A surf trip to California in 1999, supported by some winery work with his winemaker uncle on the central coast, turned Shaun Crinion’s fledgling interest in wine into a lifelong obsession. Over that time, his winemaking philosophy has evolved into a light-handed approach of minimal intervention and scant addition, focusing on the pure expression of site and fruit – ‘I’m a traditionalist, hands-on winemaker and I like it that way.’ With that confidence of direction, Shaun started his own venture in 2009, ‘with the view to make high quality unadulterated wines from special patches of dirt at realistic prices.’

100% single vineyard from Gladysdale in the upper reaches of the Yarra Valley

The fruit is hand-picked, sorted and chilled overnight to 12 degrees to enable a 5-day cold soak to occur. The fruit is gently destemmed (70% whole berry) and 30% whole bunch is included… It’s then left to commence spontaneous fermentation with the natural vineyard yeasts. The ferment is lightly pigéaged (foot stomped) and hand plunged daily,spending about 3 weeks on skins. The finished wine is pressed straight to French puncheons and barriques (10% new), undergoing natural MLF in its own time and kept on lees until bottling. The wine is in oak for 10 months with further aging in stainless before being bottled via gravity. Unfined and unfiltered.

The moderately warm and dry year resulted in long, cool ripening that delivers a Pinot of fantastic depth and weight. Rich cherry cola and dark chocolate aromas mix with dark plum and a gentle smokey oak spice. The palate is rich with davidson plum and dark cherry fruit, combined with a creamy roundness and fresh cherry pip acidity. Complex cigar box spices are gentle and structured tannins close the long finish.  

This is from an Upper Yarra site at Gladysdale. It’s the only Pinot Noir that Dappled will release from the 2025 vintage. I’d say that this is in impeccably good form – but it’s better than that. In Pinot Noir terms there is no better way to spend $50 this year. It’s a wine of firmness and intensity, breadth and length, and in both complexity and mouthfeel terms it’s spot on. It tastes of woodsy spices, red cherries, marzipan, smoked cedar, elaborate herb notes and pure bright cranberry, with undergrowth characters woven like electricity cables throughout. It’s a gem of a wine and more. Date: Jul 2026; Alcohol: 13.5%; Price: $50; Closure: Screwcap; Drink: 2027-2034+; Rated: 95 Points; Campbell Mattinson; The Wine Front