The masters are flexing pinot noir in their second limited-edition wine gin.
Pull out your diary and circle June 10. Now circle it again. Not only is it World Gin Day (in which case you should have circled it already), but it’s also the date Four Pillars will release their new and exclusive Bloody Pinot Noir Gin. After securing a precious local crop, the Four Pillars team have transformed it into a bloody great, and very limited, gin. And the only store it’s available in is Dan’s. So, circle that date again.
With a wide range of mighty fine red wine gin now on the shelves, best believe it was Four Pillars who first poured it up back in 2015. No doubt you already know their best-selling Bloody Shiraz Gin (and how we love to mix it). It was borne from an innovative and spontaneous moment that, in retrospect, makes a lot of sense. Red wine grapes bring an unrivalled level of fruity depth, a rich mouthfeel, and intriguing shades of ruby red to gin. Fair to say, it was a serendipitous stroke of genius.
Last year, the inventors of wine gin turned their hands to a non-alcoholic version – Bloody Shiraz Bandwagon. And now, they’ve picked up pinot noir and made yet another exceptional drop. And that’s no easy feat – pinot noir loves to be a little precious (that’s what makes it so endearing). Compared to shiraz’s thick skin, pinot can’t handle anything but perfect growing conditions. Take the Yarra Valley, a superb Victorian region for the precocious grape and also home to the Four Pillars Distillery. So, when it came to their first pinot project, Four Pillars just had to look locally.
Following a difficult 2022 vintage (did we mention pinot is hard to grow?), 2023 provided an exceptional quality and, thus, highly in-demand harvest. Fortunately, Four Pillars ended up shaking hands with local growers Boat O’Craigo in Healesville and Yarra Station in Yarra Glen to secure a special hand-picked supply of this premium pinot. Combine these great grapes with eight years of experience producing the highly awarded Bloody Shiraz, and Four Pillars have made one highly anticipated drop. It honours pinot’s lighter, paler and more perfumed personality.
As we’ve laboured well enough, this gin wine loves (and deserves!) to be appreciated, even marvelled. So, honour your first sip of Bloody Pinot Noir Gin by keeping it simple. Try serving it on the rocks to really taste its soft rose petal, strawberry and cherry notes. Even though the natural sugar levels are almost identical to the shiraz version, this one has a hint more fresh acidity, the gin character is a tad more pronounced, and the taste is a little drier and softer. After you’ve had it on its own, definitely whack some in a cocktail. It’s well suited to a citrus-leaning drink with a dash of Campari, or even just a light tonic or soda. And given the 2023 edition of the original Bloody Shiraz is releasing on June 10 as well, why not pick up one of each and do your own comparison.
Produced in small quantities, stock of the Bloody Pinot will be limited and available only in Victorian Dan Murphy’s stores. Well played pinot, what a way to make us want you even bloody more.
And if you’re down for some good gin appreciation, this is for you. Four Pillars distiller Brett is heading down to Melbourne to host two special gin masterclasses on World Gin Day (Saturday, 10 June, 2023) and tickets are just $25. Held at Dan Murphy’s Richmond and Prahan, enjoy a one-hour tasting, including the latest edition of the iconic Bloody Shiraz Gin as well as their new Bloody Pinot Noir Gin. For more details and to buy tickets, head here for Richmond and here for Prahan.
