Meadowbank Pinot Noir 2023

From the moment Peter Dredge joined forces with the Ellis family, Meadowbank has not missed a beat. Vintage 2023 continues this partnership’s stellar run of form. In the end, what might have been a damp squib of a vintage turned out to be one of the most exciting years for Peter Dredge and Meadowbank. “We were expecting it to be wet and gross,” Pete told us. “Instead, we got moderate and consistent, and the quality was through the roof.” The third in a line of cooler, low-yielding seasons, Meadowbank’s relatively sheltered position in a pocket of the upper Derwent saw them skate through the heavy rains experienced elsewhere in the valley. Gerald Ellis certainly knew what he was doing when he started planting vines here in 1976.

Peter Dredge has carved out some magical wines from this pristine, if small, harvest. Fuelled by cool-climate tension, the fleshy, mineral-flecked Chardonnay is as faultless as we have tasted from this site. It’s “the best I’ve made”, says Dredge, acknowledging he said as much about last year’s wine! The 2023 Pinot is the second release to include fruit from a small block of volcanic-rooted vines that Pete credits with taking the Pinot to another level. Meeting the high bar set by last year’s trophy-winning release may not have been a walk in the park, yet Dredge has knocked it out of the park with the pure, vibrantly red-fruited 2023. Last, we offer Meadowbank’s pithy, cherry and spice-scented Gamay. Campbell Mattinson calls it “delUnited Cellars... let’s go with “vividly delicious”.

An altogether terrific release from a first-rate vineyard realised by a talented winemaker. What's not to love?

Tasting Profile