Dexter Pinot Noir 2022

Ranked #1 of 65 Pinot Noir 2022 from Victoria - The Real Review

Tod Dexter purchased a vineyard site at Tuerong on the Mornington Peninsula in 1987 and planted Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. He became winemaker at Stonier and then Yabby Lake and during that period the Dexter Vineyard provided Stonier with reserve-grade fruit. Almost 20 years later, and with a wealth of experience behind him, he started his own label. What he strives for in his Pinot Noir is what he looks for in any wine he drinks - aromatics, prettiness, texture, elegance, line and length.

"A lovely purity of ripe cherry aromas, the fruit doing all the talking. Traces of spices and balsamic herbs. A fruit-sweet core with ample tannins surrounding it, adding structure and length. Impressive pinot, which is fresh and youthful and promises a bright future."  Huon Hooke

"The low crop weights and small bunches have resulted in intensely concentrated fruit flavours and fine velvet tannins. The cherry, strawberries and black berry flavours dominate with more subtle savoury tones and exotic fruits coming through on the back palate. The fine grain tannins and well defined structure carry the fruit sweetness well with great length. Matured in French Oak puncheons (21% new, 14% second use, 21% third use and 43% older) for 10 months. Clones: MV6 (36%), D5V12 (29%), Pommard (21 %), 777 (14%)."  Dexter Wines

Expert reviews

"Bright, medium-full crimson colour, purple-tinted, with lovely purity of ripe cherry aromas, the fruit doing all the talking. Traces of spices and balsamic herbs. A fruit-sweet core with ample tannins surrounding it, adding structure and length. Impressive pinot, which is fresh and youthful and promises a bright future. Drink: 2023–2035."  Huon Hooke, The Real Review - 96 points and Ranked #1 of 69 Pinot Noir 2022 from Victoria 

"This is the prettiest most approachable pinot I can remember from Tod Dexter. It has a lovely mix of cherries and strawberries all delicately spiced with some blood orange and zest keeping it tangy and juicy. Barely medium bodied with supple tannins and finishing gently yet resolutely. Drink by 2030."  Jane Faulkner, Halliday Wine Companion - 95 points

"Cherry, strawberry, a little spice, floral and autumnal, with a subtle mint top note. It’s medium-bodied, red fruits and spice, with light cedar oak, fine pumice stone tannin, cool acidity, and a juicy strawberry finish of precision and fine length. A quiet confidence here, never trying too hard, and all about delicacy and restraint. Lovely wine. Drink : 2024 - 2032+."  Gary Walsh, The Wine Front - 94+ points

Awards

Ranked #1 of 65 Pinot Noir 2022 from Victoria - The Real Review

About the winery

Tod Dexter, the man behind the Dexter label, grew up with wine. A childhood friendship with one of Melbourne's premium wine merchants, the Crittenden family, introduced him to the vast world of wine. It was then no surprise that in 1974 after working a ski season in the US, Tod ended up in the Napa Valley where he spent a seven-year apprenticeship with one of California's premium family wineries, Cakebread Cellars. During that period he met his wife Debbie, and the two of them started to toy with the idea of setting up in Australia. Back-to-back vintages at Brown Brothers in the King Valley in 1985 and '86 served as a trial.

Tod moved home to Australia in January 1987 and purchased a vineyard site at Tuerong on the Mornington Peninsula. Later that year, he planted 1.6 hectares of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. To keep the wolves from the door he became winemaker at Stonier and over the next ten years, he and Brian Stonier grew the company to become one of Australia's premium producers of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. During this decade Tod leased his vineyard to Stonier and the Dexter vineyard provided them with reserve-grade fruit.

Dexter left Stonier in 2003 to take the reins at Yabby Lake, whose vineyards are a stone's throw from his own. In 2006 he turned 50. A friend told him if he didn't do his own thing now, it'd never happen. So almost 20 years after the first vines in the Dexter vineyard were planted, and with a wealth of experience behind him, Dexter Wines was born. His vineyard is planted to 4 hectares of Pinot Noir and 3.1 hectares of Chardonnay and he makes roughly the same quantity of each.