Tod Dexter grew up with wine. It was then no surprise that in 1974 after a skiing trip in the US, Tod ended up in the Napa Valley where he spent a seven-year apprenticeship with one of California's premium family wineries, Cakebread Cellars. Tod moved home to Australia in January 1987, and after an extensive search he and his wife Debbie bought a vineyard site at Merricks North on the Mornington Peninsula. 

Low crops and small bunches have resulted in intensely concentrated fruit flavours and fine velvet tannins for the 2022 Pinot Noir. Cherry, strawberries and black berry flavours dominate with more subtle savoury tones and exotic fruits coming through on the back palate. Fine grain tannins and well defined structure carry the fruit sweetness well with great length.

Bright, medium-full crimson colour, purple-tinted, with lovely purity of ripe cherry aromas, the fruit doing all the talking. Traces of spices and balsamic herbs. A fruit-sweet core with ample tannins surrounding it, adding structure and length. Impressive pinot, which is fresh and youthful and promises a bright future. Date: May 2023; Alcohol: 13.5%; Price: $65.00; Drink: 2023-2035; Rating: 96 Points; Huon Hooke; The Real Review

This is the prettiest most approachable pinot I can remember from Tod Dexter. It has a lovely mix of cherries and strawberries all delicately spiced with some blood orange and zest keeping it tangy and juicy. Barely medium bodied with supple tannins and finishing gently yet resolutely. Date: Mar 2023; Alcohol: 13.5%; Price: $60.00; Drink by: 2030; Rating: 95 Points; Jane Faulkner; James Halliday Wine Companion