Bright cherry wine with a rich nose of red berry fruit and plums with a slight earthy smokiness. The palate is substantial, balanced, quite complex with well-knit tannins which are verging on silky. Altogether a classy glass of Yarra and one of the better New World Pinots available in the UK right now.

The capriciousness of the difficult, early-ripening Pinot Noir grape makes its expression all the more sublime; but in the Yarra Valley it is given time to develop its seductive labyrinth of aromas, showing bright red fruit notes underscored by earthy complexity. Our Sexton Pinot Noir is wonderfully intricate: notes of wild blackberry, dried mushroom, mulberry bush with braised plum, cinnamon stick and sour cherry. Its focused and fine tannins are assisted by judicious Burgundian oak treatment. The coolest slopes of Sexton vineyard are planted with five Pinot Noir clones from Burgundy, New Zealand and Australia, managed according to biodynamic principles, providing us with various expressive threads to weave into the final blend.

Structured pinot noir. Flavours of rhubarb, five spice, bright cherry and plums. Lovely kick to the back palate; always a good sign. Integrated toasty, cedary oak plays a minor but supportive role. Nice follow through. It’ll age well. - Campbell Mattinson

90 POINTS This wine shows very good lifted sour cherry and redcurrant. A lighter bodied wine that has had less oak than most, with only nine months of new and used French oak. Slightly sappy sour cherry notes on the nose. Showing a lot of toasty oak, which tends to dominate the palate.

90/100 Ray Jordan - Weekend West, 2011-03-12 SMH GOOD WINE GUIDE 2011 With a darker colour than its Tarraford Vineyard sibling, this has a more direct character, with attractive ripe cherry and blueberry fruits, and hints of plums and anise. The palate's flavoursome and fleshy, with rich cherry-fruit flavour and supple tannins. Very tidy throughout.

92 POINTS. Nick Stock, 2010-11-10 4.5 STARS - WINESTATE MAGAZINE Earthy/spicy nose, quite truffle like. Rich. chewy palate with good depth and complexity of sweet fruit and oak, excellent tannin structure and lingering finish”

4.5 stars Winestate Magazine - Yarra Valley & Southern Victoria Tasting, 2010-09-27

93 points - 2011 James Halliday's Australian Wine Companion Highly Recommended. A hint of development in the colour; the bouquet is expressive with nuances of spice behind the dark plum fruit; the palate has good texture and mouthfeel, foresty notes adding interest; good length. Screwcap. 13.5% alc.

Rating 93 (Jul 09) James Halliday, 2010-07-29

90 points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate The 2008 Sexton Vineyard Pinot Noir receives a proportion of whole bunches and some barrel fermentation followed by 12 months maturation in barriques, 35% new, leaving the wine on its lees for as long as possible. It reveals a bright pale to medium ruby color and aromas of ripe cherry, coffee, cooked beets and underbrush. Crisp with a low to medium level of very fine tannins, this is a moderately concentrated, juicy Pinot with a long finish. Around 2000 cases produced, this is one for drinking now or cellaring through 2017. Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Wine Advocate, 2010-07-01

4 1/2 stars Lighter style smelling of plums and mulberries and some obvious oak. Supple palate with very fine and gentle fruit flavours, complementary oak and fine, long tannins in support.

Winestate's best buys of 2009, Delectable A classy single vineyard pinot from Phil Sexton and the team in the Yarra: rich, briar-and mulberry flavours, silky smooth texture. Delectable. Sunday Times Magazine, 2009-12-07 The Keeper This Yarra Valley red shows dark cherry and plum fruit with some spice and a mushroom character on the nose and palate, with silky tannins on the finish. Try it with duck. Matt Skinner 92+ points