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Hoddles Creek Pinot Noir, Yarra Valley, 2023

Full screwcapped bottle 1,287 g. Made by the talented Franco d’Anna, much admired in Australia.
Very pale garnet, as is the fashion in Australia – well, certainly Melbourne – today. Rich, appealing, forest-floor nose followed by an ethereal palate. Another wine that could be enjoyed without food – and is delicate enough to need careful pairing. This would be great with leftover turkey.16.5/20, Drink 2025-2029", Jancis Robinson MW, jancisrobinson.com, 8th November 2025

Hoddles Creek is rather a hidden gem here in the UK – but their reputation for top class Pinot Noir in Australia continues to grow and grow. All de-stemmed fruit with no crushing. 30% new, 30% one year old and the rest in older barrels. Ruby bright. Red and black cherries, fringed by toast and vanilla. Very pure and elegant. Plenty of body for keeping. Now-2029

"I...came home desperate for Australian pinot noir, a variety that deserves more appreciation. The bottle I opened to slake that thirst is in my wines of the week". ... "Given the current price of proper pinot this gorgeous, fluent wine could be seen as a bargain", Victoria Moore, The Telegraph Magazine, 25th January 2025

“Fortuitously, in 1960, the D’Anna family had purchased a steeply forested 25ha property which in 1997 they set about planting. Almost overnight, glorious pinot noirs and chardonnays started to flow at prices that were irresistible – and still are.” James Halliday. One of the jewels of our portfolio: winemaker Franco D’Anna’s wines are hugely applauded both in Australia and whenever we send samples to journalists here. All vines are hand pruned and harvested; and all grapes are crushed at the family’s winery, constructed for the 2003 vintage. The family owns ten hectares of Pinot Noir (five clones) and six of Chardonnay, plus Pinot Gris and other reds, situated in the highest and coolest district of the Upper Yarra. Winemaking is determinedly non-interventionist: some whole bunches are put in the tank; all fermented with wild yeasts, without additions of enzymes or acid; and bottled without fining or filtration.