William Downie founded his eponymous label in 2003 after years spent living and working in Burgundy, driven by a desire to craft wines of purity, precision, and place. His approach remains as natural as possible—letting the wines find their own balance without intervention.

The 2023 vintage has produced a beautifully expressive and refined collection, including, for the first time since 2016, a Mornington Peninsula bottling. Though immediately approachable, each wine promises rewarding evolution with time. Yields were exceptionally low at the Bull Swamp and Camp Hill vineyards—around one tonne per hectare—due to poor flowering, leading to limited availability but exceptional concentration.

For the 2023 Mornington Peninsula Pinot Noir, fruit was sourced from two sites: the Mrs Nicks vineyard in Balnarring (MV6 clone, planted 1998) and Rivendel in Merricks North (D5V12 and Pommard clones, also planted 1998). Both vineyards, rooted in sandy loams, produce fruit of striking character. The wine opens with lifted aromas of violet, raspberry, and chinotto, leading to a dense yet finely detailed palate that balances concentration with poise and purity.