Mayfield Vineyard, Orange, NSW

How Australia’s Mayfield Vineyard is scaling new heights

Mayfield Vineyard is starting to make waves both in its New South Wales hometown of Orange and here in the UK – impressive given that it’s only been in its current operation for two years. In a flying visit to London, Mayfield’s general manager and partner, Charles Simons explains the strategy of being a young estate in a crowded market, what he learned under the tutelage of Oz winemaking legend Philip Shaw, and how a new device in the vineyards called BioScout gives his team all the information it needs to keep passes amongst the vines to near zero. Geoffrey Dean met up with him and tasted the three Mayfield wines currently available in this country.

By Geoffrey DeanJune 15, 2023

“We want people to drink it and say, ‘Wow.’ If I can put a wine next to Philip Shaw’s, and people can see the similarity, I’ll be happy,” says Mayfield viticulturist Charles Simons.

Mayfield Vineyard’s Charles Simons showing the new vintages

Charles Simons is one of those viticulturists whose experience working around the world seems to have been boundless. After studying oenology in Stellenbosch at the end of the last millennium, he has applied his viticultural skills in the United States, New Zealand, Germany and Australia, working for some renowned producers. It is in the latter country that this flying vineyard manager has finally settled, becoming a co-owner of a winery named Mayfield Vineyard in a wine region of enormous potential in Orange.

The New South Wales market town, which nestles a three-hour drive west of Sydney, is home to the highest vineyards in Australia and the widest diurnal range in that vast country. Most are between 700 and 1,000 metres above sea level, and it is this altitude that underpins the region’s cool climate status.

Orange is increasingly being seen as a prime site for growing Sauvignon Blanc 

Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir excel, retaining their acidity in the fresh nights of the growing season to produce wines – both still and sparkling – of shrill acidity. That is a hallmark of Mayfield Vineyard labels, three of which are imported into the UK by Enotria&Coe – the ‘Backyard’ Riesling 2022, ‘Sophie’s Godmother’ Sauvignon Blanc 2022 and ‘Eighteen Fifteen’ Chardonnay 2022.

That is some achievement given that the Mayfield Vineyard brand was only started two years ago when the estate’s new owner, John Eastham, asked Simons to come on board as a shareholder and general manager. Simons jumped at the opportunity, knowing the potential of the region by dint of his time working there as a viticulturist for one of Australia’s most celebrated winemakers, Philip Shaw.

“Philip is the godfather of Australian wine,” Simons declared during a visit to London. “He put Aussie Chardonnay on the world map, and for me to have worked for, and learnt from, him is special.”

Shaw’s legendary attention to detail is shared by Simons.

“I continue to strive every vintage to grow better grapes from our sites,” Simons added. “Crop load is kept low to increase flavour profile. Canopy management is very important to me, and therefore shoot thinning is done pre-flowering to allow greater air movement during this critical stage. Leaf plucking is done after to help with disease control.”

The appliance of science 

The revolutionary kit that is helping Simons do “the right thing once… at the right time.”

The desire to limit disease led Simons to help develop a practice known as BioScout, a device the size of ‘a suitcase’ that sits in the vineyards, taking air samples every 30 minutes.

“These are analysed through a microscopic lens, and sent to a computer in Sydney, giving me an idea of what downy mildew, powdery mildew and botrytis spores are in the air,” he said. “So I get a ten-day warning before initial infection, and can base my spraying regime and canopy management on real-time data. This info is geo-tagged, and weather data is also collected – temperature, humidity, moisture, wind speed and direction – to locate the disease hotspot area and determine if it’s a serious threat or not. This has changed the way I look at vineyards… completely.”

BioScout ties in with Simons’ embrace of sustainability, and his aim to minimise tractor passes and, with it, soil compaction.

“The ethos of the viticulturist is that the more footsteps, as opposed to tractor tracks, in the vineyard, the better,” he continued. “Some of our premium vines will be touched by a human five to six times a year. We aim to do the right thing once, at the right time. Technology helps us achieve this but, ultimately, it’s about the pairing of it with an experienced viticulturist.”

Cutting the cloth to fit

Mayfield has 30 of its 91 hectares under vine, of which a third are Chardonnay and a third Pinot Noir, with the balance split between Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling and Cabernet Franc. Around two thirds of the grapes are sold to producers locally.

“If we vinified them all, I’d have a warehouse full of wine and no market. It gives us good cash flow, but we can make more if Enotria say that they want more of whichever varietal next year. We’re looking to go to the US with a new market push, but the UK will always be the number one export market for me.”

The vines were planted in 1999 by the property’s previous owners. Simons planted some more in 2022, including four new clones of Pinot Noir to supplement the original 777. The wines from 2022 were made at the nearby Printhie winery by their winemaker, Drew Tucknell, as Mayfield does not have any vinification facilities.

Simons, who previously worked as Printhie’s viticulturist, is keen to give Mayfield a potential point of difference while accepting the importance of Orange as a wine region of growing repute.

“We don’t want to be mainstream Orange – we want to be unique with our side of town and make wines that start a discussion,” he mused. “We want people to drink it and say, ‘Wow.’ If I can put a wine next to Philip Shaw’s, and people can see the similarity, I’ll be happy but we can’t make better wines than him. Our vineyards are unique as our rich loam and basalt soils are older than Philip’s as they didn’t get the last volcanic eruption there. We add our bit of nuance and flavour but I need to champion the region – I am nothing without the other winemakers, a lot of whom have been there for many years.”

So how were the new vintage wines tasting?

Mayfield Vineyard Estate ‘Sophie’s Godmother’ Sauvignon Blanc, 2022: appealing herbal aromas, and very pretty fruit with passion fruit and pineapple notes, as well as lemon pith and asparagus. Zesty acidity with real freshness and purity.

Mayfield Vineyard Estate ‘Backyard’ Riesling, 2022: Simons, who worked in Pfalz in Germany, says he loves that style of Riesling and has tried to create something similar here. Fermented with wild yeasts in stainless steel, it spent a month on the lees, softening texture. 5g/l of residual sugar is well-judged, balancing racy acidity (TA 7.5g/l) of grapes grown at 924 metres. Limey citrus notes on the palate with lemon-sherbet aromas.

Mayfield Vineyard Estate ‘Eighteen Fifteen’ Chardonnay, 2022: named after the year the Mayfield property was given to an explorer named William Wentworth, this is clone 95. Melon, peach and grapefruit notes with a smidge of citrus. Edgy acidity and minerality, with complexity coming from the use of wild yeasts and a creamy texture from 75% malolactic fermentation. Spice and biscuity hints from 27% new oak.

Mayfield Vineyard Premier ‘Block 14’ Chardonnay, 2022: two-acre single vineyard site on quartz soil. Barrel-fermented, and aged in new and older French puncheons, hogsheads and barriques. 50% malolactic fermentation. Pale lemon hue with vivid acidity and flinty minerality. Notes of  stone fruit and pink grapefruit as well as hints of roasted cashews and almonds. Good concentration and a long finish. A ripper of an Aussie Chardy.

Mayfield Vineyard Premier ‘William’ Pinot Noir, 2022: a reserve release from the best 13 rows of block 10 (900m). Named, in the words of principal owner, John Eastham, “in gratitude to three Williams who had a profound impact on our region, Mayfield and me.” The first was Wentworth, who was granted the land in 1815 for being among the first Europeans to cross the Blue Mountains; the second was William Tom, a subsequent owner who planted the first vines on the property in the 1850s; the third was William Quick, Eastham’s father-in-law. Light in colour and body (13.5% abv), with an alluring floral fragrance and crisp acidity. Raspberry, cherry and blueberry notes, with hints of spice. Chalky tannins and some structure from 25% new oak for 11 months.  A very appealing Pinot with the capacity to age.

The wines of Mayfield Vineyard are imported and sold in the UK by Enotria&Coe, which is a commercial partner of The Buyer.

Bibendum Premium Tasting May 2023

10 of the best fine wines from Bibendum’s premium expansion

Two new Barolos from Vietti are just some of the highlights of Bibendum’s re-vamped premium portfolio that includes the likes of Rioja pioneers Remirez de Ganuza, Rhône’s La Nerthe and an ‘all new’ Asian portfolio that features one of China’s priciest wines, Ao Yun. Geoffrey Dean discovers how premium on-trade is a key part of Bibendum’s expansion plans and picks out 10 wines that would fit well into any fine wine list.

By Geoffrey Dean June 13, 2023

 “We can’t be certain it was a red port. It might have been white, for when a port is this old, the colour of red and white ports can be the same,” says Vallado’s export manager about his 1888 port.

Export manager Pedro San Martin with White Bones – one of Dean’s picks from the Bibendum tasting

When you put on a premium wines-only tasting, as Bibendum did on a glorious late spring day at Lincoln’s Inn, a massive turnout is near inevitable. More than 80 wines from all over the world were uncorked at ‘The Cellar Tasting: A World of Fine Wine’ but, although few venues are more elegant than the Old Hall, it was packed. Tasting all the wines was consequently not possible, unless you had all day, but the Primrose Hill-based importer laid on a treat even if you only got round half of them.

More on some of the wines tasted later, including a magnificently venerable 1888 Port, but first a word or two from Andy Craig, Bibendum’s fine wine buyer for Europe and Asia.

“We’re doing a lot with our Asian customers, many of which were pre-existing, but a lot of new Asian restaurants are coming into the market as well, mainly in London,” he told The Buyer.

There was no Bordeaux available at the tasting from Bibendum’s Bordeaux Collection as Bibendum wanted to showcase other classic wines, but Craig revealed the company is working closely with some pre-eminent Medoc classed growths.

“We’re trying to get personal wines from the likes of Château Lafite that they haven’t released for the rest of the UK,” he said. “It’ll be very small quantities. We’ve been trying to raid the cellars of some of these owners with the promise we can get their wines into a really high-end account. And Bibendum is moving more in that direction – towards the premium end of the market.”

Bibendum’s Asian portfolio is “all quite new” in Craig’s words. It includes one of China’s priciest wines, Ao Yun’s flagship red blend from 2019 (67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Cab Franc, 10% Syrah, 6% Petit Verdot; £230). Made by French winemaker, Maxence Dulou, it has been marked highly by critics. With a low yield of 16hl/ha, it was aged in 35% new oak, 35% older oak and 30% Chinese stoneware jars. Herbal and cigar box aromas give way to intensely concentrated black truffle and chocolate notes. Soft, sinewy tannins, fresh acidity and a long finish help to make this an impressive wine. Also included from China are the Ningxia wine region producer, Chateau Changyu- Moser XV’s Purple Air Comes from the East Cabernet Sauvignon 2016 (£142). “Both are selling really well,” Craig revealed.

Indeed, business at all levels has been good, he declared. “Year on year since Covid, we’ve grown our sales. Supermarkets demand has been growing consistently, and we’re having another record year with them. Some smaller higher-end pubs seem to be doing well, and maybe it was the ones that were struggling beforehand that closed. The premium pub chains we’re dealing with seem to be doing well – they’re the ones that have good wine lists.”

Joao Roquette Alvares Ribeiro with Vallado 1888 Port

Flying in for the tasting was Joao Roquette Alvares Ribeiro the export manager of Quinta do Vallado, whose 19th century Port it was a privilege to taste. It was named ABF after his sixth great grandfather, Antonio Bernardo Ferreira.

“He lived around the time this Port was made in 1888,” Ribeiro said. “It had been in a 600-litre barrel until 2016 when we bottled it to celebrate our 200th anniversary. We produced 950 bottles and are now down to between 60 and 70. Bibendum has four or five in stock, and we have another 10-15 allocated to them. Hedonism has got some, as well as some restaurants who sell by the glass. Although you probably won’t convince people to pay the retail price [£2,576], it appeals to those who only drink at this price level. The places who sell Johnnie Walker Green label by the glass for £200 will take it. It has a good amount of volatile acidity, which normally you wouldn’t look for in a wine, but here it works perfectly as the residual sugar and alcohol are both at a very high level.” For the record, they came in at just over 200g/l and 22% ABV respectively.

CEO Charlie Mount with Mezes Maly Great 1st growth dry Furmint 2018

Also present was Royal Tokaji CEO Charlie Mount, who showcased their Nyulaszo 1st growth Aszu 6 puttonyos 2017 as well as their dry Furmint from the Mézes Mály Great 1st growth 2018. The latter, retailing at £19, was arguably the best-value wine on display. “The dry Furmint and late harvest we are able to produce every year,” Mount said, “but our Aszu and Essencia require such precise conditions in the vineyards that only a few vintages are ever released.”

One young winery that stood out was Viña Vik in Chile, which has all the makings of reaching iconic status after multi-million dollar backing from the uber-wealthy Norwegian family of the same name “Maybe Chile was lacking figurehead producers in the past compared to Argentina, but Vik, which is a relatively new one for our portfolio, is doing really well,” Craig declared. “The Chilean wines really stand up, but you do get some high alcohols although they’ve changed the winemaking styles in the last three or four years to bring freshness back. For the on-trade, that’s so important. Wine is a refreshment at the end of the day.”

10 wines that caught the eye at the Bibendum tasting 

International brand manager Pauline Guiset with Clos d’Ora ’18

Gérard Bertrand, Clos d’Ora 2018 (RRP £183): a seductive blend of Syrah (50%), Grenache, old-vine Carignan and Mourvèdre from eight biodynamically-farmed parcels in Languedoc. Glorious fruit, plenty of structure, high-quality tannins and fresh acidity balance high alcohol of 15.5% abv.

Vietti, Barolo ‘Ravera’ Piemonte 2018 (£181): a refined and elegant Barolo with notable finesse from what was a cool vintage. A princely Nebbiolo with delightfully silky, soft tannins. The sister Vietti Lazzarito vineyard produced a wine of comparably dazzling quality.

Remirez de Ganuza, Blanco Reserva Rioja DOC 2014 (£67): a blend of Viura and Malvasia from vines planted at 600m that is barrel-fermented in French oak, where it is aged for a further 8 months. Complexity and richness from batonnage. Honey and lemon notes with purity and freshness.

Quinta do Vallado, ABF Vintage Port 1888 (£2,576): unusually for a Port, this was aged inland in the Douro not Vila Nova de Gaia on the coast. “We can’t be certain it was a red port,” the winery’s export manager said. “It might have been white, for when a port is this old, the colour of red and white ports can be the same.” No matter the grapes used, this venerable relic has aged beautifully to become a great old fortified (22% abv).

Markus Huber, Gruner Veltliner ‘Berg’ Erste Lage, Traisental DAC Reserve 2021 (£32): from a biodynamically-farmed, steep, east-facing vineyard with a gradient of over 25%. Fermented and aged in acacia barrels with batonnage for 8 months. Fresh acidity counter-balanced by 4.8g/l residual sugar. Ripe pear notes with white pepper on the nose.

Royal Tokaji, Mezes Maly Great 1st growth Dry Furmint 2018 (£19): fermented and matured for six months in 300-litre old Hungarian oak casks, this is an elegant dry white with minerality and vibrant acidity. White peach and apricot notes with hints of spice and a long finish.

Catena Zapata, ‘White Bones’ Chardonnay 2020 (£32): one of not just Argentina’s but also the New World’s best Chardonnays. From very low-yielding rows in the Adrianna Vineyard at 1450m feet in the Gualtallary sub-district of the Tupungato region. The name comes from soil which contains calcareous deposits and fossilised animal bones. Earthy minerality is a feature of this concentrated wine with racy acidity (pH3.2). Battonage and partial malolactic fermentation softens TA of 8.1g/l, with spice from 14 months in second, third and fourth-fill French demi-muids.

Viña Vik, Millahue, Colchagua 2015 (£109): regal blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (67%), Cabernet Franc, Carménère and Merlot. The vines, planted in 2006-7 in the Cachapoal Valley to a density of 8,100 per hectare (60% higher than Chile’s average), get a cooling afternoon sea breeze blowing in from 40 miles away. This is crucial for the freshness of the Cabernet Sauvignon. Toned structure from 100% new French oak for 23 months. Cristian Vallejo, with Vik since the very start, is a passionate winemaker who crafts some eye-catching wines of poise, structure and balance.

Neudorf, Moutere Chardonnay, Nelson, New Zealand 2019 (£56). Another top New World Chardonnay – from the northern tip of the South Island. Complex and long and with terrific concentration and refreshing acidity. Lemon curd and yellow peach notes with a hint of spice from 20% new French oak.

Mount Langi Ghiran, Langi Shiraz 2017, Grampians, Victoria (£73): one of Australia’s greatest examples of Shiraz. From vines planted in 1969 at 1,000 metres that yield only 1.5 tons per acre, this is magnificently spicy, peppery and complex with tremendous length. Effortlessly absorbing 60% new oak, it has the structure to last well into the next decade.

English Harbour rum, Antigua

Discovering Antigua: English Harbour Rum & small batch gins

A limited edition 19 year-old English Harbour rum and boutique gin distiller are two major discoveries when Geoffrey Dean visits the Caribbean island of Antigua. The rum is to mark the 90th anniversary of Antigua Distillery, whose Calbert Francis gives the back story to this very special spirit. By contrast Dean also visits the much smaller distiller on the island, Antilles Stillhouse, where David Murphy is producing two gins using local, unique botanicals, a ‘fevergrass’ spirit as well as an Antiguan pastis.

By Geoffrey DeanJune 1, 2023

‘I like to chuckle that the Antigua distillery is the only place in the world where you get the French and the English working together to produce anything of value!” says Antigua Distillery’s Calbert Francis.

Last of a kind: Quin Farara rum shop, St John’s, Antigua

Rum lovers are in for a treat when Antigua Distillery Ltd, one of the oldest companies on the island, makes a special release on June 3 to celebrate its 90th anniversary. This will be an ‘English Harbour’ rum that has been matured for 19 years in Bourbon casks (44% abv). The asking price? A cool US$333 (or £269 at the time of writing). Around 1200 bottles will be available for sale, with the UK likely to get an allocation of around 60.

“We’ve been planning this for a couple of years and wanted something very, very special for the anniversary celebration in June,” Calbert Francis, the company’s sales and marketing VP, told me during a visit to the distillery’s head office in Antigua. “We wanted the number 9 inside all the figures: 90th anniversary, 19 years, selling for 900 Eastern Caribbean dollars*. Our founders, who set the company up, came from Madeira as indentured servants in the early 1900s. They started blending their own rums and opening up their own shops in St John’s. Then eight of them pooled their resources to set up the distillery, which cost £2,500 to build.”

Antigua Distillery was incorporated in 1933, having officially opened its doors in 1932. Fourth generation members of four of the founding families are still involved in the running of the business – namely Farara, DeFreitas, Diaz and Fernandez. “Paul Farara is chairman of the board – he’s second generation and in his nineties,” Francis said. “His father was one of the founders, and his niece Lisa runs the Quin Farara rum shop in St John’s, the last functioning one that our founders started.”

English Harbour’s new lease of life 

With premium rum one of the fastest growing sectors globally, Francis is hoping exports to the UK of the company’s flagship brand, the 5-year old English Harbour, can pick up again after the Covid pandemic and a change of British importer. “Our distribution in the UK has not been the best,” Francis professed. “We were with Spirits Elite there but changed last year to the Spirit Cartel, who have a better distribution network, covering the entire UK, and also a more robust sales team, near Paddington.

Calbert Francis: “Whenever there’s a party in heaven, the angels choose Antigua.”

“We would really like to increase exports to the UK. For me, it’s a shame that English Harbour is not a household name there, simply because of the name and what it represents. There’s history around the name: the British naval fleet had its HQ in Nelson’s Dockyard at the southern tip of the island in English Harbour, so the rum culture in Antigua is very strong.

“I’d say that 40% of our total rum sales is consumed in English Harbour alone in a 6-month period – by Antiguans and visitors. There are a lot of bars and restaurants there, as well as a couple of hotels, and you have the ships coming in. That whole sailing culture is really a rum culture – sailors used to get their tot of rum. When you look at the spirits consumed in English Harbour, rum is miles ahead of everything else. I think any bar in England would be proud to serve rum that has ‘English’ on the label. So it is quite disappointing that over the years we haven’t had that uptake. I think it’s just because of the distribution issue and not having enough resources in that distribution team. But going forward, I do see all that changing.”

UK imports of English Harbour rum in 2022 were actually zero. “That’s because we made the change of distributor then,” Francis revealed. “In 2021, it was maybe 200 nine-litre cases, the same figure pre-Covid. Germany, our number one market, takes two containers a year – that’s 2200 cases, all sent to our warehouse in Rotterdam. The USA is down the pecking order – we were in 30 states, but are now down to 16 but New York and California are the only tier one states we have to conquer. Canada’s another big market for us.”

Unique flavours 

Every Caribbean island’s rum is different in character, and Francis is a convincing salesman when it comes to pushing his own.

“What makes our English Harbour rum unique is a couple of things. First, we do open-top fermentation to get the benefit from bakers’ yeasts which have such consistency of flavour. Secondly, in terms of our still, I’ll go out on a limb and say we have the only continuous column hybrid copper still in the world. Our still is 100% copper, a Coffey-design one with two columns. The patent of the Coffey still was bought out by a UK company, John Dore. The two columns were modified into four columns to fit the height of the distillery. Our fifth column is from a previous French Savalle still we had, installed in 1964 but de-commissioned in 1991 when we put in the Dore still. But we kept the rectification column from the Savalle still and fused it with the Dore still. I like to chuckle that the Antigua distillery is the only place in the world where you get the French and the English working together to produce anything of value!”

The Antiguan climate, together with its exceptionally low rainfall, is another key influence on the character of English Harbour rum.

“Because our still is copper from start to finish, it tends to create a distillate that is very clean,” Francis continued. “But because Antigua is so hot, and historically the driest island in the Caribbean, we age rums quicker than any other rums in the region. Ours normally taste a bit more mature than what they say on the label. We used to age barrels lying down, and the angel’s share was ridiculous – up to 11%. I joke that whenever there’s a party in heaven, the angels choose Antigua. But after we started ageing standing up, we saw our loss came down to about 7-8%.”

The company’s cask-finished English Harbour rums are generally aged for five years in Bourbon barrels before spending 3-12 months in Port, Sherry or Madeira casks. Master distiller Sheldon Tucker and master blender Mario Wade then add around 10% of 10-year old rum into the final blend, bottling at an abv of 46% rather than 40%. No caramel is added. “All the rums are very different and each has its unique personality,” Francis mused.

“The port finish is the most subtle of the range. We get the barrels from Royal Porto Company that were used for their tawny port. So those casks are extremely old. The rum stays in the cask for around 9-12 months because it takes longer for those tawny flavours to integrate. The sherry butt finish is by far the most expressive – it’s the showpiece in the range, being very flamboyant and flashy. We use Oloroso sherry casks that are fairly new – four to five years old – so the rum only stays in those for three to four months. Then there’s the four different Madeira casks where the rum ages for five to six months – Sercial, Verdelho, Bual and Malmsey. They produce rums that are very nutty and marzipany – really unique. We don’t do a 15-year old, but we released a 25-year old in 2016 to celebrate a special anniversary of Antigua’s independence in 1981, and now there’s the 19-year old for our 90th anniversary.”

David Murphy: making small batch gin at Antilles Stillhouse

Antilles Stillhouse: Antiguan spirits on a different scale 

By delightful contrast is the newly-established Antilles Stillhouse. Here, in his family’s house overlooking English Harbour, David Murphy has set up a garagiste operation making two gin labels as well as a ‘fevergrass’ spirit and a pastis. After growing up on Antigua, where his father was the island’s archaeologist, Murphy became an assistant winemaker in Canada for 10 years before returning to Antigua in 2016 to become a distiller.

“I’d got into distillation in Canada, and realised you can do it anywhere,” he said. “It was something we could bring here where nothing but rum and beer was produced. Here there’s no juniper, which I import from eastern Europe, but I’m more about the other botanicals. I use star anise, Caribbean bitter orange, Christmas bush leaf, cinnamon from Dominica which is amazing, nutmeg from Grenada, black pepper, acacia blossom and cardamom. And I make my own neutral alcoholic spirit from brown sugar. I’ve got a pot still – a hybrid with a column on top – and have to triple distil.”

Murphy’s annual production is 400-500 bottles, of which the majority is his ‘Big Wood Gin’, although his ‘Pink Gin’ makes up a third. The fun Caribbean-style labels are designed by his wife. Retailing at US$37 per bottle, he says he can’t keep up with demand, with nearly all his stock sold at local liquor stores, restaurants and hotels.

“All the labels speak of sense of place,” he declared. “The Pink gets its colour from sorrel, a variety of hibiscus which gives it tart acidity, while the fevergrass’ only botanical is lemon grass. I aim for lots of flavour.” The Big Wood was a personal favourite, with its strong citrus nose and full body with lingering bitterness on the finish. A cracking gin to go with the island’s  great English Harbour rums.

*(2.7 EC$: 1US$)

Geoffrey Dean was a guest of The Great House, Antigua

Rum in Barbados

Barbados’ Foursquare distillery on making good affordable rums

After almost three decades producing rum in Barbados, Foursqure is still considered a newcomer, but with Mount Gay no longer producing 1703 Master Select, this most enterprising distiller senses a gap in the market, says Geoffrey Dean. Reporting from the Caribbean, Dean tours the plant and tastes through Foursquare’s range whose premium rums have a distinctive second maturation in a variety of used casks.

By Geoffrey Dean May 3, 2023

Rum drinkers around the world have been coming to terms with the recent announcement that Barbados’s most famous rum, Mount Gay’s 1703 Master Select, is no longer being produced. The odd bottle of it may still be found in a couple of stores on the island, but its scarcity value has more than doubled its retail price to around US$300. Not even the Whisky Exchange in London has a bottle of it.

Lack of old stock at Mount Gay is the reason – the 1703 requiring rum that is aged between ten and thirty years in cask – but the good news from Barbados, as I discovered on a recent visit there, is that the island’s other main distillery, Foursquare, is filling the void. Whereas Mount Gay is the oldest rum distillery in the world, being now over 300 years old, Foursquare is one of the youngest. It was built in 1996 after the Seales, a Bajan family, bought it as an abandoned property the year before. From 1720 to 1989 it had been a sugar factory.

Established in 1926 R.L. Seale & Co. Ltd. is the original trading company and parent company of Foursquare Rum Distillery

In less than three decades, Richard Seale, the master blender, has turned Foursquare into one of the most enterprising and successful distilleries in the Caribbean. It makes a variety of rums of all quality levels, from everyday drinking Cavalier to the premium Doorly’s brand and its own super-premium Foursquare labels. The latter are aged in a variety of different casks for 10 to 19 years, although the oldest don’t always fetch the highest prices. The 10-year old Criterion, for example, is amongst the Whisky Exchange’s priciest rums at £850 per bottle (70cl), being aged first in ex-Bourbon barrels and then former Madeira casks.

It is this second maturation in casks after an initial period in Bourbon ones that makes the Foursquare labels so intriguing. The Indelible (11-year old, 48% abv) saw secondary maturation in ex-Zinfandel barriques; the Detente (10-year old, 51% abv) in ex-Port casks; the Redoutable (19-year old, 61% abv) in ex-Madeira casks; the Touchstone (14-year old, 61% abv) in ex-Cognac barrels; the Sovereignty (19-year old, 62% abv) in ex-Sherry butts. For variety, the Isonomy (17-year old, 58% abv) was aged solely in former Bourbon casks.

Dario Folkes, the Foursquare tours manager who has been involved in the production process, gave an interesting insight. “The majority of what we produce are blended rums from a combination of pot and column stills,” he said. “Richard Seale has employed at least 10 different types of casks in the last 10 years for second maturation, with Sauternes and Marsala being other examples. One 6,000-bottle label called Sassafras that we produced for an Italian client saw three years in Bourbon casks before 11 years in Cognac ones.”

Dario Folkes

Seale is determined that Foursquare prices are not too high on release. “Richard wants good rums at affordable prices,” Folkes continued. “I think our rums – and the value you’re getting – do have the best price points for any rum. For me, consumers buy into stories – whether true or fake. They just want something they believe in – we try to focus on the education and go with the true story.”

Caldric Morgan monitors maturation in open-sided barrel warehouses to allow climate and surroundings to impact the process.

Although English-speaking islands have traditionally made rum from molasses, and the French-speaking ones from sugar cane juice, Seale has partially bucked that trend. The French Caribbean islands such as Martinique and Guadeloupe refer to their production process as ‘rhum agricole’ and the English-speaking islands’ as ‘rhum industriel’. Seale has added in a proportion of rum made by the ‘agricole’ method, giving his blends more elegance and florality. Folkes would not reveal exactly what percentage, however.

“We do a combination of molasses and cane juice,” he said. “From 2016, we added cane juice to some of the blends, based on Richard’s preference. Mount Gay don’t currently do it but are looking to. The other thing we are doing differently is higher alcohol levels in our rums – up from the usual 40% or so to 60% or more. Why? It relates to flavour and character. If any distiller had the ability to produce their product at the higher range they would. By law, they used to be restricted. Mount Gay did one recently for their 300th anniversary that was pretty high.” Incidentally, Mount Gay’s new master blender, Trudiann Branker, who took over from the legendary Allen Smith, is the first woman to be given the role.

Richard Seale is the fourth generation of the family which started as a blended and then expanded into distillation during the mid-late 1990’s.⁠

No discourse on Barbadian rum would be complete without mention of the island’s boutique producer, St. Nicholas Abbey. It is the only one that makes its rum from sugar cane syrup rather than molasses. The quality of their rums is high, but so too are their prices with their 15-year old selling in the Whisky Exchange for £247.

Geoffrey Dean was a guest of Santosha Hotel, Saint Andrew, Barbados 

Mentzendorff Tasting, London March 2023

The Mentzendorff annual tasting is a crucial date in the diary for all serious wine buyers – and so it proved once again as the importer laid out its wares in Whitehall’s palatial One Great George Street for what’s on offer during 2023. Geoffrey Dean found that the portfolio has all bases covered with a fine mix of classic wines and spirits plus new lines and picks out his highlights from the tasting.

By Geoffrey Dean March 21, 2023

“To finish with some of the world’s great brandies – a quintet of Delamain Cognacs – was a fitting conclusion to what was a special Mentzendorff annual tasting,” writes Dean.

Mentzendorff portfolio tasting, March 2, 2023

Few places in the world for a trade tasting can be grander than the Great Hall in Westminster’s One Great George Street, with its marble columned walls, ornate gold leaf and stunning 13-metre high ceiling. The latter features Charles Sims’ masterful painting commemorating the First World War, while two giant chandeliers hang off it to give a theatrical feel. The magnificence of the venue was matched by the splendour of wines and spirits that was offered for tasting by Mentzendorff, with all manner of new releases and ‘first looks’ at old classics.

Where better to start than a top English sparkling wine from the oldest commercial vineyard in England. That is, of course, Hambledon, where Felix Gabillet, a native of the Loire, has been winemaker since 2015. On show was the soon-to-be-launched Premiere Cuvée Rosé NV (RRP £75), a beguiling blend of 88% Pinot Meunier, 5% Pinot Noir and 7% Chardonnay. This spent five years on the lees and had 5g/l dosage. “I am so pleased with it,” Gabillet purred. “It is vivacious, intense and seductive with a marine undertone. The Meunier gives it a heady note.”

Gabillet’s compatriot, Vincent Avenel, managing director of Domaine Chanson, was also in the Great Hall with an impressive range of the Burgundy negociant’s wines from four vintages between 2017 and 2020. The Beaune Bastion Blanc 1er Cru 2018 (RRP £36) was a highlight. “It was a very warm year, and this is my favourite,” Avenel declared. “It is super with a perfect balance between freshness and maturity, with minerality and length.”

Half a dozen other French producers showed their wares, with three organically-farmed Cornas single vineyard Jean-Luc Colombo wines from the 2018 vintage catching the eye. These were Les Ruchets (RRP £69.50), La Louvée (£76) and the majestic Le Vallon de l’Aigle (£240). At the the other end of Vins Colombo’s price range, its Picpoul de Pinet Les Girelles 2021 offered value with its flinty minerality and fresh florality (£12.50).

Another southern French producer providing excellent value for its quintet of mid-market Solas labels (all £12.50) was Laurent Miquel.  Laurent was absent but his Irish wife, Neasa, was on hand to reveal they have the biggest planting of Viognier in the Languedoc. Their Viognier 2021, from vines dating back to the mid-90s, was both elegant and fresh, with ABV kept to 13% for a grape naturally high in alcohol. Its Albariño 2021 was particularly drinkable, while the Syrah 2020 was garriguey with very fresh acidity. ‘Solas’ means ‘light’ in Gaelic, and all five wines – the others being Chardonnay and Pinot Noir – were reflective of their name.

The Loire estate, Langlois-Château, also gave a reminder of what good value old vine Cabernet Franc can represent with their Saumur-Champigny Vieilles Vignes 2018 (£24.50). Its Coteaux de Saumur Les Beaugrands 2020, from a tiny, low-yielding, organically-farmed plot was a sumptuous sticky (with 50g/l residual sugar) that was well-priced at £28 (37.5cl).

Newly released by Mentzendorff was the delectable Vin de Constance 2019, one of the world’s great sweet wines – made by Klein Constantia in the western Cape. The winery’s marketing manager, Jacqueline Harris, whose husband is the viticulturist, had flown in from South Africa to showcase the 2019, which she declared one of the best vintages of recent years. She revealed that as many as 26 different passes were made through the Muscat de Frontignan vines to pick the grapes. “Each pass was vinified separately initially and then blended together during the latter part of fermentation to balance out the sugar, alcohol and acidity,” she said. For the record, the RS was 166g/l, the ABV 14%, the pH3.71 and TA 6.1g/l.

Another leading South African estate, Hamilton Russell, was represented by co-owner Olive Hamilton Russell, although not her husband Anthony who was resting at home in Hermanus after breaking a leg skiing. “We think our Pinot Noir 2022 is perhaps our best yet with its pure fruit, spicy structure and savoury notes,” she opined. “Our Chardonnay 2022, which was bottled only in November, we’re also very pleased with.” Both showed really well, retailing at £41 and £38 respectively.

Back in Europe,  leading Piemonte producer Ceretto was showing a couple of Barbarescos from 2018 and four Barolos from 2017. Nearly all of its vineyards have been organically farmed since 2015, including their Nebbiolo d’Alba Bernardina DOC 2018, a good early drinker. “2018 is more juicy and fruity than 2017, a challenging year with very strong tannins,” Edoardo Vacca, Ceretto’s export manager, said. The Barolos from 2017 certainly reflected this, notably the Brunate DOCG and the Prapo DOCG (both £125). By contrast, the Barbarescos from 2018 had much more approachable tannins, with the Bernadot DOCG already a pleasure to drink.

Ciacci Piccolomini d’Aragona in Tuscany have long produced outstanding Brunello di Montalcino. Four labels from 2017 and 2018 were on show, with the Pianrosso 2018, a new release, the pick (£65). Its Rosso di Montalcino DOCG 2020 is drinking well now, and offers value at £20. Its Extra Virgin Olive Oil Biologico (organic), priced the same, is some of Italy’s best, being highly complex with fruitiness, bitterness and notes of artichoke.

Another Tuscan estate, Tenuta Fertuna, was the first Italian winery to make white wine from Sangiovese grapes. Its Droppello Alto Bio IGT Costa Toscana Bianco 2020 (£17.50), of which 30,000 bottles were produced, sells well in both Italy and the USA. Hopes are high it will succeed in the UK market. With a low pH, it possessed vibrant acidity. A super-premium new wine, the Celeo 2018, a 50:50 blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot aged in 100% new oak, is set to retail at £35-40.

Super-premium Spanish wines were likewise on show with Bodegas Roda’s ultra low-yielding Cirsion 2019 justifying its £135 price tag. An appealing new wine from the Rioja Alta estate was unfurled – the Blanco 2020 (98% Viura, 1% Garnacha Blanca, 1% Malvasia), which was partly aged oxidatively.  Further west in Ribera del Duero, Bodegas La Horra’s Corimbo I 2016, from Tempranillo vines aged between 45 and 96 years old, had fine-grained tannins with remarkable concentration and exceptional length.

Across the Portuguese border, in Evora, Cartuxa’s two top-of-the-range whites (both £45) made an interesting comparison. Each were made from a field blend of Malvasia, Arinto, Roupeiro, Fernão Pires and Trincadeira, but whereas the Vinho de Curtimento 2016 was fermented and aged in stainless steel, the Vinho da Tavola 2018 was aged in clay amphorae.

Finally, to the fortified and spirits. The Fladgate trio of Fonseca, Taylor’s and Croft each showed their 2003 vintage ports, all now ready for drinking even though they will reward further cellaring. Taylor’s Golden Age 50-year old Tawny was sensational, its aromas of raisins, clove, prunes and black pepper giving way to notes on the palate of passion fruit, coconut, toasted almonds and butterscotch. At an altogether lower price point (£16.50), Henriques & Henriques’ newly released 5-year old Verdelho Single Vineyard underlined the exceptional value of Madeira of this age. The same could be said for Hidalgo’s La Gitana’s En Rama 2023, bottled straight from its sherry butt especially for the tasting.

To finish with some of the world’s great brandies – a quintet of Delamain Cognacs – was a fitting conclusion to what was a special Mentzendorff annual tasting. The new release of Pleiade La Rambaudie, Cognac Grande Champagne (RRP£180) was accompanied by the first showing of a new organic French gin named Anae (£42). Launched last year, it is a collaboration between creator Pauline Raffaitin, Group Bollinger and Delamain. Its eight botanicals, all sourced in France, are juniper, chamomile, cornflower, lemon thyme, lemon verbena, coriander, fenugreek and maceron seeds (aka marsh pepper).

Louis Latour Agencies tasting, London

Louis-Fabrice celebrated at first class Louis Latour Agencies tasting

The annual portfolio tasting for Louis Latour Agencies last week was an impressive affair, particularly given that it was the first since the tragic passing of Louis-Fabrice Latour last September. With his brother Florent Latour attending as well as MD Will Oatley, Geoffrey Dean got the lowdown on the company’s succession plans and the priorities for the coming year. New agencies Château Sainte Roseline from Côtes de Provence and Champagne’s Cobalte Vodka were unveiled along with all the new vintages and cuvées from the company’s tidy stable of international, family-owned estates. Dean also highlights nine wines (and a brandy) that caught his eye.

By Geoffrey Dean

All of the old Louis Latour Agencies’ favourites from around the world were available for tasting, as well as two new additions,” writes Dean.

Sadly missed: Louis-Fabrice Latour, London, November 2019

If there was sadness for many who attended the Louis Latour Agencies annual tasting in London following the tragic death of Louis-Fabrice Latour last September at the age of 58, they could at least console themselves in the truly outstanding quality of wines – and spirits – that were on show. His brother, Florent, who succeeded him as chairman of Maison Louis-Latour, was present, as was Will Oatley, the managing-director of the importer, who paid tribute while trying to look ahead.

“Louis-Fabrice was my boss for nine years, while Richard Nunn, my co-director, had known him since they were in their twenties,” Oatley said. “It is very sad, and a big challenge for Florent to keep coming over from his home in Washington. He’s been over every other week or so, but there will have to be some sort of a compromise.”

“Florent has kindly come in for stewardship for the next five years until Eléonore takes over from him. She is Louis-Fabrice’s oldest child and is just finishing her law degree, and will come into the business for a fairly intensive induction programme for five years before hopefully taking over by the age of 30. She will be the first female CEO at Louis Latour in 226 years as they have always gone for the oldest son. Finally, the women will get the recognition they deserve as the 12th generation.”

The focus for 2023

Will Oatley

What were the importer’s priorities for this year, I asked?

“Definitely more fine wine,” Oatley mused. “Availability is the critical issue we face because of the 2021 vintage’s lean yield, but there is undoubtedly still demand for fine wine in the upper echelons of wealth in this country. The Burgundy shortfall is a big issue, but there seems to be a crazy scenario where however high the price goes, people don’t care: there’s still demand for top-end Burgundy.”

“We had a bountiful ’22 vintage but we probably need another bountiful ’23 for things to start catching up with the deficit. There’s not as much stock of older vintages as we’d like. We’ve still got good quantities of our main grands crus – Corton-Charlemagne & Château Corton Grancey – but demand globally has been insane. So we’re just trying to keep up with it, but in general I think the business is very robust.”

Bruno Pepin, export director for Maison Louis Latour, revealed just how low the yield had been in the frost-hit 2021 vintage.

“In Corton-Charlemagne, we own 10.5 hectares, which means we would normally produce around 400 hl, but in 2021 it was just 60 hl, or 16% of a normal year,” he said. “For the reds, we produced around 20%. Vineyards never used to get exposed to frost before the month of May, but with warmer winters, the vines start growing earlier and now get exposed from late March to early April. Fans are not enough – we put candles in or spray water or use electrical cables but those are very expensive.”

Pepin revealed that the company’s premium 2022 Burgundies would not be released till the second half of the year. “But the entry level wines are likely to be released six months before the normal date – in March or April as the market is asking for it,” he added. “The ’22 vintage is going to be absorbed extremely quickly, so we are hoping that ’23 will be as good in quality and quantity as ’22, because if not, there’s going to be a problem again.”

Given the shortage of stock, consumers might like to consider Simonnet-Febvre’s well-priced Irancy Paradis 2020 from Grand Auxerrois. Supple tannins and generous fruit were its hallmarks. The company’s managing director, Paul Espitalié, declared:  “We’re trying to push the Irancy here as we have plenty of stock, although not to supermarkets.”

Other Pinot Noirs that showed well were Pyramid Valley’s North Canterbury 2019 from the South Island of New Zealand and Wakefield Wines’ Estate 2021, with grapes being sourced  from various regions of South Australia. Wakefield’s top-of-the-range St. Andrews Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 label underlined how good the varietal can be in the Clare Valley. Fine, suave tannins and glorious fruit that saw a long hang-time were features.

Oatley spoke of his determination to balance the portfolio and to get an equilibrium between Old and New World. This he has achieved nicely. The former is powerfully represented by Louis Latour’s own Burgundies, Simonnet-Febvre’s Chablis holdings, Vidal-Fleurie’s Rhône labels, Domaine Michel Redde in the Loire, Gosset in Champagne and Castello Banfi in Piemonte and Tuscany.

New World devotees, meanwhile, can choose between not just Wakefield and Pyramid Valley but fellow top Australasian wineries in McHenry Hohnen (Margaret River) and Smith & Sheth (Hawkes Bay). Americas representation comes from Viu Manent in Chile’s Colchagua Valley, while Morgenhof flies the flag for South Africa. It is an impressive range of styles and price-points from around the world that should satisfy any wine-drinker.

Provence Rosé and vodka from Champagne: new additions

Iconic Nectars’ Victoria Bourguignon: vodka made from Champagne grapes

All of the old Louis Latour Agencies’ favourites from around the world were available for tasting, as well as two new additions to the stable: Château Sainte Roseline, Côtes de Provence Cru Classé and Cobalte Vodka, Ay-Champagne.

“Provence Rosé has been having an exponential increase in the last five years, especially in the UK,  and shows no sign of slowing down, so we thought we’d ride the crest of a wave,” Oatley reasoned.  “Spirits is another priority for us. We took on Frapin in 2015, and it has sold incredibly well since then. We thought there was an opportunity for an additional spirit, namely Cobalte vodka.”

Coming in a blingy, cylindrical-shaped bottle, this super-premium vodka enjoys the unusual distinction of being made from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grapes from the Montagne de Reims. Fusing minerality, roundness of fruit and freshness, it was distilled with its lees five times, creating an end product of purity and elegance.

Aurélie Bertin: a foothold in the UK for the premium cuvées

Château Sainte Roseline is one of the 18 remaining Cru Classé estates in Provence, and the only one in Les Arcs-sur-Argens, some 35 km from St Tropez. It has three appealing Rosés – a mid-market, a lower-premium and a super-premium as well as a premium white made from Rolle, and a flagship red blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. The lower-premium Rosé, labelled ‘Lampe de Meduse’ 2022 comes in a curiously-shaped bottle with a bulbous bottom, and is a blend of seven varietals: Grenache (the main one at 40%), Cinsault, Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Carignan, Rolle and Tibouren.

A sister estate named Château des Demoiselles lies only seven kilometres away, and produces a trio of good mid-market labels: a red, a white and a Rosé. The sartorially elegant Aurélie Bertin, who owns both, declared her aim is to gain a foothold in the UK. “We currently export 28% of our production, but we would like to develop that and especially the UK market,” she said. “We have exported a little bit here before but not the top cuvées. We are very happy to work with Louis Latour as they know how to sell premium wine.”

Oatley revealed more additions might be made this year. “We’re always looking but it has to fit in with the company’s ethos, being all family-owned and family-run by quality people,” he said. “California has obvious voids to fill – but they’ve got to fulfil the criteria. So yes we’re in the market but it’s a very slow and measured expansion.”

9 wines (and a brandy) that caught the eye 

Louis Latour Ardèche Viognier 2021: winemaker Marion Bosquet says she likes to pick early and ensure the ABV never goes above 13.5% for this naturally high-in-alcohol grape. Freshness and attractive fruit mark this well-balanced, seductive Viognier.

Louis Latour Château Corton Grancey Grand Cru 2019: herbal, floral aromas, seductive redcurrant and red cherry notes along with notable freshness and firm tannins are the hallmarks of this graceful Pinot. Wonderful concentration and a very persistent finish.

Vidal-Fleury Vacqueyras 2020: Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre make up a blend that is already drinking well. Intensely floral with garriguey, herbal and spicy notes. Marked intensity of flavour with glorious red fruit and approachable tannins.

Côtes de Provence La Chapelle de Sainte Roseline Rosé 2022 (cask sample): 80% Mourvèdre which spent three months in old oak, with Grenache and Rolle making up the balance. A food wine which has freshness, structure and complexity.

Castello Banfi Brunello di Montalcino Poggio alle Mura 2018: no new oak for this classy, full-bodied  Brunello with velvety tannins. Glorious red fruit (100% Sangiovese) with great concentration and a very long finish.

McHenry Hohnen Marsanne-Roussanne 2020: fruit for this enticing Margaret River Rhône-style blend came from the biodynamically-farmed Hazel’s Vineyard. Winemaker Jacopo Dalli Cani eschews technology in the vinification process, and has made a really expressive premium wine.

Smith & Sheth Cru Heretaunga Albariño, Hawkes Bay, NZ 2021: Steve Smith MW and Brian Sheth, a wealthy wildlife conservationist, got together to source fruit from exceptional sites – this being loam over gravel soils. Partial malolactic fermentation; bright lime and ripe peach fruit.

Viu Manent Loma Blanca Single Vineyard Carmenère 2019: high quality Chilean Carmenère from a Colchagua Valley estate celebrating its 88th year after being founded by Catalan emigrés, the Viu family. Medium-bodied with ripe red fruit and dried herb, spicy notes.

Gosset Grande Reserve NV: Five years on the lees for this top-class Champagne with elegance, purity and precision. Pinot Noir (45%), Chardonnay (45%) & Pinot Meunier (10%) from premier and grand cru vineyards surrounding Ay and Epernay, with 8g/l dosage.

Cognac Frapin Château Fontpinot XO: a magnificent rich, complex brandy to celebrate the 100th anniversary of production. Still in original family ownership, the company’s head, Jean-Pierre Cointreau, is a direct descendant of the founder. Frapin’s 240 hectares of Ugni Blanc vines that surround Château Fontpinot are all in the Grande Champagne area.

The Diversity of Victorian Pinot

Geoffrey Dean: discovering the full diversity of Victoria Pinot Noir

Victoria Pinot Noir is arguably Australia’s finest, but there is more to the State than Mornington Peninsula and Yarra Valley as Geoffrey Dean discovered when he spent a three-week driving tour there – teasing out some of the lesser-known gems in Victoria’s vinelands. There are eight regions (aside from Mornington and Yarra) which are all producing outstanding Pinot Noir which Dean explores, highlighting the producers that may well be under most people’s radar.

By Geoffrey Dean January 22, 2023

While good quality Pinot Noir is grown in almost every wine-producing Australian state, Victoria Pinot Noir is unique in the extraordinary number of different regions where premium examples of the varietal are found. Yarra Valley and Mornington Peninsula are the most renowned, but on a recent three-week driving tour of Victoria’s winelands, as many as eight other regions came up trumps with some outstanding Pinot.

To Gippsland, Macedon Ranges and Geelong, all top-class regions for Pinot Noir, can be added Beechworth, Grampians, Phillip Island, Pyrenees and Upper Goulburn. All these regions are remarkably diverse, which is what makes Victoria perhaps the most interesting Australian state to visit for the wine connoisseur. While you can certainly strike out from Melbourne on day trips, it is well worth staying in regional centres such as Ballarat, Bendigo and Geelong. These three will be the main host towns for the 2026 Commonwealth Games along with Gippsland.

To Gippsland and back

It is in south Gippsland, a very cool climate region to the east of Melbourne, that Bass Phillip is situated. For many, this is the DRC of Aussie Pinot, being not just a world-class producer but very Burgundian in style. The French certainly covet it, with Burgundian vigneron Jean-Marie Fourrier buying it in 2020. Another Gippsland winery of grand cru standard is Narkoojee, which means ‘place of flowers’ in the Aboriginal language. Owned by the Friend family, its ‘Valerie’ Pinot Noir 2021 was suitably floral, with delicate supple tannins and seductive red fruit. It was named after its talented winemaker Axel Friend’s mother.

The drive back from Gippsland to Melbourne takes you past Cannibal Creek Vineyard, a hidden gem on granitic soils, and on to the beautiful Yarra Valley, with its plethora of top Pinot. At last year’s Australian Pinot Noir Challenge, the best of region trophy for the Yarra Valley went to Yarra Yering 2021. Fruit for this came from some of the oldest vines in the valley dating back to 1969. The pioneer who planted them was Dr Bailey Carrodus, whose 1973 vintage was the first commercial wine produced in the valley for more than 50 years.

Slightly younger vines provide what is superlative fruit for the five different single vineyard labels of Giant Steps. These can be tasted through at the winery’s homely cellar door in the town of Healesville. The Applejack Vineyard, planted in 1997 on grey clay loam at 220-320 metres, is widely considered to be one of the greatest sites for Pinot in Australia. The 2021 vintage, with its perfume, spice, silky tannins and formidable concentration, is a knockout.

No visit to the Yarra Valley is complete without a tasting at Timo Mayer. The boutique 3-hectare winery is nestled atop the splendidly-named Mt Toolebewong, eight kilometres south of Healesville. Stunning views and a warm welcome from the German-born Timo and his partner Rhonda Ferguson await those who make it there, while their Pinot, combining delicacy and depth, is a delight. Swig, the London-based importer, stocks the Mayer wines.

No visit is complete… Geoffrey Dean (l) with Timo Mayer

The temperate climate of Mornington Peninsula

From the Yarra Valley, it is an easy drive south to the Mornington Peninsula, named after the Duke of Wellington’s brother, the Earl of Mornington, who played a leading part in restricting French designs in the Australian Pacific in the early 1800s. The rich history of the region is explored in Andrew Caillard MW’s scholarly new book, published last year,  Essence of Dreams: the Story of Mornington Peninsula Wine. “Although the wine industry there can be traced back to the 1850s,” he writes, “momentum was only achieved in the 1970s when a group of idealists developed their own vineyards with the aim of making fine wine. Their collaborative efforts allowed ambitions of another age to be fully realised.”

Richard McIntyre winemaker for Moorooduc Estate

Those pioneers – at Elgee Park,  Main Ridge,  Merricks and Stonier – were followed by Dromana and Moorooduc. “They attracted a wonderful array of new dreamers and capital investment to the region,” Caillard continues, “and established the beginning of a new great Australian wine region.”

Significantly, at the Royal Melbourne Wine Awards of 2013, a Mornington wine, Yabby Lake’s Block 1, 2012, became the first Pinot Noir to win the coveted Jimmy Watson Trophy for the best one or two-year old Australian red. A year later at the Decanter World Wine Awards, the Moorooduc McIntyre 2013 was runner-up in a global field of non-Burgundian Pinots Noirs.

High country – The Macedon Ranges 

Michael Dhillon, winemaker for Bindi

While the Mornington Peninsula wine region is surrounded by three sides of water which profoundly shape its temperate climate, the Macedon Ranges to the north-west of Melbourne are cool to cold with some of Australia’s highest vineyards (up to 800m). It may be a lesser-celebrated region with an annual crush of only 2,000 tons (compared to the Yarra Valley’s 38-40,000) but it features some of the country’s finest Pinot. Two brilliant winemakers, Michael Dhillon of Bindi and Matt Harrop of Curly Flat, have established a cult following. The former’s labels are not available in the UK but the latter’s are, through Milestone Wines in Lancashire.

Matt Harrop, winemaker for Curly Flat

Geelong – completing the ‘dress circle’

The Macedon Ranges and Mornington Peninsula are two of the three wine regions that encircle Melbourne and are known as the ‘dress circle’, a term coined by venerable Australian wine critic James Halliday. The third region is Geelong where a formidable sextet of wineries produce some of Victoria’s best Pinots – Bannockburn, By Farr, Clyde Park, Lethbridge, Provenance and Scotchmans Hill. All have welcoming cellar doors, with outstanding restaurants found at Provenance and at the Jack Rabbit winery, whose views from the Bellarine Peninsula across Port Phillip Bay are majestic.

Lethbridge’s vines, situated at 260-270m, are planted on basalt-derived clays in a high-grade sub-appellation called the Moorabool Valley where drainage, cool nights and soil pH are key. Bannockburn (imported by GB Wine Shippers) and Wine By Farr (Amathus Drinks) are near-neighbours of Lethbridge, whose UK distributors are Berkmann Wine Cellars.

Lesser known Victoria Pinot Noir 

What though of the lesser known regions in Victoria for Pinot Noir? The most obscure would have to be Phillip Island, which is sandwiched between the Mornington Peninsula and western Gippsland.  The island is home to the Purple Hen winery, which stole up on the blindside at the Victorian Wine Show in October last year to claim one of only 4 gold medals awarded. The sole Victorian Pinot producer to outscore it – by one point – was Foxeys Hangout on the Mornington Peninsula.

The state’s most westerly winery where Pinot is made is Best’s Wines in the Great Western sub-region of the Grampians. While its Pinot Noir vines are not as ancient as its Pinot Meunier ones, which date back to 1866, some are up to 50 years old. The 2021 vintage which saw 10% new oak, has lovely vibrant red fruit. “Capturing that freshness is the essence of this Pinot Noir,” said winemaker Simon Fennell.

Top Pinot fruit is actually grown even further west than the Grampians in the Henty region, although it is vinified at Best’s Wines’ neighbouring producer, Seppelt. Their Drumborg Vineyard 2020 label is outstanding, with expressive red/blue berries and rhubarb notes with supple tannins. A tour of Seppelt’s two miles of underground drives and cellars is alone worth the long journey from Melbourne.

Mitchell Harris Pinot

A little to the east of the Grampians is the Pyrenees region, and its capital Ballarat. There, Mitchell Harris Wines, whose 25-year old Wightwick Vineyard is a few miles from the old gold-mining town, produce a lovely 2021 Pinot Noir. Freshness comes from a pH as low as 3.3, while the lifted, floral red fruit enjoys structure from 25% new hogsheads. Winemaker John Harris gives a warm welcome to visitors to the atmospheric cellar door, a converted 1880s brick workshop in the middle of Ballarat.

To the north-east of Melbourne lie two scenic outlying regions where superb Pinot is made. Near the town of Mansfield in the Upper Goulburn region is the Delatite winery, which has stunning views from its new restaurant and cellar door over the Victorian Alps, a popular skiing destination. Despite its proximity to mountains, winemaker David Ritchie rejects the notion that Delatite is cool climate, even if summer nights are fresh. These help retain acidity in his Ritchie’s Block Pinot Noir 2021, whose vines were planted in 1976. Full-bodied and complex, this is a very classy wine, and available through GB Wine Shippers.

Rick Kinsbrunner, winemaker for Giaconda

Last but certainly not least is the region of Beechworth, not far from the New South Wales border.  Here, Rick Kinsbrunner founded the Giaconda winery, which has achieved super-cult status for its Chardonnay. But the 75-year old sage, who spends the European summers in France, makes world-class Pinot Noir from low-yielding vines planted at 400 metres on 450-million year-old granitic loam over decomposed gravel and clay. The 2021, which I tasted ex-barrel with Rick, came from a small plot that yielded only 30 hl/ha.

“It’s the best Pinot I’ve made for years, and the closest to a real Burgundy,” Kinsbrunner purred. “Australian Pinot can lack tannins, but I love them. I used 60 to 70% whole bunch, as well as 15% new oak for a year.” Muscularly powerful yet supple with stunning fruit, this has all the makings to join the long list of great Aussie Pinots from Victoria.

Geoffrey Dean was a guest of Visit Victoria (www.visitmelbourne.com)

Ten top wines from 2022

With two months of the year spent in both Australia and South Africa, it is no surprise that Geoffrey Dean has picked almost all of his top wines of 2022 from these two countries, with only the Tommasi, Deburis Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Riserva DOCG 2010 being the ‘odd one out’. With so much time spent in the field Dean has a knack of discovering wines that are not the usual suspects and which other wine experts seem to have missed.

By Geoffrey DeanDecember 28, 2022

Benguela Cove Lagoon Wine Estate, Catalina Semillon 2019, Walker Bay, South Africa 14% abv

Vineyards planted on clay and shale soils where sheep grazed on the banks of the Bot River estuary near Hermanus are now producing outstanding wines like this predominantly barrel-fermented Semillon. There is history in the label, for the lagoon bordering the estate was used as a base for the RAF’s Catalina flying boats in World War II. One such flying boat is on the label. Johann Fourie, one of South Africa’s most capable winemakers, says the wine “was made to be remembered.” It certainly has been by this correspondent, who was enchanted by its complexity, texture and length, underpinned by vibrant acidity and oystershell minerality. Hay and lanolin notes add to its allure. Ethereally gorgeous now but with long cellaring potential.

Andrew Bretherton & John Fogarty of Deep Woods

Deep Woods, Single Vineyard Cabernet Malbec 2020, Margaret River, Western Australia 14% abv

Cabernet-Malbec blends work brilliantly in the Margaret River, with an 80/20 percentage split here. Some of the older vines found in the region – these were planted in 1985 at the northern end of it in the Yallingup Hills – have been coaxed by viticulturist John Fogarty to produce some glorious intense fruit for senior winemaker Andrew Bretherton. He has judged the oak regime deftly, with maturation for 18 months in 30% new French barriques with medium toast. Supple, fine-grained tannins, fresh angular acidity and concentrated blackcurrant notes with the Malbec providing some frisky red fruit lift. A wonderful wine from a producer that keeps reaching ever higher levels of quality.

Dewaldt Heyns, Weathered Hands Chenin Blanc 2019, Swartland, South Africa 14% abv

Dewaldt Heyns, the highly regarded Saronsberg winemaker, also produces his own eponymous label from fruit on his family’s old farm, Uitvlug, in the Paardeberg. “My father’s weathered hands testify to a lifetime of faithful toil among the vineyards of his Swartland farm,” reflected Heyns on his choice of name for the range (which includes a superb Shiraz). This outstanding Chenin Blanc, from low-yielding dry-grown bush vines planted on weathered granite in the 1970s, was barrel-fermented in 40% new French barriques, spending 11 months in them. Sumptuous, textural yet refined, the wine is truly evocative of the Paardeberg ward.

John Griffiths of Faber Vineyard

Faber Vineyard, Liqueur Muscat NV, Swan Valley, Western Australia 16.8% abv

John Griffiths, former Houghton winemaker, now farms 11 hectares of his own vines in the Swan Valley sub-region just outside Perth. His still wines are excellent but this luscious sticky is simply sensational, a reminder that not just Rutherglen produces great fortified Muscats. Faber Vineyard is dry-grown in a Mediterranean climate that has mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers. A cornucopia of oriental sweet spices and complex flavours including silken toffee, dried raisins, caramel, dates, figs and honeycomb. Wondrous concentration and length, together with  300 g/l of residual sugar make it the perfect accompaniment for Christmas or ultra-rich puddings.

Graham Beck, Cuvee Clive 2017, Robertson, South Africa 12.5% abv

One of the New World’s best sparkling wines, this is named after the late son of Graham Beck who died in his thirties. It spent four and a half years on the lees, being disgorged in September 2021. Made up of 60% Chardonnay, which came from both Robertson and Napier and was barrel-fermented, and 40% Pinot Noir, all from Durbanville and tank-fermented, its dosage was 3.8g/l and pH 3.15. Very persistent mousse and voluptuous yet fresh, with seductive brioche and biscuit notes. Creamy texture with exceptional length.

Daniel & Bill Pannell of Picardy

Picardy, Chardonnay 2021, Pemberton, Western Australia 12.5% abv

Bill Pannell, widely regarded as the doyen of Western Australia winemakers, made this top-class Chardonnay in partnership with son Daniel in the cool climate region of Pemberton, 200 miles south of Perth. Pannell senior founded iconic Margaret River winery Moss Wood before moving to Pemberton as he craved Burgundian-style Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The dynamic duo make world-class examples of both from vines planted as far back as 1993. The 2021 Chardonnay is perhaps their best yet, with florality, freshness and finesse its hallmarks. The oak (25% new) is already perfectly integrated, while partial malolactic fermentation (40%) leaves sufficient residual malic acid for some minerality. The quality of the fruit establishes itself in a millisecond, swooping in and gliding across the palate with citrus, white peach and cumquat notes. A very classy Chardonnay with great length.

Pikes, EWP Shiraz 2020, Clare Valley, South Australia 14% abv

Named after Edgar Walter Pike, father of owner and renowned viticulturist Andrew, this is a superb example of medium-bodied Clare Valley Shiraz. A multitude of enticing flavours with blackberry and black cherry fruit complemented by meaty, clove-like and undergrowth notes as well as peppercorn spiciness. New oak restricted to 15%, with supple tannins giving plenty of structure, while a low pH of 3.52 affords juicy freshness. Everything is in perfect balance in this savoury, complex and long wine that will cellar for another decade or more. Alternatively have a bottle at Pikes’ award-winning restaurant, Slate, built four years ago next to the tasting-room.

Tommasi, Deburis Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Riserva DOCG 2010, Veneto 15.9% abv

One of Italy’s greatest wines, the fruit for this spectacular four-grape blend comes mainly from Tommasi’s best-known vineyard, La Groletta, a 1.9 hectare plot at 250 metres overlooking the town of Negrar in Veneto. Corvina makes up 60% along with Corvinone Veronese (25%), Oseleta (10%), Rondinella (5%). Oseleta is added to give colour and structure. Tommasi do not release this wine until ten years after vintage – the first five years being spent in 20-hectolitre Slavonian oak vessels and the next five in bottle. The tannins, already soft from La Groletta’s chalky soils, are beautifully integrated. Notwithstanding an abv of 15.9%, the balance of this powerful yet elegant Amarone is pitch-perfect, with a pH of 3.65, residual sugar of 4.5 g/l and TA of 6.29 g/l. Incredibly long, complex and concentrated, layer after layer unfurls with notes of blueberry, dark cherries, coffee, dates and leather.

Voyager Estate, MJW Cabernet Sauvignon 2018, Margaret River, Western Australia, 14% abv

Who doesn’t love a Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon, and a brilliant one like this? Taking the initials of the late Michael Wright, who bought Voyager in 1991, expanded it and handed the reins over to his daughter Alexandra Burt, this is a special label from an exceptional vintage. Produced from organically-farmed 41-year old vines that yielded less than three tons per hectare, the wine sings then soars. Deftly balanced and neatly structured, with ageing for 18 months in fine-grained French barriques, 46% new, this is a medium-bodied wine of real elegance yet power, with fine powdery tannins. Sumptuously flavoured with a core of red fruit, and blessed with great persistence and freshness, this superbly structured and deeply perfumed Cabernet has a long life ahead of it. Hard to resist even now though.

Whistler Wines, Estate Shiraz 2021, Barossa Valley, South Australia, 14.3% abv

Penfold’s former head vineyard manager, Martin Pfeiffer, established this gem of a boutique winery in 1999. He planted the Shiraz clone that goes into Grange – Kalimna 3C – as well as two other top clones of the varietal, 1654 and BVRC30. These vines are producing some superlative fruit with super-low yields of less than a ton per acre. Martin’s son, Sam and his Canadian wife Kelsey, have taken over the vineyard with Michael Corbett the new winemaker. The Wine Society were so impressed with this wine that they bought a substantial allocation that will be offered to members in the New Year. Snap up this wonderfully expressive Shiraz. It has aromas of dark plum, coffee and black pepper while blue/black fruits and smooth silky tannins, allied with freshness and vitality, render it a delight on the palate. The oak regime has been well judged, with one in every three barrels being new (both French and American).  A wine that will reward cellaring, but a delight now.

Hundred Hills, UK sparkling wine producer

How English fizz newcomer Hundred Hills has got wine critics purring

Hundred Hills is a relative newcomer to the English sparkling wine revolution and yet its six wines are already making serious waves. The winery itself, nestled as it is in the Chilterns, has been rated by Jancis Robinson MW as one of the top English wineries, with its Blanc de Noirs 2019 rated as best English fizz and the new vintage of its Blanc de Blancs, as best English BdB. Geoffrey Dean went to see what all the fuss is about and to discover from owner/ winemaker Stephen Duckett, what he’s done differently to stand out from the crowd.

By Geoffrey DeanDecember 16, 2022

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“More and more people are discovering Hundred Hill wines for themselves and relishing what they find,” writes Dean.

Hundred Hills: there are real advantages in being inland if you can solve the frost problem

When Hundred Hills owner Stephen Duckett and his wife Fiona started looking in 2009 for a property that was suitable for the production of English sparkling wine, they searched the length and breadth of southern England. Their exhaustive quest finally ended in the beautiful Stonor Valley, a few miles north of Henley, in the most quintessential of English rural settings: at Bank Farm, nestled down country lanes, flanked by woodland and situated close to the historic Grade 1 listed Stonor Park, itself lived in by the same family for 850 years and with its own cricket ground.

Attention to detail is the mantra of Duckett, who gained a first in engineering from Oxford University in 1990 when firsts were not doled out as freely as nowadays. That won him a scholarship to Harvard Business School, after which he spent the next two decades helping to establish a number of young software companies. Some such as Iris, Doubleclick and Kronos have become major technology businesses.

Stephen Duckett, October 2022

The appliance of science

As a farmer’s son from Somerset, though, Duckett missed the land, and thanks to an obsession with finding the best place to make wine, he instigated “an enormous amount of frost and airflow modelling as well as soil analysis.” This was performed on 50 sites over three years in Kent, Sussex and Dorset before his focus centred on the Chilterns.

 “We looked everywhere,” he mused when I visited him at Bank Farm, aka the Hundred Hills winery, just before harvest, “but we concluded there are real advantages in being inland if you can solve the frost problem. You’re also drier at this time of the year, and there is much less pressure from botrytis and mildews. Last year, a difficult one for both in England, we had a perfectly clean vineyard. We had lots of people coming to see us that couldn’t quite believe it. But here is a textbook valley as it gets a lot of airflow and has no issues with frost.

“Over there is Aylesbury Plain: the bottom of that is minus 3 or minus 4 degrees on the really cold spring nights you worry about – lethal for a vineyard – but at the head of the valley it’s 2 or 3 degrees. That air drifting down the valley is enough to protect you. Steep slopes like we have here help a lot and woodlands a little, and we have frost fans from New Zealand that do a little bit of air movement, but really it’s our position close to the head of the chalk valley that’s so important.”

Hundred Hills just prior to harvest

Apart from airflow and topography, what Duckett also badly wanted was the right soil. “This here was fallow grazing land for over 400 years – no one had used it for anything else,” he continued. “It was very, very poor calcareous soil on chalk. And 250 metres of soft chalk down to an aquifer, so it drains beautifully. Chalk holds those micro-droplets of water in its sub-structure, so in drought the vines get enough water out of the chalk sub-soils to stay healthy.”

Champagne expertise

Having acquired Bank Farm in 2012, Duckett then called on the advice of some Champagne heavyweights ahead of the planting of 17 hectares of vines (all protected two miles of deer-proof fencing). The well-respected Epernay viticulturist, Frank Mazy, who consults for Taittinger’s Domaine Evremond estate in Kent, recommended two low-yielding high quality clones – 95 for Chardonnay and 115 for Pinot Noir. No Pinot Meunier was deemed necessary due to the site’s cool nights and consequent ability to retain acidity. Also part of the advisory team were Dr Michael Salgues, a former winemaker for Roederer in California,  and Pierre-Marie Guillaume, a prominent Champagne winemaker and professor of oenology at Montpellier.

While Duckett makes the wines – all of them sparkling with no intention to produce any still ones – he acknowledges that their quality is all down to the vineyard and his Italian viticulturist, Enrico.

“He arrived in 2013 with a rucksack on back and has never left,” Duckett smiled. “Sometimes you just get lucky. I couldn’t be here without him I don’t think. We interviewed about 30 people… mainly French or Italian. When you’re starting up, you need people who lead by example, and Enrico was clearly a doer.”

Stephen Duckett, Geoffrey Dean, Liss Garnett, Bullet (l-r)

Being an engineer, it is no surprise Duckett installed 300 sensors in the vineyards.

“These tell you all sorts of things – humidity, leaf wetness, soil wetness etc – but also a lot about nutrient availability. We don’t get eutypa here as we’re so young, and we’re very up on bio-security. We’re just not surrounded by other vineyards. We do employ organic practices although we’re not certified. Effectively we are organic. Downy mildew hit England last year, and this year powdery did. We didn’t get any at all. We have stunning old trees of over 100 years of age, and we’re surrounded by woodland on all sides.”

Sales strategy

Duckett looks to produce about 50,000 bottles per year.

“We make vintage-only wines that are very terroir-driven,” he said. “Usually in a given year, there are about five or six different wines. Apart from our Zero Dosage label, which gets some partial, we don’t put the wines through malolactic fermentation as that would see the detail of our very clean grapes lost. Regular batonnage adds richness.”

As for sales, which are going extremely well, over 95% of Hundred Hills’ labels are sold in the UK.

“We sell a quarter of our wines to the Oxford University colleges, such as Christchurch, Magdalene and Johns,” Duckett revealed. “The remainder is sold direct to consumers and high-end restaurants. It’s by the case only but you get free delivery in the UK. We also have several hundred people in our wine club. The USA is our main export market, but we even sell a little bit in Champagne – as a novelty.”

Indeed, the word is spreading fast just how good the Hundred Hills wines are. But Stephen Duckett, while one of the brightest of winemakers, is still something of a traditionalist.

“No garish marketing for us – we just want people to discover our wine for themselves.”

More and more people are doing just that, and relishing what they find.

Hundred Hills wines tasted

Hundred Hills BdB 2018: Top rated English BdB according to Jancis Robinson MW

‘Preamble’ 2018 RRP £37.50. 72% Pinot Noir, 28% Chardonnay. 30 months on lees. 5g/l dosage. Extremely lively acidity and tension (pH2.9); appealing apricot, peach and lime fruit; excellent length.

‘Blanc de Blancs’ 2018 RRP £63. 36 months on lees, 5g/l dosage. Crystalline purity to the citrus fruit with racy acidity. Creamy patisserie notes, yet delicacy and precision. A very lengthy finish.

‘Zero Dosage’ 2018  RRP £62.50. 72% Pinot Noir, 28% Chardonnay. 40 months on lees. Raspberry and red apple fruit with hints of yellow plum and salinity. Not yet released.

‘Illustration No 1’ 2018 RRP £62.50. Vinification and fruit as above, but 4g/l dosage. This softens the structured edges of its twin.

‘Signature Rose’ 2018 RRP £40. 80% Pinot Noir blended with 20% Chardonnay. 18 months on lees, 8g/l dosage. Intense rose-scented floral perfume with hint of hibiscus. Delicate wild strawberry notes on the palate with a core of freshness and some minerality to lift it.

‘Pinot Noir Rose de Saignee’ 2018 RRP £75. Only 600 bottles made from a single plot of this special wine. Fetching bright ruby colour from seven hours of bleeding off. 5g/l dosage. Red summer fruits with wonderful length and complexity.

How Geelong Shiraz is causing a stir

Why the Geelong’s cool climate Shiraz is worth discovering

Fresh, bright, cool climate Shiraz is currently in vogue and the examples coming out of the Australian wine region of Geelong are worth discovering, argues Geoffrey Dean. On a recent trip to the region he discovers why Geelong should be known for its Shiraz as well as its Pinot and Chardonnay, talks to a number of winemakers about why the Shiraz here is world class, and picks six that have Northern Rhône traits without the price tags to match.

By Geoffrey DeanDecember 11, 202

Ray Nadeson

Geelong’s Shiraz reputation is growing: Dr Ray Nadeson

While the Geelong wine region has long been renowned for producing some of Victoria’s best Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, it is now forging a reputation for outstanding cool climate Shiraz. The increased global demand for medium-bodied examples of the variety with freshness and brightness of fruit shows no sign of abating, and Geelong can help satisfy it. This was very apparent to your correspondent on an autumn trip to the region.

So what makes Geelong such a suitable location for Shiraz?

Ray Nadeson, joint owner/winemaker of Lethbridge Wines with partner Maree Collis, pinpoints two factors. “The soils of Geelong are varied and interesting in that there are areas that are granite – not dissimilar to what you find in the Rhône – and areas which are basalt on limestone as at Lethbridge. The latter is like nowhere in the world except perhaps Etna, where they don’t have Syrah but do make very fine medium-bodied wines from grapes like Nero Mascalese.”

“We also have red-clay soils which are much more like parts of Burgundy,” Nadeson continues, “Much of Australia has old soils because we have a very old continental shield. So most of the soils are old and kind of leached. However the strip around the east coast has a lot of volcanic activity, and Geelong’s has only been in the last 30-50,000 years. So it makes them very young soils, much more like you imagine in Europe.”

Scott Ireland of Provenance Wines

The second reason why Geelong is so suitable for top-end Shiraz is its very marginality, with ripeness not being found until autumn. “I think the best wines from a grape variety have to be in marginal sites,” Nadeson says.

“For example, if you are in the Rhône valley, you grow Syrah in the northern part of it which is more marginal. You could quite easily grow Syrah in the southern part, but you don’t tend to. The southern part is less marginal. Why do they grow Grenache there and not Syrah? Because Syrah shows its finer qualities in a marginal site. And Geelong IS marginal. If you look at the region as a whole, the Bellarine Peninsula is less marginal, whereas where we are at Lethbridge, is the most marginal as it’s up high and is cold, away from the moderating factor of the sea. We’re never going to be picking Shiraz fruit in February. We pick Shiraz often in May – well into autumn. But that is a cool site. In the Bellarine, they’ll be picking in April, which is still autumn.

Geelong’s reputation for Shiraz?

So much for Geelong’s feasibility for producing premium Shiraz. The question is can it become a renowned region for the varietal? and, once again, Nadeson is in no doubt. “Absolutely and, notwithstanding climate change, we are going to find we stay marginal even if slightly less so. In Australia where Shiraz is grown everywhere, we are not of the size, nor of the style that the average punter is going to want to drink. We are looking at refined cool-climate, with more spice and slightly under-ripe flavours – earthy, textural, high acid wines that need ageing. Does that sound like a supermarket plan? No way.”

“If you look at the big regions, they’ve got the big companies behind them, promoting the style and the wines, not only in the supermarkets but generally everywhere. And once they get on board, that region becomes famous, and other producers get pulled along behind them on their coat-tails. The thing about Geelong is that it is a relatively small region, not in area but in production, with fundamentally smaller producers. So I think there is a really good chance that we could get that niche which is high quality, cool climate Shiraz. ”

2016 is an excellent vintage: Robin Brockett, winemaker for Scotchmans Hill

Despite Geelong’s growing reputation for its Shiraz, the grape’s area under vine is not likely to increase.

“I don’t think people are planting more Shiraz, mainly because the political situation in China has meant there is an oversupply of it in Australia at present,” Nadeson declared. The figure is not exactly well-publicised, but Phil Reedman, the Adelaide-based British MW, estimates that Australia has a whopping 2.5 billion litres of wine sitting in tanks waiting to be bought after the Chinese market collapse – a substantial amount of which is Shiraz.

“So there is not much incentive to produce Shiraz when there is a quantity of it that can be sold for $16 a bottle, which is below cost price,” Nadeson adds. “The average punter doesn’t care and we can’t compete. So I think the Shiraz plantings will not be increasing any time soon.” With demand going up, and supply not increasing,  Geelong’s Shiraz and Syrah could become ever more sought after.

6 of the best Geelong wine region’s Shiraz

Bellarine Estate Two Wives Shiraz, 2021

Very expressive red fruit from vines planted in 1996 on basalt and black clay with some limestone and high iron content. Supple tannins and really vibrant acidity while 20% new French oak gives structure. Selected by Qantas for first-class and business. An all-family affair with Peter Kenny having just handed over the winemaking reins to son Phil. 13.8% abv

Clyde Park Single Block G Shiraz, 2019 

From a small block running east-west on black clay planted in 1999 to clone PT23. Wild yeast fermentation and single daily hand plunging before 10 months maturation in 40% new French oak. Blackcurrant and raspberry notes with peppery spice and mocha, all wrapped up in firm but fine-grained tannins. A ripper of a cool climate Shiraz. 13.5% abv

‘Indra’ Shiraz, Lethbridge, 2017 

A one-hectare block of 25-year old vines, named after Nadeson and Collis’ daughter, yields just 15hl/ha for this gem. It sees 100% new French barriques for 18 months but the quality of the fruit sucks all that oak up effortlessly. Medium-bodied cool climate Shiraz at its best with white pepper, supple tannins and elegant complexity. 13.5% abv

Jack Rabbit Shiraz, 2020 

Distinct cool climate varietal characteristics of rich berries and savoury white pepper. Medium-bodied with notable freshness, soft tannins and notes of violets, liquorice and blueberries. Such an appealing Shiraz at a very competitive price. 14% abv

Provenance Wines Shiraz, 2021 

A cracker from Provenance’s biodynamically-farmed Spence vineyard. Owner-winemaker Scott Ireland admits he is obsessed with showcasing sense of place, so employs no new oak. Spicy and fresh with black-purple fruit flavours, this medium-bodied Shiraz is a delight. 30% of it is sold at the atmospheric cellar door and its outstanding restaurant, sited on an 1870s paper mill by the Barwon River. 14% abv

Scotchmans Hill ‘Cornelius’ Strathallan Vineyard Syrah, 2016 

Complex blueberry and black cherry fruit with spice and white pepper from this premium cool maritime climate producer; impressive structure from 50% new oak and 50% second fill for 18 months. Palpable concentration (low yield of 37 hl/ha) and a long finish. Fermented at 28C with wild yeasts. A superb Rhone-like Syrah from what chief winemaker Robin Brockett describes as an “excellent’ vintage. 14% abv