Pinot Noir 'Cathedral' William Downie 2022

The Pinot Noir ‘Cathedral’ is characterized as a red wine with a fresh and fragrant aromatic profile, produced by the Australian winemaker William Downie. After several years of apprenticeship in Burgundy, William returned to Australia, creating his own label in 2003 with the aim of producing wines that fully express the character of the place and the authentic style of their maker, vinified with a minimalist winemaking approach. In just a few years, William has established himself as one of the greatest Australian interpreters of Pinot Noir, appreciated for his ability to vinify this grape with exceptional mastery. Not surprisingly, in 2006 he was named “Young Australian Producer of the Year” by Gourmet Traveller magazine.

William Downie ‘Cathedral’ Pinot Noir comes from only grapes of the same-named variety of French origin, hand-picked from vineyards located in the areas of Mornington Peninsula and King Valley. The vines are cultivated according to the principles of organic farming. In the cellar, alcoholic fermentation is carried out by only indigenous yeasts without temperature control, with about 20 days of contact between the must and the skins. Subsequently, the mass undergoes spontaneous malolactic fermentation and is aged for 12 months in wooden barrels before being bottled without any clarification or filtration.

The Australian Pinot Noir William Downie ‘Cathedral’ is of an intense ruby red color. Fragrant and articulated, the olfactory panorama evokes fruity hints of blackcurrant, raspberry, and cherry, combined with refined notes of dark spices. The sip shows remarkable balance between soft smoothness and juicy freshness, with a velvety tannin that leads to a long and flavorful finish, with excellent taste-olfactory correspondence.