De Bortoli Villages Pinot Noir 2019

The fruit for the 2019 De Bortoli Villages Pinot Noir was sourced from the three De Bortoli vineyards in the Yarra Valley along with fruit from selected growers with vineyards in Coldstream, Tarrawarra and Beenak. Approximately 15-25% whole bunches are included in the ferment with maturation taking place in French oak casks for 8 months.

"Given that 2019 was a great vintage for pinot noir in the Yarra Valley, it comes as no surprise that this is a particularly successful release under this label. Highly varietal with lovely fresh strawberry and cherry flavours on a palate that is sharpened by bright acidity. Very European in structure and style. Pinot noir of this quality at this price truly defies the odds."  Nick Munday

"Vibrant red hue with a nice depth of colour. Youthful and complex, showing aromas reminiscent of wood spice, violets and red fruits. Textural, plump, fine and silky tannins. The fruit was hand harvested. A combination of whole berry and whole bunch is tipped into both open-top and small static fermenters. 10-15 days of maceration and fermentation. Pressed, settled overnight and then filled to French oak casks for maturation for 8 months."  De Bortoli

Expert reviews

"Given that 2019 was a great vintage for pinot noir in the Yarra Valley, it comes as no surprise that this is a particularly successful release under this label. Highly varietal with lovely fresh strawberry and cherry flavours on a palate that is sharpened by bright acidity. Very European in structure and style. Pinot noir of this quality at this price truly defies the odds."  Nick Munday, Canterbury Wines - 93+ points and Special Value Wine  ★  

Awards

Special Value Wine – Canterbury Wines  ★

About the winery

Vittorio De Bortoli carried his dreams of a better life from the alpine foothills of Italy's north to the fertile Riverina region in New South Wales when he immigrated to Australia in 1924. He subsequently purchased a 55-acre fruit farm in 1928, a year there was a glut of shiraz grapes and many farmers see it cheaper to let the grapes rot on the vines. Vittorio takes them for free and crushes 15 tonnes of shiraz grapes. Local Italians and other European workers in the area offer to buy wine from him and De Bortoli Wines is born.

Vittorio's son, Deen De Bortoli, was born in 1936 and at 15 years of age he left school against his parents' wishes to begin working in the family winery at Bilbul. In the late '50s he begins modernising the winery and expanding production.

Darren, Leanne, Kevin and Victor De Bortoli, the third generation of the family and the children of Deen and Emeri De Bortoli, are the custodians of De Bortoli Wines today. Each has pride in and a commitment to the business, alongside a passion for great wine and a sense of responsibility about leaving a legacy for future generations.

De Bortoli Wines established the Yarra Valley Estate in 1987, acquiring some of the oldest plantings in the region. In 1989, Leanne De Bortoli married winemaker Steve Webber and the De Bortoli family approached them to head up operations at the new Yarra Valley Estate.

Steve Webber completed his studies in winemaking at Roseworthy in 1982 and prior to taking up the reins at De Bortoli, gained valuable winemaking experience at Leo Buring and Lindemans. Steve describes the transition at de Bortoli as "a steep learning curve"; understanding the seasons, learning about the different aspects, experimenting with varieties and clones, all with the goal of making wine with a sense of place. He has won several major awards including Gourmet Traveller Winemaker of the Year in 2007 and the Jimmy Watson Trophy in 1997, and has been a Wine-show judge over the last 25 years.

The De Bortoli wines are released in three quality and price tiers - at the top Single Vineyard, then Estate Grown and then Villages. The Estate and Villages labels, in particular, offer exceptional value for money. In addition, there are a number of small-volume labels produced:

• the PHI range from the iconic 7.5ha Lusatia Park Vineyard in the Yarra Valley and the Freemans Bridge Vineyard in Heathcote, both purchased by De Bortoli in 2016
• the Riorret Single Vineyard range from the Lusatia Park Vineyard and the Abbey Vineyard at Tarrawarra
• the Melba range; three premium Cabernet Sauvignons from the Melba Vineyard at Dixons Creek 
• La Boheme, an aromatic range of bistro Yarra Valley wines