, achieving full biodynamic certification in 2011.

Healthy vineyards mean resilient vines requiring almost zero irrigation. High altitudes and north-facing sites provides for superb acidity and freshness in the wines. In the winery, they do the absolute minimum – just gentle crushing, pressing, and racking.

The 2024 vintage shows just how well that approach works. It’s pure and concentrated without being heavy, the kind of wine that feels grown rather than made. There’s dark cherry, sappy herbs and a hint of spice from the stems, all sitting on a fine, stony backbone. Fermented with wild yeast and aged in mostly old oak, it’s bottled with minimal handling.

This is serious Macedon Pinot – detailed, savoury and full of life, with the quiet confidence of a grower who knows their patch inside out.