Description

The Kooyong vineyard and winery, established in 1996, was acquired by the Gjergja family in 2004. Kooyong is located in Tuerong, towards the northern end of the Mornington Peninsula. The majority of the forty-hectare site is planted to Pinot Noir, with a substantial area of Chardonnay and several small sections of Pinot Gris.

The soils of Kooyong are distinctive. The bedrock found at depth is sedimentary – an ancient weathered sandstone dating back to the Ordovician period 450 million years ago.  The surface soils are also sedimentary, laid down by a marine incursion during the Miocene epoch.   Although the soils are classed overall as duplex clay loam, different parts of the vineyard express differing percentages of sand, loam and clay.   These differences markedly influence the characteristics of the fruit in each vineyard block.

Meres Vineyard

The Meres block is planted entirely to Pinot Noir with the exception of a tiny quarter-acre annexe planted to Pinot Gris. Located along the eastern boundary of Kooyong, the name Meres alludes to water bodies – the dams which flank the block on all sides.

This gently sloping block is the most exposed of all our Pinot Noir plantings, leading to low vigour and low yields. The combination of the soils, less loamy topsoil and more clay subsoil than the other blocks and low vigour produces highly aromatic and perfumed red-fruited Pinot Noir with a structure that, as the vines age, is becoming more robust.