Brokenwood Indigo Pinot Noir 2023

Brokenwood is best known for its Hunter Valley roots, but the Indigo Vineyard Pinot Noir is not your typical Hunter red. Sourced from Beechworth in Victoria’s northeast, this is a cool-climate Pinot that’s lean, structured, and proudly regional. In my (very biased) view, cold climate is the only climate for Pinot. This wine is a reminder why.

Beechworth isn’t Burgundy, and it doesn’t pretend to be. But what you get from the Indigo vineyard is unmistakably Pinot Noir—bright fruit, earthy backbone, and a kind of quiet confidence that doesn’t shout. It’s not flashy. It’s just good. And in the 2023 vintage, it’s already showing signs of becoming something even better.

Right now, the fruit leans dark cherry and plum with a gentle, lifted spice note. There’s a bit of char and vanillin oak that’s present but not overdone. It drinks well now, but experience has taught me to give this wine at least two to three years in bottle before it really hits its stride. The sweet spot? Somewhere around year four.

I cracked a bottle of the 2011 at Muse recently, and it was... gone. Not over-the-hill in an interesting, tertiary way—just muted, flat, and tired. All the charm I love in this wine had long since faded. A reminder: this is not a wine to forget in the cellar. It's a wine to follow, year by year, while it's in bloom.

James Suckling gave the 2023 vintage a 92-point score, and honestly, I think he nailed it. It’s not the 95-point Burgundy that makes you question reality—but it’s also not trying to be. For under $40, this is exceptional value. It holds its own against the likes of Shadowfax from the Macedon Ranges and Onannon’s Red Hill Pinot—two other cool-climate Australian standouts that punch well above their weight.

A magnum of the 2021 we shared with friends over NYE.

It’s wines like this that remind me why I love Australian Pinot. Honest, well-made, regionally expressive, and—critically—accessible. This one’s always got a spot in the wine fridge. I usually grab a case, drink half after a couple of years, and see where the rest goes.