Deep ruby, almost inked at the core yet still translucent at the rim, Gippsland 2025 carries a darker tone than its regional peers — a Pinot that speaks in lower registers, with more gravity, more shadow, more intent.

Drawn from the cool, forest-edged vineyards of Berrys Creek and Yarragon in Gippsland, this is a wine shaped by distance from the coast, by damp earth, fern, and the slow breath of a colder landscape. The 2025 season brings precision and quiet intensity, allowing fruit and site to sit in clean alignment rather than excess.

Winemaking remains deliberately unforced — wild fermentation, whole-bunch influence where appropriate, and gentle extraction that prioritises perfume over force. Elevage is restrained, allowing the wine to settle into itself rather than be shaped externally.

The aromatics open in layers: dark cherry and wild raspberry first, then violets and rose petal, before sliding into something more grounded — wet forest floor, black tea, crushed herbs and cool stone. There is a quiet tension between lift and depth, like light filtering through dense canopy.

On the palate, the wine moves with measured weight. Not heavy, but present — a line of fine tannins carrying red and dark fruit through a spine of cool acidity. Beneath it all sits a mineral, almost saline undertow that gives shape and persistence. The finish lingers in savoury detail: spice, dried leaves, and a faint earthy echo.