Bass Phillip Premium Pinot Noir 2015

Max Allen Top 20 Wines of 2017

"Phillip Jones handcrafted tiny quantities of superlative pinot noir which, at its best, had no equal in Australia."  James Halliday

"While not quite as concentrated or powerful as the Reserve, the premium Pinot Noirs have beautiful, black cherry, floral and gamey aromas, supple, velvety tannins, underlying smoky oak and great flavour length. The fruit is sourced from the low cropping four hectare north-east facing vineyard at Leongatha. Philip Jones' philosophy is to 'allow nature to drive the viticulture and wine making processes'. Natural yeasts, no filtration and extended time on lees are all par for the course. The wine is aged in French Alliers oak for 12 to 18 months depending on vintage. Their 'hidden power' is revealed after around five years of bottle age."  Andrew Caillard MW

"So sure-footed and confident, it almost has a swagger. Medium bodied, silky and precise, with delectable savoury and fruit sweet switching. A delight."  Gary Walsh

"The idiosyncratic, biodynamic and greatly admired Bass Phillip Premium Pinot Noir, aged in French Allier barriques for 18 months, is a defining Victorian pinot noir. Uplifting and memorable, this multi-layered and nuanced wine reflects a superb obsession, based on a low-cropping, four-hectare vineyard site at Leongatha. Black cherry, floral and game aromas, supple viscosity and underlying toasty oak. This wine is long in flavour, powerful and complex. It can be cellared for many years."  Bass Phillip

Expert reviews

"Deep red colour with a good tint of purple. The bouquet is nutty and oak-influenced, with suggestions of almond meal and freshly-shelled walnut. There are some bunchy vegetal notes. It's a little closed and needs time to emerge. It's full-bodied and dense, high-extract, loaded with tannin and lush in spicy flavour. The fruit is lavish as are the tannins. A wholly impressive pinot, which will surely soar in a high trajectory over the next few years. The density, concentration and fleshy extract are mightily impressive, as is the prodigious length.” Drink: 2019-2032."  Huon Hooke, The Real Review - 97 points

"A true Australian grand cru pinot, seamlessly weaving red berry and cherry fruit through floral, spicy, foresty complexities and perfectly applied oak. Soft, finely structured, silky, poised and lingering in the mouth. Superb."  Ralph Kyte-Powell – 97 points

"So sure-footed and confident, it almost has a swagger. Cherry, sweet cinnamon and cedar oak, dried flowers, a little earthy bass. Medium bodied, silky and precise, with delectable savoury and fruit sweet switching, layered and complex already, laced up tight with ultra-fine pixel tannin, and long smashed strawberry and spice finish. A delight. Really needs a few years, or at worst, a good spell in a decanter. Drink: 2020-2040."  Gary Walsh, The Wine Front - 96 points

"Long and stylish, with a spicy, gamey fragrance of red cherries, redcurrants, minerals and cola backed by nuances of dried herbs and cedary oak, this medium to full-bodied pinot is laced with scents of red flowers and stony, earthy undertones. It's supple and sappy but piercingly intense, with penetrative flavours of small red berries and cherries supported by a firmish spine of fine, powdery tannins, finishing with lively acids and a hint of mineral."  Jeremy Oliver - 95 points

Awards

Max Allen Top 20 Wines of 2017, Australian Financial Review

About the winery

Bass Phillip was established by Phillip Jones in 1979 when he planted a small 3.5 hectare plot of pinot noir near Leongatha in South Gippsland. The vineyards are located in prime dairy country and are named after early explorers of the region, George Bass and Arthur Phillip. The estate has grown over the years to around 14 hectares and is now one of the most sought-after producers of premium Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in Australia, producing extraordinary wines one vintage after another.

Bass Phillip is located not far from the sea, but far enough inland to experience a continental climate ideal for grape growing. Winemaking at Bass Phillip is uncompromising and driven by respect for nature. The vineyards have been organic since 1993 and biodynamic since 2002. 

Made in a simple and traditional manner, with low-cropped vineyards, no irrigation and minimal intervention in the winery, the wines of Bass Phillip display flavours which are characteristic of the region and their individual vineyards. Deep mineral-rich soils, natural high humidity, and cooler temperatures in South Gippsland are also part of the magic that delivers the length, complexity, flavours, balanced acidity, and natural minerality to Bass Phillip wines. 

"Phillip Jones handcrafted tiny quantities of superlative pinot noir which, at its best, had no equal in Australia. Painstaking site selection, ultra-close vine spacing and the very cool climate of South Gippsland are the keys to the magic of Bass Phillip and its eerily Burgundian pinots. One of Australia's greatest small producers, they are heading down a new path after Jones sold the assets (winery, stock and 14ha of vineyards) in May 2020 to a syndicate led by Burgundian winemaker Jean-Marie Fourrier (who has known Jones for 14 years) and 2 Singaporeans who already have lucrative wine businesses."  James Halliday