Oakridge Vineyard Series Willowlake Pinot Noir
Bright crimson in colour with a garnet hue, Lifted fruit aromatics of crushed strawberry , raspberry and pomegranate, with a floral perfume note and hints of green
Oakridge Wines Local Vineyard Series Henk's Vineyard Pinot Noir
Punt Road Shiraz
One of the Yarra Valley's up and comers, the Punt Road Shiraz is almost black in colour with aromas of cassis and a whiff of licquorice. A palate of plush plums and blackcurrant follows with flash of peppery spice. Kate Goodman continues to do a stellar job at one of the Yarra Valley's best wineries.
In Dreams Pinot Noir
An excellent new discovery from the home of Pinot the Yarra Valley. In the glass: Medium garnet. On the nose: Blood plum, red cherry and clove with tilled earth and tea leaf notes. On the palate: Medium weight and savoury with a fine tannin backbone underpinning the refined core of red and black fruit. Finishes with earthy spice adding complexity to the persistent finish. An elegant wine that really unfolds in the glass.
Toolangi Estate Pauls Lane Pinot Noir
Expect layers of fleshy Pinot fruit, suggesting rose petal, plum and earth, balanced by fine, powdery tannins and a long complex finish that perfumes the mouth with sour cherries and sappy freshness. The Pauls Lane Pinot was hand harvested from Toolangi's 2001 plantings (MV6 clone grapes in E Block rows 46-66), partially de-stemmed (50% whole bunches retained) and naturally fermented in open top wooden fermenters. In total, the wine spent 23 days on skins before being pressed to French oak (20% new) for eight months. Bottled unfined and unfiltered. "A producer that demonstrates a deep commitment to terroir in producing Australias finest and most distinctive wines." Nick Stock, Good Wine Guide In case you hadnt heard the good news, Helmut Konecsny, the owner of Rochford Wines, has purchased Toolangi Vineyards and has immediately started ringing in the changes. Of course, its early days, but from what we have seen so far, the future for Toolangi now looks very, very bright. Apart from the new packaging, Konecsny and his team seem very serious about rejuvenating and upgrading the work in the vines. This was, after all, one of the few Yarra producers to engage the services of renowned soil scientist Claude Bourguignon on his recent visit to Australia, and the Toolangi vineyard was one of the sites he analysed. In terms of winemaking, Toolangi will now control its own destiny with the talented duo of Kaspar Hermann and Kelly Healey working closely with seasoned Yarra viticulturist John Evans. Hermans CV includes stints at Seville Estate, Viticoltori De Concillis in Campania, Coldstream Hills, Punch (formally Diamond Valley) and Mount Mary where he worked as assistant winemaker for 8 years before joining Toolangi. Kelly Healey started his wine career in Otago in his homeland of New Zealand before donning the Blundsones at Chandon in the Yarra Valley and Moet & Chandon in India, followed by a spell at Kilchurn in Macedon until he accepted the role working alongside Kaspar. Crucial to the Toolangi team is experienced viticulturist, John Evans. Johns previous experience includes Chief Viticulturist at Yering Station for 14 years, Vineyard Manager at Yarra Ridge and worked at De Bortoli, as well as various Vineyard Consulting roles including the setup and redevelopment of Toolangi Vineyard in 2001, which he has continued to this day. Safe to say, John knows the Yarra like the back of his hand and exactly how to get the best from the Toolangi vineyard. Another positive is that there are currently only two tiers of winethe Toolangi and Pauls Lane labels. The first set of wines under the new team hail from 2018. Under the new regime, there is no inoculation for any of the wines, the Pinots take in a large portion of whole bunch ferments, and the reds are neither fined nor filtered. The winemakers also take a balanced approach to new oak, so even the top label is capped at 20% new barrels. Its very early days, yet the first set of wines makes a statementan excellent statement. Going forward it will be fascinating to see the consequences of Konecsnys and the new teams intention to apply the time honoured vigneron model on the Toolangi wines. The future is bright.
Bellarine Estate Phil's Pinot Noir
Beautifully perfumed, earthy with cinnamon spice. Complemented by rose petals and lavender. Medium bodied, tightly wound and finely structured. Powerful yet subtle. Think dark cherries, currants and toasty oak. With an underlying earthy, forest floor and smoky tobacco. Decanted this wine opens up like a peacocks tail.
Principia Pinot Noir
Barwon Ridge Pinot Noir
A bright, fresh and delicate cool climate Pinot Noir. Whole bunches and a wild yeast ferment were used to produce lingering savoury flavours in the wine.
Giant Steps Syrah
A beautifully crafted Syrah from Yarra Valley experts, Giant Steps, sourced from their Tarraford vineyard. Yarra elegance at its best.Deep red. Violets, plum, blackberry and Campari spice. Vibrant and juicy yet deeply flavoured, showing black and purple fruit density, gently savoury tannins, supple acidity and whole bunch spice, and deliciously deluxe charry oak.
Helen & Joey Estate Yarra Valley Inara Shiraz
Beautifully concentrated, the 2019 Inara Shiraz has aromas and flavours of black pepper with spicy stewed mulberry. The oak ageing has added hints of vanilla, clove and cinnamon. Fine tannins support the juicy red berry fruit.The 2019 Inara Shiraz can be enjoyed on its own or share it with friends over a big plate of smoked barbeque brisket.