Bass Phillip 'Estate' Pinot Noir 2023

Bass Phillip is by some stretch Gippsland's best winery and arguably Australia's greatest maker of Pinot Noir. Founder (& former owner) Phillip Jones ekked out small quantities of of hugely characterful and idiosyncratic wines that, at their best, had no peer in perhaps the Southern Hemisphere. Of course there was the odd miss along the way!

The winery was sold in 2020 to a partnership headed by the highly regarded Jean-Marie Fourrier from Domaine Fourrier in Gevrey-Chambertin. Whilst the intense vineyard management will remain unchanged (low yields, no irrigation, organic principles) there is an expectation consistency, vintage to vintage, will improve.

"What an excellent start to the ’23 pinots at Bass Phillip with the first tier, the Estate, showcasing gorgeous fruit flavours and a high level of detail. There’s an energy and vitality, too, alongside sweet black cherries, kirsch and aniseed with fresh herbs to the fore. It's obviously still very much primary yet compelling nonetheless. Fuller bodied, there’s a succulence across the palate that is caressed by fine tannins and bright acidity. A bit of a showstopper." 97pts | Jane Faulkner | Halliday Wine Companion

"Deep red with a purple tinge, very darkly coloured for an Australian pinot, the bouquet reserved and discreet but richly endowed with ripe dark-cherry fruit, some fragrant herbs in the background but the bright pinot fruit holding centre-stage. Delicious depth of sweetly ripe cherry favour on the palate, bold and firmly supported by plentiful fine tannins, drawing out superbly in a long tail." 97pts | Huon Hooke | The Real Review