Description

It is always a happy time when I am drinking a Pinot made by Bill. The William Downie Mornington Peninsula is typical of both the Peninsula and Bill. It is a floral, red/blue berried and vibrant style. It shows really well upfront with beautiful balance and is lovely to drink from release. It certainly improves with age, but it doesn’t often get the chance. There is a great depth to this wine, and the supporting crunchy acid and fine tannins really set this apart from a lot of Pinot.

Bill Downie has been on a wine-making odyssey that has seen him work at tiny producers and large wine factories, most notably in Australia and Burgundy. Since 2003, Bill and partner Rachel Needoba (a formidable cheese maker!) have also been making Pinot Noir under his name from the Yarra Valley and subsequently added Mornington Peninsula and Gippsland to the range, complemented by a one-off wine (or two). The first under the William Downie label was a Yarra Valley Pinot Noir 2003. A wine I had the privilege of tasting on release, at many subsequent occasions where it frequently has outshone all other wines on the table. Bill and Rachel are based at their farm in West Gippsland.