Bass Phillip Estate Pinot Noir 2019

“One of the most heralded boutique wineries in Australia, Bass Phillip was sold this spring to a group of international investors, including Burgundian Jean-Marie Fourrier and former investors in Robert Parker Wine Advocate. Iconoclastic founder Phillip Jones will remain for an undisclosed period as a consultant, but at age 74, he had been looking to sell the winery for the past few years. The 14-hectare property is located in Gippsland, Victoria, southeast of Melbourne, and has been farmed organically (since 1993) and biodynamically since 2002, although without being certified. The plantings are relatively dense, with as many as 9,000 vines per hectare, and yields approximate 1 to 1.5 tons per acre. Up to 60% new oak is used in the Estate Pinot Noir, with the Chardonnays seeing 20% new oak (all French). There’s an emphasis on natural acidity and delicate handling in the winery—avoiding pumps for example, which Jones claimed damaged the texture of his wines when I last spoke with him three years ago. None of the 2018 Pinots were filtered, and all are somewhat cloudy in the glass. Under the new ownership, expect to see a push for higher visibility outside Australia.”

Joe Czerwinski, Wine Advocate (07/20)