In Dreams Pinot Noir 2023

2024 Australian Pinot Noir Challenge, Yarra Valley Regional Finalist

The 2023 In Dreams Pinot Noir has all the hallmarks of classic Upper Yarra Pinot, and at under $30, it has to be the leading contender for Best Value Pinot Noir of the Year. It was one of the three Yarra Valley Regional Finalists at the 2024 Australian Pinot Noir Challenge, together with the 2023 Giant Steps Sexton Vineyard Pinot Noir ($100) and the 2023 Yering Station Reserve Pinot Noir ($130). The judging panel scored all three wines at 95 points.

"A small percentage of whole bunches. An aromatic bouquet of ripe red cherries, wild strawberries and a little briar. Just as good on the medium-bodied, crunchy-fruited and energetic palate. Pliant tannins round out a wine that will still be drinking well a decade from now."  Philip Rich

Anthony Fikkers, who took over winemaking at In Dreams in 2019, has a passion for cool-climate winemaking and has made Yarra Valley his home. He belongs to an exciting new generation of winemakers who believe a hands-off approach from vineyard to bottle results in wines brimming with personality and authenticity. He has over 17 years of experience working in the Valley, including stints at Giant Steps, Mac Forbes and Medhurst and at his own winery, Fikkers Wine.

Fruit for the In Dreams Pinot Noir is selected from vineyards spanning from the cool, high-altitude vineyards of Seville East in the Upper Yarra and St Andrews in the far north-west of the region, complimented by fruit from Coldstream and Yarra Glen on the Valley floor. Altitudes vary from 130m above sea level to 240m and. The wine is a mix of the clones Abel, MV6, 114 and 115.

In Dreams winery

Expert reviews

"A blend focusing on the township of Seville East in the Upper Yarra Valley but also incorporating fruit from Coldstream and Yarra Glen. A small percentage of whole bunches. A bright, ruby red. An aromatic bouquet of ripe red cherries, wild strawberries and a little briar. Just as good on the medium-bodied, crunchy-fruited and energetic palate. Pliant tannins round out a wine that will still be drinking well a decade from now. Drink by 2033."  Philip Rich, Halliday Wine Companion - 96 points and Special Value Wine  ★  

"Classic Upper Yarra Valley Pinot Noir. Cherries, strawberries and hints of violet, briar and bramble feature on the refined, medium-bodied palate. Gentle acidity gives the wine good structure and freshness and leaves you wanting more. Stonking value."  Nick Munday, Canterbury Wines - 95 points and Special Value Wine  ★  

2024 Australian Pinot Noir Challenge, Yarra Valley Regional Finalist - 95 points

"Like the Chardonnay, fruit is sourced from around the valley and is a mix of clones. Its bouquet is distinct as soon as you open the bottle, with some ripe confectionery notes which fall away to reveal a pretty and refined base of fruit. Black and red cherry mix with strawberry and raspberry, with the flowery goodness of violets and a touch of stemmy savouriness appearing after some air. On the palate, there is pronounced fruit sweetness, giving the wine much vitality, with some tongue-tingling minerality adding some more depth. Another very enjoyable wine from winemaker Anthony Fikkers."  Brendan Black, Wine Pilot - 93 points

Awards

Yarra Valley Regional Finalist - 2024 Australian Pinot Noir Challenge
Special Value Wine – Halliday Wine Companion  ★ 
Special Value Wine – Canterbury Wines  ★ 

Anthony Fikkers

In Dreams winemaker, Anthony Fikkers

Anthony Fikkers took over winemaking at In Dreams from Nina Stocker in 2019. Anthony has a passion for cool-climate winemaking. He belongs to an exciting new generation of winemakers who believe a hands-off approach from vineyard to bottle results in wines brimming with personality and authenticity. Here, the fruit takes centre stage, and the resulting wines are unadulterated, expressive reflections of time and place.

Anthony started in the wine industry in 2000 and has since completed Bachelor degrees in both Winemaking and Viticulture as well as working vintages in the Yarra Valley, Mornington Peninsula, Hunter Valley, Baden (Germany), Piemonte (Italy) and Burgundy (France). He has worked for a swag of prominent wineries including Mount Pleasant, Giant Steps, De Bortoli (Hunter), Maddens Rise, Mac Forbes, Medhurst and Southern Light Vineyards, and also runs his own brand, Fikkers Wine.

Anthony believes that making his own wines (under the Fikkers label) from the Upper Yarra taught him most about cool-climate winemaking. "It’s only when you control the entire process that you really get a feel for what each vineyard can deliver as you’re involved from growing the fruit all the way through to bottle," he says, before adding, "Working across multiple sites in the Upper Yarra with Mac Forbes and Giant Steps was a pretty good help too."

As to his philosophy when it comes to winemaking, "I believe in letting the vineyard expression shine through in the glass. I achieve this by not manipulating the fruit too much, I prefer to guide it along its own path. It starts with the picking time of the grapes (not too ripe, not too green) and flows through to ferment techniques (not too cold, not too hot, not too many bunches in the Pinot) and maturation (for the love of God, not too much oak!)."

Anthony has been working in the Yarra Valley for over 17 years and calls it home. When asked to describe the local winemaking community, he replies, "Talented. As you would expect from Australia’s best wine region. As the Yarra doesn’t have the history of some other regions, there’s not generations of winemakers. Rather, winemakers are drawn here by the opportunity to make great cool climate wines. There are constantly young and talented people arriving in the Yarra."

According to leading wine critic Campbell Mattinson, "Anthony Fikkers gives the impression of being smarter than your average bear. Fikkers not only knows his way around cool climate viticulture (he has both winemaking and viticulture qualifications) but he’s also seen first hand, over a longish period, both the right way to do things, and the wrong way. Crucially, he also knows what it’s like to put it all on the line under his own name."  

About the winery

"In Dreams is a project that has been evolving for the past 11 years. It is a long story that began as a conversation over the phone in Portugal, moved to a chat over a coffee in Armadale, skipped over the ditch to Central Otago and finally came to fruition in the Yarra Valley in 2013.

Our winery is located in Healesville in the heart of the picturesque Yarra Valley, set among 24 acres of gently sloping, predominantly north-west facing vines. It is a space perfect for small-batch, quality winemaking, complete with a selection of small open top fermentation vessels and a barrel hall for wine maturation.

Our grapes come from the cool-climate vineyards of the Upper Yarra for their minerality and vibrancy, with smaller parcels from the slightly warmer vineyards on the valley floor for their plush, fruity character. For us, it's all about balance and purity of fruit. 

The fruit for In Dreams Pinot Noir is selected from vineyards spanning from the cool, high-altitude vineyards of Seville East in the Upper Yarra and St Andrews in the far north-west of the region, complimented by fruit from Coldstream and Yarra Glen on the Valley floor. Altitudes vary from 130m above sea level to 240m and soil types include both red volcanic loams and grey clay loams overlying mudstone. Clonal components of Abel, MV6, 114 and 115.

In Dreams Chardonnay is all about balance and purity of fruit. We carefully select grapes from vineyards in Woori Yallock and Yarra Junction in the cool Upper Yarra, for their minerality and vibrancy. This is complimented by parcels selected from the far north-west corner of the Valley in the rolling hills of St Andrews, as well some warmer sites in Yarra Glen. Altitudes vary from 130m above sea level to 240m, and soil types include both red volcanic loams and grey clay loams overlying mudstone. Clonal components of I10V5, Bernard 76, P58 and I10V1."  In Dreams