2023 Sailor Seeks Horse Pinot Noir

Paul and Gilli Lipscombe’s Sailor Seeks Horse Pinot Noir has quietly become one of the most compelling Pinot releases in Tasmania. The 2023 vintage, shaped by a cooler, lower-yielding season, is precise, fragrant, and beautifully structured - a wine that speaks fluently of its Huon Valley home.

There’s always a delicacy to this Pinot, but 2023 feels even more focused and tightly wound, with layers of wild red berries, rose petal, and fine spice gliding over silky tannins and bright, fresh acidity. The winemaking here is all about restraint - handpicked fruit, gentle handling, a touch of whole bunch for lift, and ageing in seasoned French oak to let the site do the talking.

It’s elegant now, but this will only get better with time. If you’re a fan of the detailed, pure-fruited Pinots that Tasmania is becoming famous for, this is one you don’t want to miss.

95 points
"There's a lovely waft of souk-like spice as soon as you approach this year's release. It suffuses gently through the perfectly formed red cherry, raspberry and red plum fruits. Hints of redcurrants, kombu, leaf litter, crushed stone, sea breeze, charcuterie and ozone. Airy and wonderfully detailed with gentle spicy red fruits, a cloud of powdery tannin and a super sapid sour-cherry acid line on the fade out. Delicious, filigreed drinking."
- Dave Brookes (Halliday Wine Companion)