Australian Pinot Noir: a tasting of 25 wines, showing how impressive these wines can be
Back in November I attended the Pinot Massif, which is a get-together for winemakers in Australia who are working with Pinot Noir, and in 2024 this was hosted at Mitchelton in Victoria. Much of the meeting is off the record: everyone brings a wine and then these are tasted blind, and they all give feedback on the wine, before its identity is revealed. Sometimes people bring wines they are proud of, but more often they bring wines that they want an opinion on, perhaps because they are unsure about where the wine is going, or what has happened to it. It’s a brilliant exchange of ideas, and the respect everyone shows for their peers is inspiring. But there’s also a tasting of finished wines that are on the market, and I was allowed to write about these. This was a great snapshot of what’s going on with Aussie Pinot right now. My notes are in order of score and alphabetic order at each score point. [Note to readers in Australia: I tend to score lower than the Australian publications, and for me 95 is a really high score.]
Bicknell FC Applecross Pinot Noir 2022 Yarra Valley, Australia
So fresh, textured and bright with red cherry and redcurrant fruit. Real elegance here with purity and a silkiness to the texture. 95/100
Giant Steps Sexton Pinot Noir 2023 Yarra Valley, Australia
Vivid aromatics with bright red cherry and redcurrant fruit. The palate is texture with appealing red fruits, showing nice structure and potential for development. 95/100
Granite Hills Knight Pinot Noir 2022 Macedon Ranges, Australia
Beautiful elegance here. Pure and fine with sweet red cherry fruit and just a hint of cranberry, with nice supporting acidity. Lovely purity here with some silkiness. Very fine. 95/100
Marnong Pinot Noir 2023 Sunbury, Victoria, Australia
Supple with lovely brightness and a core of sweet red cherry fruit, as well as some cranberry. Lovely peppery detail. Fresh and juicy and mineral, and quite ethereal. 95/100
Alkimi Pinot Noir 2023 Yarra Valley, Australia
Slightly mulchy green notes mesh well with the refined red fruits. Distinctive peppery, mineral layering. So detailed, expressive and fine. 94/100
Ashton Hills Estate Pinot Noir 2023 Adelaide Hills, Australia
Fragrant, sappy and light with red fruits to the fore. Juicy and expressive with nice elegance allied to ripeness. 94/100
Bass River Pinot Noir 2023 Gippsland, Australia
Elegant, fine and bright. Sappy with redcurrant notes, this is light but sleek and has good ripeness, with a sappy edge to the palate. Very fine. 94/00
Decades Pinot Noir 2023 Coal River Valley, Tasmania
Floral cherry fruit with nice texture. Silky but well defined with some fine spicy notes and a bit of grip. So textural and fine with red fruit energy. 94/100
Dalrymple Mount Lord Pinot Noir 2022 Coal River Valley, Tasmania, Australia
This has a green herbal edge to the nose, with a textured, bright palate showing raspberries, cherries and plums. Silky and fine with a touch of campari on the finish. 94/100
Kooyong Pinot Noir 2023 Mornington Peninsula, Australia
Textured and silky with a nice sweet core of red cherry and strawberry fruit. Really nice silkiness and finesse. 94/100
Lightfoot Pinot Noir 2023 Gippsland, Australia
Such freshness here, and lots of elegant red fruits with nice silky texture and purity. Light, expressive and detailed with some sappiness on the finish. Vibrant. 94/100
Moorooduc The Moorooduc McIntyre Pinot Noir 2022 Mornington Peninsula, Australia
Lovely depth here with some warmth, as well as nice rich sweet cherry and plum fruit. It’s quite silky. Fine and expressive. 94/100
Oakridge Hazeldene Pinot Noir 2023 Yarra Valley, Australia
There’s a sappy green edge to the fruit with some smokiness. It has texture and detail with a ferrous quality to the fruit. So expressive. Lovely detail and a touch of reduction. 94/100
Passing Clouds Pinot Noir 2022 Macedon Ranges, Australia
Nice brightness here: red cherries and a touch of cranberry. Very bright and fine with lovely acidity and sappy-edged red fruits. Nice tannins here with some peppery detail. Very bright. 94/100
Yering Station Pinot Noir 2023 Yarra Valley, Australia
Nice elegance here with vivid red cherry fruit and a touch of raspberry crunch. Nice brightness with such fine red fruits. Very expressive. 94/100
Devil’s Corner Mount Amos Pinot Noir 2021 Tasmania, Australia
Juicy and supple with nice spiciness and some fresh, vivid raspberry and cherry fruit. Nice grip and purity. 93/100
Fowles Ladies Who Shoot Their Lunch Pinot Noir 2022 Victoria, Australia
Ripe, sweet and supple with some spiciness and a bit of grip, showing nice presence. Lovely structure with a core of sweet fruit. 93/100
Lyons Will Pinot Noir 2023 Macedon Ranges, Australia
Lots of ginger/mint/eucalypt on the nose with sweet red fruits. Supple palate with more of the ginger spice character, as well as sleek red fruits. It’s distinctive but appealing. 93/100
Lusatia Park Phi Pinot Noir 2023 Yarra Valley, Australia
Some structure under the lush cherry and berry fruit. Bright and quite mineral with some silky richness, framed with fine structural notes. 93/100
Mea Culpa Pinot Noir 2022 Yarra Valley, Australia
This has a savoury, mineral edge to the sweet redcurrant and cherry fruit with some nice structure. Distinctive mineral style, and very expressive. 93/100
Shadowfax Little Hampton Pinot Noir 2022
There’s an overt green herbal edge to the nose. Bright, vivid and energetic palate with lovely acidity and some sappy detail. Distinctive. 93/100
Purple Hen Pinot Noir 2023 Philip Island, Australia
There’s a mulchy edge to the sweet cherry and plum fruits with nice green hints. Whole-bunchy but has lovely texture. 92/100
Levantine Hill Pinot Noir 2023 Yarra Valley, Australia
Sweet and sour in style with nice concentration of sweet cherry and berry fruit with a touch of wood spice and a sweet finish. 92/100
Stonier Reserve Pinot Noir 2023 Mornington Peninsula, Australia
Sappy, slightly mulchy nose. Green whole-bunch palate with some nice texture, but maybe a bit too much green. 92/100
The Wine Farm Pinot Noir 2021 Gippsland, Australia
Grainy and grippy with a savoury edge to the fruit, showing nice density. Some grip, and quite savoury. 91/100
