Coldstream Hills Pinot Noir 2008 Coldstream Hills is the quintessential Yarra Valley Pinot Noir, developed and complex. A gamey, earthy proposition displaying all the requisite varietal characters, a stylish wine of varietal intensity, fine textures and great length of slowly ripened flavours. Toasty oak is evident adding further complexity. Vibrant fruit characters on the palate of cherry, strawberry and blueberry alongside stalky savoury notes and spice.

De Bortoli Windy Peak Pinot Noir 2008 Good Pinot Noir tends to be outrageously expensive, but De Bortoli are well endowed with some of the best vineyards in the Yarra Valley to make a very drinkable young wine. Windy Peak is plump with good varietal fruit, pleasingly aromatic and extremely food friendly. The palate shows good concentration with strong strawberry/spice flavours and hints of maceration. The structure of the wine is balanced by silky, soft tannins which add texture and length.

Diamond Valley Pinot Noir 2007 A consistently good Pinot Noir from a family operated Yarra Valley winery which continues to chalk up the most coveted accolades and awards. The staple Pinot on winelists aound Victoria's better restaurants for decades, a superb effort even by the estate's own exacting standards, it exhibits what pinotphiles refer to as the proverbial iron fist in velvet glove. Raspberry and wood characters are set against a background of dark cherry and earthy hillside complexities. Meaty and intense, flavours of red cherries and plum are backed by sweet cedar/ vanilla oak and earthy, lightly toasted undertones.

Dog Point Pinot Noir 2008 From plantings dating back to the late 1970s, older well established vines on free draining silty clay loams, yielding fully ripe Pinot Noir grapes with concentrated characters and exemplary varietal expressions. The superlative sites are managed by viticulturist Ivan Sutherland, the fruit is vinified into a robust Burgundian styling by James Healy, both contributed to the genesis at neighbouring Cloudy Bay. A richly flavoured palate with dense red and black fruits. Working in combination to deliver a memorable wine are the excellent tannin structure, well integrated oak and rounded, lingering earthy finish.

Leabrook Estate Pinot Noir This vintage was a dream for winemakers with low yields and a long slow ripening season. This produced wines of great flavour and intensity. The Leabrook was made using classic Burgundian techniques involving very low yields, extensive pre-fermentation maceration and a prolonged fermentation

Mount Riley Pinot Noir 2008 Always in fine fashion, and consistently so, an ambassador of fine Marlborough Pinot, Mt Riley can boast Silver at the London International, and twice at the Air New Zealand Wine Awards. "It's hard to beat this for value and flavour. Rich berry fruit and plum, currant and strawberry, barnyard with pencilled/ cedar/ cocoa oak. A fresh, approachable wine with fine tannins, good balance and solid structure, it's finish develops smoothly around closing impressions of cherry and caraway, briar and stalk.

Port Phillip Estate Pinot Noir 2008 Mornington's most intrepid winemaker, Sandro Mosele deals only with the most exceptional sites and finest fruit. He knows the peninsula better than anybody and his meticulously managed viticultural program produces low yield, high quality Pinot Noir with intense flavours. There is good acidity on the mid palate, with some light mouth coating tannins. Cherry and spice flavours with a hint of oak follow through to a savoury finish.

Scotchmans Hill Pinot Noir 2008 One of Australia's most perennially beloved Pinots, approachable and stylish. "Spicy with soft, generous fruit and enough acid on the finish to balance it off, making it a good match for coriander and garlic pork!" -Donna Hay, "Attractive ripe plum and cherry, wild berries and restrained but supportive oak are all features of this Corton articulation of the Bellarine. Lively varietal characters of cherry and spice make way to beetroot and cherry flavours together with well balanced spicy oak. Dry Burgundian influences, sweet leather and a touch of stalk throughout the mid palate.

Stoneleigh Marlborough Pinot Noir 2008 The Stoneleigh Vineyard sites are located on the northern side of the Wairau Valley in close proximity to the mighty Wairau River. Often referred to as the Rapaura series of soils, they are relatively young, based on river silts and stones, low in nutrients and have poor water holding capacity. The palate shows ripe, red berry fruit flavours and lingering fruit sweetness. Tannins are fine and integrated, making the wine immediately approachable.

Tamar Ridge Pinot Noir 2008 This is a big, generous style of Pinot Noir, unique for it's weight and power to match game recipes as strong as a heavily sauced garlic rosemary lamb. A good balance of ripe fruit, tannin astringency and cleansing acids persist, thoroughly enjoyable right now, and perfect for short to medium term ageing. Ripe flavours of dark plum, mulberry and loganberry dominate the front of the palate and flow through to a finish with fine, silky tannins offering sufficient acidity to add structure which balances the rich fruit flavours. Barrel maturation has added a layer of spicy oak complexity without dominating the fruit.