William Downie, Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, Australia

Who - William Downie
Where - Mrs Nicks and Rivendel vineyards, Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, Australia
What - Red Wine - Pinot Noir
When - 2023
How  - Biodynamic, destemmed, whole berry spontaneous fermentation between open steel and wooden vats, no temperature control, punch down or pump overs, pressed after 30 days, matured in 15% french oak barriques, unfined, unfiltered, only small sulphur addition, vegan

Produced by winemaker, William Downie. In 2006 William was fortunate to buy a farm and plant a vineyard in Gippsland, just 20 minutes from where he grew up. The land is north facing, surprisingly the opposite of the usual hot Aussie weather, as the climate here is cool with high rainfall. You can even spot a ski resort in the distance! William farms with regenerative agriculture in mind, which means no cultivation, no synthetic chemicals or fertilisers. 

The fruit from Bill Downie's Mornington Peninsula was sourched from two biodynamically farmed vineyards; Mrs Nicks in Balnarring which is grown on red volcanic soils and brown sandy loam at 70m elevation and Rivendel vineyard in Merricks North on sandy clay laom at 100m elevation, both planted in 1998. As with all of his wines, Bill takes a gentle, hands off approach, allowing the whole berrries to express themselves with minimal manipulation. The result is elegant and complex with a vibrant nose of native berries, mushroom and aniseed. Supple and lightly grippy on the palate.