WINE > Elanto Pinot Noir, Balnaring (18/20)

Mornington Peninsula is home to many fine Pinot Noir wines but it has been quite a few years since the industry got quite so excited about a new vineyard. Elanto has only released two vintages of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir to date and they are already receiving outstanding reviews from the biggest names in wine.  An opportunity to have a bottle over dinner at CAPE Restaurant was a first opportunity to understand what is making everyone so excited.

APPEARANCE >

Pale to medium ruby in the glass, with a translucent core that leans more towards cranberry than cherry, and a faint garnet hue at the rim hinting at early evolution rather than fatigue. Swirled, it throws a fine, almost glassy sheen; legs are slow but delicate, in line with a mid-weight Mornington Peninsula Pinot made with precision rather than excess.

NOSE >

The first impression is lifted and heady: wild strawberries, dark cherry and cherry compote, quickly followed by rose petal, autumn leaves and a flicker of wood spice. Give it a minute and the savoury layers unfurl – poached rhubarb, Campari-like bitter herbs, a touch of chinotto and charred radicchio, with undergrowth, roasted nuts and a suggestion of Middle Eastern spice sitting in the background. It’s pretty and perfumed, but never merely fruity; there’s always something savoury tugging at the edge of the aromatics.

PALATE >

Medium-bodied, poised and quietly powerful, this Balnarring Pinot is all about detail and texture rather than weight. Dark cherry, wild strawberry and blood plum set the tone, with poached rhubarb, cherry pips and a lick of mineral and earth threading through the mid-palate.

There’s an amaro-like bitterness – think Campari, chinotto and Italian-bitter herbs – that clips the wine into focus, keeping the fruit in check and tilting the flavour profile firmly into the savoury camp. Oak (around a quarter new) feels completely integrated, more a frame of warm spice and roasted hazelnut than a separate seasoning.

LENGTH >

Fine, plentiful tannins – almost filigree in their weave – run from mid-palate to finish, giving the wine a sinewy, dry, almost graphite-like line. Acidity is energising rather than sharp, carrying red fruit, earth and those amaro-bitter notes long after you’ve swallowed, and suggesting a decade of graceful development if you’re patient enough to cellar it. For now, it already feels seamless and “finished”: everything in its place, nothing superfluous.

PAIRING >

This is Mornington Peninsula Pinot built for the table rather than the tasting bench; its mix of perfume, savour and gentle bitterness makes it a natural with richer, umami-led dishes. Think duck roasted with orange and five spice, grilled quail with radicchio and pancetta, or a mushroom and miso agnolotti glossed in brown butter and sage. That Campari-esque twist also invites slightly left-of-centre pairings: charred octopus with nduja and fennel, or a Wagyu rump cap with anchovy, olive and herb salsa verde. A simple example that lets the wine do the heavy lifting: roast chicken with thyme, confit garlic and a salad of bitter leaves and parmesan.

VERDICT >

Elanto Balnarring Pinot Noir is a quietly thrilling study in intensity without heaviness: fragrant, savoury, textural and already remarkably resolved for a young wine from relatively young vines. It sits comfortably in the new Mornington idiom – less about glossy fruit, more about tannin, energy and site – yet it does so with a distinct Elanto accent: that interplay of florals, dark cherry, bitter herbs and amaro-like twist. For Almanak readers, this is one to seek out now and follow over future releases; a wine that feels like the beginning of a long, interesting conversation between a singular Balnarring site and one of the region’s most accomplished Pinot minds.

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