The fruit for this wine is taken from Xavier’s Maffra vineyard and is the new plantings and graftings of 3 different clones, mv6, 114 and abel. Xavier refers to it as his ‘village’ bottling. Vinification included 100% de-stemmed grapes, fermented in stainless steel on skins for 2-3 weeks and aged in a mixture of steel and French oak barrels. It was left to mature for 12 months.

The fruit profile in the Gippsland Pinot Noir steps slightly more into a sweeter and riper fruit spectrum along with dark spice territory compared to the mostly crunchy and brightly red-fruited Avon expression. It has a red cherry, red plum, black liquorice, a hint of coffee and black tea to close. A touch of bergamot orange scent and violet add depth to the perfume. It’s textural and earthy, with a little grainy tannins and black pepper spice. It gets you with a great punch of flavour, a medium body with a refreshing acidity and a bitter amaro tang for a great balance.