William Downie

After an early stint with Bass Phillip, Bill oversaw the Pinot Noir program for De Bortoli in the Yarra Valley - a role that allowed him to work the Northern Hemisphere vintage in Burgundy for a number of years.

Establishing his own William Downie label in 2003, Bill commenced with a Yarra Valley Pinot, adding Mornington and Leongatha wines to the Pinot Noir-only range in later years.

These three come from individual vineyard sites with whom he has long-term arrangements and control over the viticultural practices. The 12-year old Yarra Valley site is the only granite-based vineyard in the region, and was the foundation of the William Downie label. The current Gippsland site near Leongatha is now 19 years old, while Bill’s own vineyard at Yarragon in Gippsland will come into production from 2011. It is a close planted site, with 11,000 vines per hectare (that's more than 1 per square metre!)

Pinot Noir has been described as the winemaker's greatest challenge, and by devoting his label solely to the variety, Bill's aims are high. We think you'll agree that his achievements have been outstanding.

Show me all the items from William Downie