Ten of the best new wineries
I have endeavoured to focus on wineries from different
regions making wines of very different styles; this apart, the heading reads 'ten
of the best...' not 'the best ten'.
Deisen Barossa Valley
Sabine Deisen and Les Fensom are unashamedly artisan winemakers, doing everything possible by hand: making as little as 20 dozen bottles of some of the wines, all open-fermented in small fermenters with hand-plunging and basket pressing through to the painting design for the labels. They then express the terroir of the Barossa at its most opulent, with sweet and luscious fruit, soft, ripe tannins, and a warmth from the alcohol that can reach terrifying levels at times.
Flynns Wines Heathcote
Greg (no relation to the legendary John) Flynn and wife Natala are relative newcomers to Heathcote, planting vines on the vivid red Cambrian soil, and letting that soil work its magic on shiraz (principally), plus sangiovese, cabernet sauvignon, merlot and viognier. For good measure, the wines are modestly priced.
Greenstone vineyard Heathcote
Greenstone brings together the multiple talents of David Gleave MW (based in London); Alberto Antonini, in Italy, with degrees from the University of Florence, University of California (Davis) and Bordeaux; and Mark Walpole, manager of Brown Brothers' 700 ha of vineyards. The partners have selected Sandro Mosele as contract winemaker, and planted 17 ha of shiraz, and 1 ha each of mourvedre, sangiovese and tempranillo on a prime vineyard site in Heathcote, the first vintage from 3-year-old vines making one wonder just how exceptional the site is.
PHI Yarra Valley
The name comes from the 21st letter of the ancient Greek alphabet, symbolising perfect balance and harmony. It is the venture of the Webber and Shelmerdine families, the latter owning the Lusatia Park Vineyard from which the grapes are sourced, the former making the wine (at the De Bortoli Yarra Valley winery). (Stephen's wife Leanne is Darren De Bortoli's sister.) It is an ultimate exercise in site terroir, with specific rows of chardonnay, pinot noir and sauvignon blanc chosen out of the much larger plantings of those varieties, and managed with quality being the sole objective.
Poonawatta Estate Eden Valley
This is at the same time a testament to the tenacity of 1.8 ha of shiraz planted in 1880, which went through a prolonged period of benign neglect, and the painstaking rehabilitation of that planting by two generations of the Holt family, plus the establishment, row by row, of another 1.8 ha using cuttings taken from the old vines. Almost incidental is a Riesling produced from a single vineyard of 2 ha, hand-planted by the Holt family in the 1970s. The quality of all the wines is exceptional.
Poverty Hill Wines Eden Valley
This is the venture of 4 partners, each with decades of experience in the wine industry, and with particular knowledge of the Eden Valley from whence all the wines come. The focus is on the classics of Riesling, Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon, with Merlot adding another dimension.
Rookery Wines Kangaroo Island
Garry and Gael Lovering have planted 8.4 ha of vines on their Kangaroo Island vineyard, principally to cabernet sauvignon and shiraz, but with an interesting patch of sangiovese (and other even more exotic varieties). This joins The Islander Estate Vineyards (of Jacques Lurton of Bordeaux) in proving that Kangaroo Island is capable of making wines of the highest quality.
SC Pannell McLaren Vale
The twinkle in the dancing eyes of Stephen (Steve) Pannell always meant that, sooner or later, he would forsake the corporate winemaking world, and do his own thing (with wife Fiona). This former Hardys winemaker has immediately come up with quite beautiful Grenache (his secret love) and Shiraz from McLaren Vale, adding a classy Sauvignon Blanc from the Adelaide Hills and a Grenache Rose to make a perfect portfolio.
Willunga 100 Wines McLaren Vale
This is a joint venture between Blackbilly Wines and Liberty Wines UK, the latter a major importer of quality wines from Australia. By a slightly convoluted route, it gives the joint venture access to the cream of 400 ha of McLaren Vale vineyards, with winemakers Nick Haselgrove and Warren Randall having a direct or indirect interest in the venture, which has opened the batting with 3 outstanding McLaren Vale wines from 2005.
Witchcliffe Estate Margaret River
While Witchcliffe Estate came into its present being in 2003, its 8-ha vineyard was planted in the early 1990s, and when Tony and Maureen Cosby acquired the property in 2000, it was best known as the Margaret River Marron Farm. If you are lucky, you may be able to buy fresh marron, but there is no shortage of high-quality, low-priced wines (only one exceeds $20) made with great skill by contract winemaker Peter Stanlake.
Sabine Deisen and Les Fensom are unashamedly artisan winemakers, doing everything possible by hand: making as little as 20 dozen bottles of some of the wines, all open-fermented in small fermenters with hand-plunging and basket pressing through to the painting design for the labels. They then express the terroir of the Barossa at its most opulent, with sweet and luscious fruit, soft, ripe tannins, and a warmth from the alcohol that can reach terrifying levels at times.
Flynns Wines Heathcote
Greg (no relation to the legendary John) Flynn and wife Natala are relative newcomers to Heathcote, planting vines on the vivid red Cambrian soil, and letting that soil work its magic on shiraz (principally), plus sangiovese, cabernet sauvignon, merlot and viognier. For good measure, the wines are modestly priced.
Greenstone vineyard Heathcote
Greenstone brings together the multiple talents of David Gleave MW (based in London); Alberto Antonini, in Italy, with degrees from the University of Florence, University of California (Davis) and Bordeaux; and Mark Walpole, manager of Brown Brothers' 700 ha of vineyards. The partners have selected Sandro Mosele as contract winemaker, and planted 17 ha of shiraz, and 1 ha each of mourvedre, sangiovese and tempranillo on a prime vineyard site in Heathcote, the first vintage from 3-year-old vines making one wonder just how exceptional the site is.
PHI Yarra Valley
The name comes from the 21st letter of the ancient Greek alphabet, symbolising perfect balance and harmony. It is the venture of the Webber and Shelmerdine families, the latter owning the Lusatia Park Vineyard from which the grapes are sourced, the former making the wine (at the De Bortoli Yarra Valley winery). (Stephen's wife Leanne is Darren De Bortoli's sister.) It is an ultimate exercise in site terroir, with specific rows of chardonnay, pinot noir and sauvignon blanc chosen out of the much larger plantings of those varieties, and managed with quality being the sole objective.
Poonawatta Estate Eden Valley
This is at the same time a testament to the tenacity of 1.8 ha of shiraz planted in 1880, which went through a prolonged period of benign neglect, and the painstaking rehabilitation of that planting by two generations of the Holt family, plus the establishment, row by row, of another 1.8 ha using cuttings taken from the old vines. Almost incidental is a Riesling produced from a single vineyard of 2 ha, hand-planted by the Holt family in the 1970s. The quality of all the wines is exceptional.
Poverty Hill Wines Eden Valley
This is the venture of 4 partners, each with decades of experience in the wine industry, and with particular knowledge of the Eden Valley from whence all the wines come. The focus is on the classics of Riesling, Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon, with Merlot adding another dimension.
Rookery Wines Kangaroo Island
Garry and Gael Lovering have planted 8.4 ha of vines on their Kangaroo Island vineyard, principally to cabernet sauvignon and shiraz, but with an interesting patch of sangiovese (and other even more exotic varieties). This joins The Islander Estate Vineyards (of Jacques Lurton of Bordeaux) in proving that Kangaroo Island is capable of making wines of the highest quality.
SC Pannell McLaren Vale
The twinkle in the dancing eyes of Stephen (Steve) Pannell always meant that, sooner or later, he would forsake the corporate winemaking world, and do his own thing (with wife Fiona). This former Hardys winemaker has immediately come up with quite beautiful Grenache (his secret love) and Shiraz from McLaren Vale, adding a classy Sauvignon Blanc from the Adelaide Hills and a Grenache Rose to make a perfect portfolio.
Willunga 100 Wines McLaren Vale
This is a joint venture between Blackbilly Wines and Liberty Wines UK, the latter a major importer of quality wines from Australia. By a slightly convoluted route, it gives the joint venture access to the cream of 400 ha of McLaren Vale vineyards, with winemakers Nick Haselgrove and Warren Randall having a direct or indirect interest in the venture, which has opened the batting with 3 outstanding McLaren Vale wines from 2005.
Witchcliffe Estate Margaret River
While Witchcliffe Estate came into its present being in 2003, its 8-ha vineyard was planted in the early 1990s, and when Tony and Maureen Cosby acquired the property in 2000, it was best known as the Margaret River Marron Farm. If you are lucky, you may be able to buy fresh marron, but there is no shortage of high-quality, low-priced wines (only one exceeds $20) made with great skill by contract winemaker Peter Stanlake.
