I was a big fan of the 04 Principia Pinot Noir but was too slow to act on the 2005 so here we are with the 2006. This is a wine that further cements Primcipia as one of the better small producers on the Peninsula.
Medium red in colour, quite fragran nose with red currants, cherries, plum, anice and spice. The palate is quite lively with some lovely red berry fruits, minerals, tomato and a good acid backbone to finish. Lovely wine to drink now or will cellar for 5 years. 92 points Anthony D'Anna
This wine was made by Rebecca Gaffy who has done vintage at Bass Phillip and has started this label with her husband. Knowing the background of her vintage experience, this wine is something that could easily have been produced by Phillip Jones (think the Domain Phillip Jones label but the next notch up in quality).
Established in 1995 by Darrin and Rebecca Gaffy, Principia (pronounced Prin-kip-ia) is located South-East of Melbourne in Red Hill on the Mornington Peninsula, Victoria. The 8.5 acre vineyard consists of 6.5 acres of Pinot noir and 2 acres of Chardonnay.
It is our goal to produce elegant and complex wines that reflect the individual characteristics of the vineyard site. In order to achieve this, we grow, produce and bottle the wine on site. Our vines are non-irrigated and yields are restricted to 1.5–2 tonnes per acre. We take a minimalist approach throughout the winemaking process, which includes the use of gravity for all juice, must and wine transfers and natural primary and secondary fermentations.
Our name comes from the word ‘beginnings’ in Latin. "The Principia" was Sir Isaac Newton’s famous scientific work that incorporated his theory of gravitation and the laws of motion.
The Vineyard
Located at 139 Main Creek Road, Red Hill, the vineyard site is at an altitude of 220 metres and has a Northeasterly aspect. The average annual rainfall is approximately 850mm. The soil types consist of older volcanic red, brown and orange silty clays.
The first planting was in 1995, with subsequent plantings in 1996 and 2000. There are six clones of Pinot noir (D2V5, D5V12, MV6, 114, 115 & 777) and two of Chardonnay (P58 & I10V1).
To maximise exposure to sunlight, the lyre (or U) trellis and vertical shoot positioned (VSP) trellis systems are used and the vine rows are orientated in a north south direction.
The vines are not irrigated. A combination of both cane and spur pruning is used and canopy management includes shoot thinning, leaf plucking and bunch thinning as required. No pesticides are used and the fruit is harvested by hand with the assistance of family and friends.
Winemaking
The fruit is processed using traditional winemaking techniques with no pumps used at any stage of the process. Both natural primary (yeast) and secondary (malolactic) fermentations are allowed to occur and the wine is not filtered.
A small crusher-destemmer is used for processing the Pinot noir and fermentation occurs in open fermenters with hand plunging and pigeage. The temperature of the ferments ranges from 26 to 32°C. After approximately 20 days total vat time, the must is pressed using a basket press. The wine is racked following malolactic fermentation and aged in French oak (using only Burgundian coopers) for 24 months
