2023 Lignee Shiraz Pinot Noir

This started as a fun side hustle between two mates - Angus Vinden and Will Gilbert - blending Shiraz and Pinot in a nod to the great Maurice O’Shea reds of old. But four vintages in, it’s clear this isn’t just a passion project anymore.

The 2023 release of the Lignee collab marks a turning point. It’s more structured, more resolved, and miles more serious than the early magnum-only bottlings. Still, the bones of the idea remain: half Hunter Shiraz from Angus’s dry-grown Somerset vines (planted ’65 - ’70), and half high-altitude Orange Pinot from Will’s Gordon Hills site. A blend that's greater than the sum of its parts is the idea.

They make their halves separately - no blending trials, then meet at the end and see how it fits together and in 2023 they both nailed the assignment.

The 2023 release is a lovely savoury, mid-weight red with detail and intent. Nothing showy. Just a wine that feels comfortable in its skin which is both a nod to the past of NSW wine and also a bright new look at what NSW reds can look like in the modern era.

96 points
"Impossibly glorious, long and persistent. Only 1333 precious bottles made."
- Toni Paterson MW (Halliday Wine Companion)

95 points
"It’s beautiful, actually. Fine boned, lacy, succulent and super fresh... To stutter, beautiful. A really fine wine."
- Mike Bennie (The Wine Front)