The Kooyong Estate wineworks at Tuerong, on Mornington's windswept Peninsula, are fully focused on producing artisanally crafted Pinot Noir, from superior quality fruit grown to closely managed, exceptional vineyard sites.

The wines of Kooyong aim to express their terroir, an integration of geology, soils and mesoclimates of the various sites within the vineyard and the weather of the growing season, to articulate the unique characteristics diligently, respectfully and without artifice. The most sheltered block of Pinot Noir is called Haven, its coddled vines yield grapes of enticing purple jube opulence, completely destemmed for wild indigenous yeast vinification and a year's maturation in French oak barriques, its velvet richness and lushness supported by firm underlying tannin structure.

Planted exclusively to Pinot Noir, Kooyong Estate's Ferrous Vineyard lies atop sandstones which are encrusted with iron oxide, giving them a rusty appearance and inspiring the Ferrous moniker. Unique soils impart the intriguing characters of hot wet stone and rusty outback to the exquisitely compex nose. The scant 1.74 hectares of Ferrous Block yield an extremely limited release, single vineyard wine, arguably Mornington's flagship Pinot Noir.

Kooyong is a domaine in the true sense of the word, the exclusively estate grown grapes never leave the property until well after bottling. The wines of Kooyong aim to manifest terroir, an integration of geology and soil, the mesoclime of individual parcels and the influence of Mornington's maritime clime. A culture of holistic husbandry in the vineyard and artisanal diligence throughout the vinification serves to articulate the uniqueness of Kooyong Pinot Noir, respectfully and without artifice.

Picked off a parcel which yields a superior harvest every year, a closely husbanded copse of vine that's been trained to produce a minimal crop of stellar quality Pinot Noir. Treated to a traditional course of indigenous open ferments, filled to a selection of seasoned and new French oak barriques for malolactic and eleven months élevage. Plenty of Pinosity for the enthusiast, character and complexity, spiced forest berries over a handsome layer of fine grained savoury tannins oak. Terrific balance and resolve, a lasting, impressive cherry stone finish.

Irrewarra vineyard was established to the eastern environs of Lake Colac by the Calvert family in 2001, predominantly six acres of a mixture Pinot Noir clones on own rootstock. A magical place defined by an eloquent expression of terroir, its long, fruitful growing season extends to mid April, as the closely packed bunches of Pinot Noir ripen fully into juicy treasure chests of flavour, adroitly lined by the finest, satin sheen tannins. Its bucolic splendour of animate pasteurs, wild cherries and sun dried spice, resonate long and lovely on an elegantly structured, texturally mineral palate.

For those who like their Pinot Noir to be long, savoury and lean, with oodles of fruit to wax lyrical about. A collation of harvests from the Sexton and Tarraford vineyards, with contributions from a fraternity of superior local growers. The uncrushed grapes are wild yeast fermented and treated to a light carbonic maceration in the manner of a Beaujolais, achieving a vigorously fruit driven Pinot Noir with crisp acids and stirring aromas. Enjoy alongside both versions of rare breast or crisp skinned duck, the perfect match to tapas and Al fresco faire.

The steeply sloping blocks in Upper Yarra Valley, astride Gembrook Rd and adjacent to Hoddles Creek, were designed by the hand of Providence, to yield stellar vintages of world class Pinot Noir. The challenging hillsides prohibit mechanical harvesting, it's all done by hand, except for the treading, laboriously foot stomped. No expenses were ever spared in the construct of the Hoddles Creek cellars, purpose built for the ageing of good red wine. The estate Winery Block and Top Paddock are planted mostly to Pinot Noir clone MV6, with smaller parcels of 114, 115, GSV15 and MS1.

The finest parcels of estate grown fruit, planted to four superior rows of Pinot Noir on the Hoddles Creek property at Gembrook. A holistic management of the vineyard is central to the realization of exceptional fruit, respect for local fauna and a focus on traditonal hands on viticulture are essential to the integrity of harvest. Rows 22 to 26 always yield something spectacular with each new vintage, the mix of Burgundian and new world clones are hand picked and separately vinified for release as an exquisite limited edition, only made in the finest vintage years.

Sexton Vineyard is wonderfully intricate, exuding notes of wild blackberry, dried mushroom, mulberry bush and braised plum, cinnamon stick and sour cherry. The coolest slopes of Sexton are planted to five Pinot Noir clones, managed according to biodynamic principles, providing several threads of expression to weave into the final wine. Sexton's fruit focus and fine tannins are enhanced by a judicious treatment of Burgundy styled oak.

The capriciousness of the hard to grow, early ripening Pinot Noir makes its expression of site all the more sublime. The winemaking at Giant Steps is holistic and closely micro managed, a particular objective is to enhance the natural microflora for the facilitation of indigenous fermentations in the winery. The Yarra Valley's cool, slow ripening aspects, afford Pinot Noir the time to develop its seductive labyrinth of aromas, showing bright red fruit notes underscored by earthy complexity.

After decades of managing vineyards and making wine, Crittenden have formed strong and enduring relationships with Victoria's best growers. Geppetto is a blend of Pinot Noir clones MV6 and 114, 115 and D2V5, all picked by hand from good vineyards in Sunbury and Geelong, Tuerong and Patterson Lakes. Geppetto is judiciously aged in barrels of seasoned oak, the style is intentionally made for early enjoyment, increased vine age and gentle processing makes a wine that articulates the vitality of Victorian Pinot Noir.

Hand tended vines yielding harvests of hand sorted fruit to be vinified into hand made wines is the Foxey's Hangout way. After two decades of operating award winning Melbourne restaurants, Michael and Tony Lee followed their hearts to a property on Merricks North near the conspicuous Mornington junction at Foxeys Hangout. The brothers planted their first vines in 1997 and later assumed management of the eminent Massoni Vineyard. Red Fox is crafted by the Lee Brothers to be eminently drinkable upon release, in the most profoundly Mornington Pinot Noir way.

Who can truly resist a chilled glass of the revitalizing pink? After decades of husbanding Yarra Valley's finest Pinot Noir vines, Domaine Chandon can set aside the choicest parcels to fashion into a wickedly satisfying Rosé style. The viticultural team are charged with the task of ensuring a harvest of world class fruit at every vintage. Chandon's highly accomplished winemakers preserve the exquisite charm of Pinot Noir grapes fully ripened in the vineyard, infusing the finished wine with an engaging salmon hue and generously fruit filled palate.

Victoria makes world class Pinot Noir, Chandon have the resources to develop the best vineyards and to retain the finest sites. Fruit is predominantly sourced from two vineyards in the Upper Yarra, planted to altitudes of 250 metres, they yield a quality of Pinot Noir that's highly akin to her stately siblings in the old world. The task of the Chandon team is to preserve the eccentricity of Pinot Noir in an engaging and balanced wine, suitably endowed with generous fruit filled palate, laden with bucolic varietal charm, truffles and barnyard, cherry and rhubarb spice.

A consistently splendid 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. Silken in texture, in bucolic Burgundian styling, a wonderfully food oriented red that mates so well with everything from gorgonzola to game sausage. Complex and exciting, it evolves in the glass.

Many of the vineyards which have contributed fruit for the most memorable vintages of De Bortoli Pinot Noir, are now bearing fully mature vines twenty to thirty years of age. The finest of these sites are yielding harvests with a distinctive expression of site and a real sense of place. De Bortoli have treated the pick of the crop to a course of traditional winery yeast open ferments and judicious French oak maturation, to achieve a Villages style of provincial Pinot Noir, brimming with varietal virtue and old world pastoral grace.

Stephen Shelmerdine never applies any pressure on his Pinot vines to perform. Handling fruit and wine by gravity, knowing when not to interfere, indigenous yeasts and a subdued use of oak, all help to render the style. The challenge is to preserve aromas and to let the palate form by itself. A pure, small batch Pinot wine, elegance and finesse are the defining characters, matched by fine texture and good structure. The result is subtlety over sunshine, terroir over intervention and delicacy over extraction, fashioned to be beautiful to drink.

From the prestigious Dixon's Creek vineyards in Yarra Valley, hand crafted by the most innovative and progressive Pinot protagonist in Australia. Pinot Noir can be tricky to grow and to make into wine, De Bortoli take the greatest effort at developing deep flavours within the grapes as they ripen, while remaining in pursuit of judicious alcohol and congenial tannins. A richly textured, elegantly structured Pinot Noir, fashioned from elite vineyard parcels, a solid, Burgundy styled accord of savoury red fruit pectin, mineral and lithe spice.

Dalwhinnie know that great Pinot Noir can only come from a healthy, well pruned vine which has the proper balance of fruit to foliage for even ripening. The bunches must be disease free, compact in composition and have good exposure to sunlight. Dalwhinnie is fortunate to have planted just such a site.

Dalwhinnie established new vines to choice blocks of undeveloped land in the 1990s, just four kilometres down the road from home vineyards on the Moonambel valley floor. The younger Forest Hut blocks were pampered with care until plantings came of age. Now fully mature, these unirrigated, dry farmed and well canopied, vertically shoot positioned vines are yielding harvests of the most exquisite Pinot Noir, for a richly layered Rosé wine of creamy textures, fragrant fruit and crisp tannins.

It is the choice of vine trellising techniques which contributes to the quality of Pinot Noir grapes and sets Curly Flat apart. The property is located on a slope which catches the very last rays of sun in the Macedon Ranges at the magical moments before dusk. The vines here yield a national flagship that beat Domaine de la Romanee Conti at a Winewise taste off and was listed by Wine Ark as the second most collectible Pinot Noir in Australia. A complex, aromatic wine offering layers of fruit and bright, seamless tannins, speaking articulately of Pinot Noir and of place.

As a key figure in the establishment of Mornington viticulture, Garry Crittenden was instrumental in forging for the Peninsula the reputation as a distinguished producer of distinctive, regional wines. From the outset, Crittenden recognized the area's climatic suitability to Pinot Noir, exploiting it through meticulous land management and sophisticated vinification techniques. Fashioned from a mix of Pinot Noir clones, including MV6, 114 and 115, all grapes are hand picked off an auspicious north facing slope at Tuerong.

Single vineyard Pinot Noir, the Grand Cru du Bellarine. Hand picked bunches of fruit are de stemmed to small open fermenters for several days of cold soak and wild indigenous yeast vinification, hand plunged daily and pressed to oak barrel at complete dryness, followed by a course of malolactic and fifteen months maturation. The top cut of fruit from the Scotchman's Hill tally of superior vine, redolent of dark berries, forest floor and spiced cedar oak, Pinot of power, concentrated, structured and defined, a weighty palate of persistence, polish and aplomb.

Coldstream Hills make the quintessential Yarra Valley Pinot Noir, gentle and exquisitely balanced, well developed and engagingly complex. Whole bunch stalkiness and refined French oak add structure and interest. A gamey, earthy proposition displaying all the requisite varietal characters, a stylish wine of intensity and velvet textures, brimming with punnets of ripe berry flavours. Elegantly medium bodied, lined with silky tannins, the Pinot Noir of choice to accompany gourmandise venison, braised hare or succulently roast duck.