William Downie represents the pinnacle of minimal intervention, site-specific pinot noir in Australia. No one has done more work in the vineyard than he has, spending his days meticulously caring for his home and leased vineyards, as well as seeking out the best sites for pinot noir across Victoria.
Bill started out in wine near the top: a two-year stint with the legendary pinot noir producer Phillip Jones at Bass Phillip in Leongatha, Gippsland. He went on to work for De Bortoli, eventually becoming their senior winemaker in 2006. In the meantime, Downie launched his own label in 2003, quietly sourcing and making some of the best pinot noir in Yarra Valley, Gippsland, and the Mornington Peninsula.
In the early 2000s, Bill also snuck off to Burgundy for harvests, honing his craft with Domaines Fourrier and Hubert Lignier. When Romain Lignier died unexpectedly in 2004, it was Downie who was brought in by the Domaine to lead the winemaking team for the 2004 and 2005 vintages. So if you’re lucky enough to encounter some 2005 Domaine Hubert Ligniers floating around, those wines were made in large part by William Downie.
Today, he and his wife Rachel (a talented wine professional in her own right, not to mention an expert yogurt and cheese maker) own their own farm called Guendulain, in addition to tending to other plots all over Gippsland. Pinot noir is the only grape cultivated.
About Patrick Sullivan: Out of school, Patrick worked with the iconic viticulturist Stuart Proud at Thousand Candles in the Yarra Valley, who instilled in Patrick his fastidious approach toward the vineyard. At Thousand Candles, Patrick met Bill Downie, who had at that point already become one of the most prominent winemakers in Australia. When a property near Bill’s place opened up in 2016, Patrick and his wife Megan jumped on the opportunity, and the three of them (along with Bill’s accomplished cheesemaker wife Rachel) have been sharing resources and building the bounty of their land ever since. The cost of this seminar is $50 and a $20 credit at the store will be extended to each guest for a future purchase. Seating is limited and special pricing on the featured wines will be made available to attendees only. We hope you can join us on the mezzanine at 6pm on Wednesday, September 3 for this special evening.
The goal is always to express something unique about the land, and increasingly Patrick’s vessel for expression is solely chardonnay, a grape which transmits its place with precision and complexity. The only thing ever added is a small amount of sulfur. Yes,” he says, “what I do fits the bill of what people say is natural. But really all I want to do is make really good wine."
Anthony Lynch (son of legendary importer Kermit Lynch) came to New York last week and brought a few special bottles from their Berkeley cellar to lunch, including 2007 Vacqueyras Le Sang des Cailloux and Thierry Allemand’s 2005 Cornas Reynard. But the surprise winner with the food was a Corsican red, the 2020 Antoine Arena Patrimonio Rouge, "Morta Maio.”
Just in the nick of time, the New York Times' Eric Asimov has released a brand-new article listing his ideal picks for your Thanksgiving feast. Rarely do we devote an entire day to eating, drinking, and general merriment, so your wine pairings really have to hit the spot!
Perhaps the only thing we love more than Burgundy Pinot Noir is Burgundy Pinot Noir blended with Gamay, a style of wine known as Passetoutgrains. The best examples combine the elegance and structure of Pinot Noir with the playful, juicy character of Gamay — truly the best of both worlds.
