By Leigh O’Connor.
Sebastian Atkins-Davis’s 2023 Pinot Noir, ‘The Unknown’ - is not merely a wine, it is the culmination of a childhood steeped in curiosity, legacy and quiet determination. To pour a glass is to uncork a story that began long before the grapes of 2023 ripened under the soft Yarra Valley sun.
It began with an 8-year-old boy trailing behind two men who shaped both his world and the steep, undulating slopes that would become his canvas: his Steels Gate Wines parents, Brad Atkins and Matthew Davis.
Sebastian grew up among rows of vines that whispered with every breeze, each rustle like a lesson waiting to be learned. While other children spent weekends on sports fields or in front of screens, Sebastian wandered the vineyard with dirt under his nails and wonder in his eyes.
Brad would crouch beside him, lifting a leaf to show the first signs of veraison, while Matthew explained tannins, soil structure or the alchemy of fermentation as if sharing bedtime stories. These early moments were not formal lessons, but seeds - seeds that would take root in Sebastian’s imagination and eventually shape his craft.
By 12, he knew how to recognise the subtle shift between underripe acidity and perfect picking readiness. By 14, he could blind-taste ferment samples and predict their trajectory. Yet, despite his sharp instincts, Sebastian approached winemaking with a softness, a humility that Brad often said couldn’t be taught. He listened to the vineyard the way a musician listens to an instrument: respectfully, attentively, almost reverently.
The 2023 Pinot Noir is his first true solo expression, though it still carries the fingerprints of legacy. In the glass, it glows with a luminous garnet hue - youthful yet confident. The aroma rises gently, like memories returning: wild strawberries, crimson cherries and a faint thread of forest floor, reminiscent of the damp earth Sebastian played in as a child. There is a lift of rose petal too, delicate but intentional, much like the young winemaker himself.
On the palate, the wine is poised - silky tannins unfurling slowly, as if hesitant to interrupt the story it wants to tell. Bright red fruit dances with subtle spice, the influence of carefully chosen oak whispering rather than shouting. There is balance, clarity and a purity that speaks of thoughtful hands and an intuitive heart.
Brad and Matthew watched as Sebastian shepherded the 2023 vintage from grape to bottle, their pride quiet but unmistakable. They offered guidance only when asked, stepping back just enough for him to find his own rhythm - and he did. Each decision - harvest timing, fermentation temperature, barrel selection - was made with conviction, yet always with a nod to the men who taught him to respect both process and place.
The final wine feels like a conversation between generations: the wisdom of Brad and Matthew intertwined with Sebastian’s youthful clarity, hope and unfiltered passion. To taste it is to step momentarily into their world - a world where a boy once followed in his parents’ footsteps and now walks confidently beside them, carrying the future of Steels Gate in his hands.
