About the Wine
Seeing the differences between a winemaker's wines made from the same grape but from different vineyards is always fascinating; the Bull Swamp vineyard is significantly older than the Camp Hill site (1981 vs 1998), producing berries with more complex aromas and flavours across the black, blue and red fruit spectrum, as well as some savouriness and spice.
All up, the 2021 William Downie Bull Swamp Pinot Noir is a rich and well-structured wine showing the beauty of the site and the skilled hand of the winemaker. Part of the complexity of the wine comes from not only the age of the vines, but also the varied aspects, some facing north, others south, as well as the clones (MV6 and Abel).
About William Downie
After living and working in Burgundy for several years, it's probably no surprise that winemaker William Downie sought a patch of his own to grow and make Pinot Noir. Having originally purchased fruit from other growers to make his wines, he now leases five vineyards in the Baw Baw Shire in Gippsland with fellow winemaker Patrick Sullivan.
With his thick and bushy beard, he almost looks like the reincarnation of Ned Kelly, yet his intentions are noble: to create lo-fi wines that are hi-fi in taste, purity, and with a solid sense of place. If wine wasn't enough, his farm, Guendulain, produces pork, lamb, beef and poultry, and also has an orchard, vegetable garden and vineyard.

Photo Credit: Young Gun of Wine