2025 Ashton Hills Piccadilly Pinot Noir, Adelaide Hills

High in the cool folds of the Piccadilly Valley, this Pinot Noir captures the very heart of Ashton Hills. The estate was founded in the early 1980s by Stephen George, a pioneer who believed Adelaide Hills could rival the world’s great cool climate regions. Now under the Wirra Wirra umbrella, the wines are guided by winemaker Liam Van Pelt, whose focus is purity, detail and vineyard expression. The Piccadilly cuvée draws from elevated estate blocks where lean soils and long ripening build fragrance and fine tannin rather than weight.

Viticulture is exacting, with low yields and careful canopy work ensuring even, slow development. In the cellar, fruit is handled gently to preserve aromatic lift, with a thoughtful portion of whole bunch fermentation bringing spice and structure. French oak maturation refines the texture while keeping the site’s mineral edge intact. The aim is elegance, tension and age worthiness.

Bright ruby in colour, the nose lifts with red cherry, raspberry and wild strawberry layered with rose petal, subtle clove and forest floor. The palate is medium bodied and finely etched, with vivid red fruit wrapped in silky tannins and crisp natural acidity. Savoury notes and a gentle mineral thread carry through a long, persistent finish.

It pairs beautifully with duck, quail, mushroom dishes and delicate game. Drinking beautifully now with air, it will cellar confidently for ten to fifteen years, developing earthy and truffle complexity.

This is Piccadilly Valley Pinot Noir with altitude precision, perfumed, structured and unmistakably Adelaide Hills.