William Downie 'Gippsland' Pinot Noir 2021

“Earlier in my career I was obsessed with wine, now I’m obsessed with agriculture,” says William ‘Bill’ Downie. After spending his early career at top Burgundy addresses Domaines Jean-Marie Fourrier and Hubert Lignier, Gippsland native Bill returned home to work at Bass Phillip and De Bortoli before starting his own label in 2003.

Although he used to source fruit from Yarra Valley, South Gippsland, and Mornington Peninsula, he now focuses entirely on 2ha of his own vines in Gippsland. Using rigorous, low-intervention winemaking methods, he crafts some of Australia’s most elegant and finessed Pinot Noirs.

Hand-sorted and fully destemmed, fruit for his ‘Gippsland’ Pinot Noir is fermented with wild yeasts before ageing in a combination of French oak and acacia barrels for 9-to-10 months. An eye-poppingly pretty Pinot, it exudes iris and potpourri notes, a spicy edge, and fine tannins.