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William Downie Cathedral Pinot Noir 2025
DOZEN: $388.80 or $32.40 each
There is a proliferation of this wine that sees it all over the place, and rightly so, it’s value packed, well made, carries a good name. Now at Dan Murphy’s, so will be increasingly less in indie retail me thinks, but Bill is smart so has released a second value-packed pinot noir, Tolmie, to offset that fly in ointment.
Soft and juicy with quite a bit of sweet, pretty red berry fruitiness. Sweet spice too, a touch of alpine herbs. A little grip to texture, a salty, blood orange finish. Easy access style, yet with some sophisticated restraint and coolness to. An attractive drink and a bargain for the bucks. MIKE BENNIE, The Wine Front
William Downie is one of the key figures in the shift toward a more transparent, site-driven expression of Pinot Noir in Australia. His work has consistently focused on cooler Victorian regions, with a strong emphasis on minimal intervention winemaking—wild ferments, little to no fining or filtration, and a light touch with oak. Across his wines, the intent is less about polish or power and more about capturing fragrance, texture, and a sense of place, often in a slightly raw but highly expressive form.
The Cathedral Pinot Noir sits in his range as a broader Victorian blend rather than a single-vineyard wine. Fruit is typically drawn from a range of cool-climate sites across the state historically including areas such as the Yarra Valley, Mornington Peninsula, King Valley, and Alpine Valleys. The aim is to build a picture of Victorian Pinot as a whole rather than isolate one site. What defines Cathedral is its balance between approachability and complexity.