2024 Bass Phillip Reserve Pinot Noir 750ml

Overview

A rare, small-production Pinot Noir from one of Gippsland’s most celebrated producers, with only 1,452 bottles made. The 2024 Reserve combines remarkable concentration with freshness, fine structure and the distinctive vineyard expression for which Bass Phillip is renowned.

Vintage

2024 was the third consecutive La Niña season at Bass Phillip and was generally cooler than 2023. Cold and windy conditions during flowering reduced fruit set, while moderate temperatures through ripening allowed flavours to develop gradually and evenly. The modest crop delivered impressive concentration while retaining freshness, balance and clarity of vineyard expression. Harvest took place between 4 and 27 March.

Vineyard

Bass Phillip’s original vineyard lies approximately 15 kilometres south of Leongatha in South Gippsland, where the surrounding mountains and Southern Ocean provide a cool environment for long, slow ripening. The estate’s core Pinot Noir vineyard was planted in 1979 and has been cultivated biodynamically since 2002. Close planting, low yields, mature vines, meticulous canopy management and the absence of irrigation contribute to wines of depth, length and complexity.

Winemaking

The bunches were hand harvested and carefully sorted on a vibrating sorting table before destemming. Whole berries were gently transferred to open fermenters with minimal sulphur dioxide. Fermentation commenced naturally, with hand plunging from the first day two to three times daily until pressing, generally around 14 days from harvest.

The wine was drained and the skins gently pressed, with the pressed juice combined with the free-run wine before settling and gravity transfer to barrel. Malolactic fermentation occurred naturally in barrel. The wine remained in light-toast, extra-tight-grain oak barrels for approximately 12–14 months before being gravity-racked from the lees to a blending tank. No fining or filtration was used.

Critic Reviews

98/100 — Jane Faulkner, Halliday Wine Companion
“There’s a concentration and depth of flavour here; complex, rich yet seemingly ethereal. Full bodied, with remarkable tannin structure and lithe acidity.”
Tasted 20 February 2026
Published 20 August 2026

97/100 — Huon Hooke, The Real Review
“the palate is impressively concentrated and powerful, voluminous and firm with a great depth of succulent ripe berry fruit… impressive weight and power, concentration and length”
Tasted 27 May 2026

Ned Goodwin MW
“sous-bois, truffle, lichen and dark cherry, with licks of iodine and root spice… The ultimate impression is one of levity and grace.”

Producer

Bass Phillip is a renowned Australian producer based in Victoria’s Gippsland wine region, particularly celebrated for its cellar-worthy Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Its original vineyard was planted in 1979 and has been cultivated biodynamically since 2002.

In the winery, Bass Phillip favours low-intervention techniques including indigenous yeast fermentation, gravity movement of wine and bottling without fining or filtration. The producer takes its name from explorer George Bass and Arthur Phillip, the first Governor of New South Wales.

Specifications

• Vintage: 2024
• Producer: Bass Phillip
• Wine: Reserve Pinot Noir
• Country: Australia
• Region: Gippsland, Victoria
• Subregion: South Gippsland
• Grape Variety: Pinot Noir
• Wine Style: Still Red Wine
• Alcohol: 13.9%
• Production: 1,452 bottles
• Harvest: 4–27 March 2024
• Viticulture: Biodynamic cultivation; no irrigation
• Fermentation: Natural fermentation in open fermenters
• Maturation: Approximately 12–14 months in oak barrels
• Production Attributes: Hand harvested, gravity handled, unfined and unfiltered