The 2016 Gippsland Pinot Noir was hand harvested from a 20-year-old vineyard of MV6, which is grown in a red soil over limestone soil structure. Gippsland’s 2016 growing season began with very cold winter, dry spring and then summer rain, finishing with a very compact harvest due to a stint of warm weather. The fruit was reasonably clean, but it always pays to do a little fruit sorting on the back of the tractor. The final product in the fermenter looked great, which allowed me to continue using wild ferment techniques and 30% whole bunch to produce structure and complexity. The ferment took off faster than normal due to the outside temperature and was over and done in just over two weeks. Clean, nutrient-rich fruit - and happy yeast - meant no need to intervene, with the ferment reaching a perfect 32 degrees. I plunged the cap down just enough to maintain a wet cap. It then went into 30% new French oak. The wine was racked twice over 17 months before going to bottle, with no filtration. – Pip Farr

Light garnet in the glass, with scents of strawberry and raspberry, with a high toned orange blossom-like note above base notes of damp earth, rhubarb compote and cream. There’s lively red fruit and that blood orange hint up front, but earthy savouriness too and that background creaminess. Silky and light in the mouth. The tannins are very fine here with some really good spice coming through with it, plus raspberry sorbet acidity. Pretty, sweet fruit trickles through a fine finish. – Ed Merrison, CellarHand