Lethbridge Menage a Noir Pinot Noir 2025

Ray Nadeson describes Ménage à Noir Pinot Noir as “Lethbridge-lite”; we prefer to think of it as the opening act to this producer’s impressive suite of Pinot Noirs. It’s a blend of sites, but the lion’s share comes from Jack and Lois Doeven’s cool site in Drumborg (Henty). This low-yielding vineyard with well-established vines was planted in schist soils in the 1980s. The balance of the fruit comes from Geelong.

The destemmed fruit ferments in a 3,000-litre wooden fermenter with regular pumpovers. The wine then matures in a mixture of old and new (approximately 10%) French oak of various sizes (225, 300 and 2,500 litres). Here’s a lovely example of this label, a spicy and fleshy Pinot with crunchy Satsuma plum and forest floor flavours and the kind of hearty core that is so typical of the Lethbridge style.