Ingram Road Pinot Noir / 2024 / 750mL

The Ingram Road Pinot Noir 2024 is a bright, medium-bodied Yarra Valley red built around red and dark berry fruit rather than power. Made by Helen's Hill Estate at Coldstream, it is an easygoing style meant to be enjoyed young.

Aromatically the wine leads with cherry and raspberry, with strawberry and a light dusting of spice behind it, plus a savoury, faintly earthy edge that keeps things from being purely fruity. That carries onto the palate, where the fruit stays juicy and clearly defined, and a hint of dried herb adds interest through the middle.

Structurally, the 2024 Pinot Noir keeps a firm but well-mannered acid line that gives the wine drive without sharpness, and the tannins are soft and fine-grained. The finish is clean and moderate in length, closing on tart red fruit and a touch of that savoury character.

Serve it at around 15 degrees — half an hour in the fridge on a warm day does the job — in a decent-sized glass. Roast chicken, duck breast, mushroom risotto, pork with fennel or a plate of charcuterie all sit comfortably alongside it, and it is forgiving enough for a midweek pizza. Drink from now through to about 2029, with the fruit at its most vivid over the next two or three years.