Bass Philip
Estate Old Vines Pinot Noir
Victoria
2019

The producer

Bass Phillip is one of Australia’s most iconic and revered Pinot Noir producers, located in the cool, maritime climate of South Gippsland, Victoria. Founded in 1979 by the visionary Phillip Jones, the estate quickly earned a cult following for crafting deeply expressive, Burgundian-inspired wines that captured the nuance and complexity of site. Situated just a few kilometres from the Southern Ocean, the vineyards benefit from a long, gentle growing season and are planted on ancient, mineral-rich soils ideally suited to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

Farmed organically and biodynamically for decades, Bass Phillip has long championed low-intervention viticulture and winemaking, with an emphasis on vine health, low yields, and purity of expression. The wines are known for their haunting aromatics, silken texture, and remarkable depth, combining power with elegance in a style that has drawn comparisons to the great domaines of Burgundy. Following the estate’s acquisition by Jean-Marie Fourrier of Domaine Fourrier in Gevrey-Chambertin, Bass Phillip has entered an exciting new chapter while remaining faithful to the philosophy and character that made it legendary among collectors and fine wine enthusiasts worldwide.

The wine

Bass Phillip Estate Old Vines Pinot Noir is sourced from mature vineyards in South Gippsland, Victoria, one of Australia’s most distinctive cool-climate regions for Pinot Noir. Founded by Phillip Jones and now guided by the stewardship of Burgundy’s Jean-Marie Fourrier, Bass Phillip has built an international reputation for producing profoundly expressive, site-driven wines through organic and biodynamic farming and a minimalist approach in the cellar. The old vines, deep-rooted in mineral-rich soils and shaped by the region’s long, maritime growing season, yield fruit of exceptional concentration and complexity.

Bass Phillip Estate Old Vines Pinot Noir is deeply perfumed and layered, with aromas of dark cherry, wild raspberry, forest floor, rose petal, and exotic spice unfolding alongside subtle earthy and savoury nuances. The palate is silky yet powerful, with finely woven tannins, vibrant natural acidity, and remarkable depth and persistence. Combining intensity with grace, it is a captivating and age-worthy Pinot Noir that reflects both the unique character of Gippsland and Bass Phillip’s uncompromising philosophy of purity and terroir expression.

We choose our wines based on a range of criteria (see how we choose our wines) of which critic scores is just one. Rather than simply highlight the best score to promote a wine, our average critic score is calculated from the scores provided by several respected wine critics, who we follow for specific regions. They do not represent all critic scores and, wherever possible, we try and give more weight to more recent reviews. Where appropriate we consider market-based scores like Global Wine Score or Wine Searcher Average scores.

As a rule, we look to offer wines that achieve a 92/100 average critic score or better and frankly a lot of very good wines simply don’t make the cut. As a high-end provider we want to reflect that positioning in the quality of wines we offer. Such wines are only a tiny fraction of those generally on offer in the market. We believe that an average score is a more conservative and representative approach, but it is still subjective and only offered as a guide to our customers, who will (and should) do their own research. We will add individual critic scores to our website in the future.