2025 Chatto Bird Pinot Noir, Piper's River

A delightfully perfumed, red-fruited pinot noir (Clone 114) from Jim Chatto, with fruit sourced from the Bird vineyard in Pipers River. It's a shimmering, diaphanous little beauty; all filigree and space with delicate fruit tones of raspberry, red cherry, red plum and redcurrant. There are underlying hints of leaf litter, souk-like spice, dried shiitake, Chinese barbecue shop, pastis, meadow herbs and gentle nutty oak in the distance. It's a gorgeous little thing. It's the lightest wine in the Chatto quiver, with a delicate fruit weight and sapid mineral cadence. To be honest, it's damn hard not to pour another glass immediately, and that's the name of the game. Drink to 2038.

96 points Special Value Dave Brookes for Halliday Wine Companion, June 2026

Jim Chatto's obsession with Pinot Noir has taken him around the world but it was Tasmania that had the strongest pull. After years of searching, he found his place at Glaziers Bay in the Huon Valley, right on the edge of viticultural possibility. The Isle vineyard planted in 2007 remains the heart of Chatto Wines. A small and carefully chosen family of Tasmanian wines has grown around it, each one a conversation with the variety and the site, driven by an insatiable curiosity for Pinot Noir.

Pipers River sits at the cooler, northern end of Tasmania's Tamar Valley. It is a region of gentle slopes and maritime influence where the growing season runs long and the fruit builds intensity quietly. The Bird vineyard was planted by Tasmanian pioneer Dr Andrew Pirie in 1998 to a single clone — 114 — on sandy soils that give the wine its characteristic chalky, fine-grained tannins and a delicacy that can be deceptive. Light in colour and lifted in perfume, this is not a wine that announces itself. It captivates.

Tiny quantities available. Drinking well now through 2041.