Tuesday, March 28, 2017

William Downie Gippsland Pinot Noir

Gippsland is not a major wine region. It is dairy country, and often very wet. However, some of the most interesting and exciting Australian Pinot Noirs can come from here. They tend to be funky, with a lot of personality. Is this due to the region or the two winemakers, Phillip Jones and William Downie, who trained under Jones for a while?

William Downie makes three Pinot Noirs from different Victorian regions, and the Gippsland wine is often the best, largely due to the silky tannins.This is a review of the 2010 William Downie Gippsland Pinot Noir.

The colour of the wine is still ruby, but the intensity has dropped over time and is now medium. This points to some ageing effect in the wine. Having said this, black cherry aromas are still strong.

Savoury characters dominate the palate, with mushroom characters and black olive. The phenolics of the wine are good. The tannins are firm; in fact the fruit is starting to lose out in weight against the strong structure. This is still an enticing wine, but I suggest to drink it now.

Score: 93/++


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