2023 Bloody Hill Villages Pinot Gris, Healesville Yarra Valley

From a small block in Healesville, next door to Mayer. Whole bunches pressed to neutral oak; 50% mlf. Ripe pear and yellow apples intermingle with a little spice and honeysuckle, while the palate is textured and full of flavour with zingy acidity keeping it fresh. An excellent, albeit slightly richer and more unctuous follow up to last year's Halliday Wine Companion Pinot Gris/Grigio of the Year.

95 points Special Value Philip Rich winecompanion.com.au

Light straw-yellow colour; pot-pourri, creamy lees and pastry-like aromas. Palate is full and round, rich and ample, with a refreshingly clean, dry finish that lasts and lasts. A very smart gris which is already offering much but has potential to build even more character with a little time. It's still quite yeasty. 28 NOV 2023 Drink 2024–2029

92 points Huon Hooke therealreview.com

#4 Of 39 2023 Victorian Pinot Gris

Bloody Hill Villages Pinot Gris from Healesville in the Yarra Valley is a vivid expression of site, personality and philosophy. Crafted by Rivar Mayer-Ferguson, son of the legendary Timo Mayer, this wine is part of a new generation of Australian minimal-intervention wines that lean into texture, honesty and soul. While Timo continues to make his own benchmark Pinot Noir and Syrah from the same area, Rivar is confidently building the Bloody Hill label into something distinctive, fun and fiercely terroir-driven.

The fruit comes from select vineyard blocks on the “bloody hill” itself — a steep, volcanic slope in the Yarra Valley where altitude and old soils deliver both vibrancy and flavour concentration. This Pinot Gris is made in a more Alsatian-inspired style, far removed from the crisp and neutral examples that dominate the category. Rivar gives it a touch of skin contact to build grip and structure, ferments with wild yeast, and bottles it without fining or filtration. The result is a wine that’s cloudy, aromatic, and full of life.

In the glass it shows nashi pear, white nectarine, orange blossom and hints of ginger and sage. There’s a faint nuttiness too, the kind that comes from oxidative handling rather than oak. The palate is slippery and rich at first, but tightens up with a mineral streak and zesty acidity, leaving you with a dry, pithy finish that begs for another sip.

It’s an exciting example of how Pinot Gris can be reimagined when a winemaker lets the vineyard and variety speak freely. Serve it with food that celebrates texture and umami — mushroom dumplings, sesame-crusted tuna or grilled halloumi with pomegranate and mint.