William Downie

The William Downie wines have, like many, paintings on the label.What is unusual is that there is no associated information. It is all on the back. This fits the 'cult' image of this talented Pinot Noir specialist. He makes wines from three regions: Mornington Peninsula, Yarra Valley, and Gippsland.

The 2008 William Downie Gippsland Pinot Noir was my Christmas Eve wine, and I was not disappointed. This of course comes from an area close to Bass Philip vineyards. It opened with black cherry flavours on the front palate and is similar in texture to a top quality Burgundy, maybe not quite as dense. The complexity increases with savoury characteristics contributing along the palate.

This wine is perhaps a bit more developed than I was expecting and the grapes are on the ripe side, but the structure is holding up. As I expected, this wine shows silky tannins on the long, though not expanding finish.

Score: 95/+++