Australia's best wines

The best pinot noir in Australia

By The Tasting Team

The Mount Mary Pinot Noir 2023 has been named the best pinot noir in Australia.

The Halliday Wine Companion Awards celebrate the top wines in Australia – as chosen by our esteemed wine critics who spend the year tasting and reviewing wine from across the country. Below, you'll find Australia's best pinot noir, along with the ratings awarded by the Tasting Team.

From the Porongurup through to Tasmania, a multitude of regions represented pinot noir proudly at our awards judging this year, and we witnessed an array of styles from the 2023 and 2024 vintages. In the presence of fierce competition, the winner was clear: Mount Mary would take home the trophy for Pinot Noir of the Year. This marks its fifth win in this category, a feat met by only one other wine, in the fortified category, the Hall of Fame recipient: Seppeltsfield 100 Year Old Para. It’s fair to say, Mount Mary Pinot Noir is a true icon.

2026 Best Pinot Noir of the Year in Australia

Mount Mary Pinot Noir 2023, Yarra Valley

98 points | Price when tasted $240


The best wines in Australia

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Destemmed and fermented with as many whole berries as possible. 15 months in French barriques (25% new). First year using Diam as opposed to natural cork. Bright purple. Youthful with complex aromas of wild strawberry, boysenberry, potpourri, star anise and a little Sichuan pepper, even. Even better on the palate where old vines and low yields have conspired (along with the winemaker, Sam Middleton) to produce a supremely textured, layered and flawlessly balanced wine. The tannins are silky and very persistent, and this will be worth both the money and time for those that still have some 10–20 years from now. – Philip Rich

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The 2026 Halliday Wine Companion is available now. Secure your copy of Australia's most comprehensive wine guide at all good bookstores.

This is an edited extract from the 2026 Halliday Wine Companion, with reviews by Dave Brookes, Jane Faulkner, Jeni Port, Katrina Butler, Marcus Ellis, Mike Bennie, Philip Rich, Shanteh Wale and Toni Paterson MW. Cover art by James Coe.


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