Established in 1995, Toolangi Vineyard is in the Yarra Valley adjoining the Toolangi State Forest. This single-site vineyard on fine clay loam produces wines with distinctive personalities, each wine showing a strong sense of place. The vines were cropped low, and the fruit was hand-harvested from 20-year-old vines of MV6 Pinot Noir clone. The fruit was destemmed as whole berries, with 5% left as whole bunches. There was a short cold soak prior to fermentation and the wine was then left on skins for 14 days. It was then pressed to French oak (5% new) for malolactic conversion and left on lees in oak for 10 months. “Light but satisfying. Delicious spice notes, sweet and roasted, with the tang of red cherry and cranberry flavours. It has both quality and complexity written all over it but, responsibly, it’s also the kind of pinot you just want to guzzle. It has that out-and-out drinkability. Firm-ish tannin keeps things controlled and it finishes long enough to satisfy.” 92 Points, Campbell Mattinson

Established in 1995, Toolangi Vineyard is in the Yarra Valley adjoining the Toolangi State Forest. This single-site vineyard on fine clay loam produces wines with distinctive personalities, each wine showing a strong sense of place. The vines were cropped low, and the fruit was hand-harvested from 20-year-old vines of MV6 Pinot Noir clone. Fruit for the 2022 Pinot Noir was hand-picked on the 11th of March, The fruit was destemmed as whole berries, with 10% left as whole bunches. There was a short cold soak prior to fermentation and the wine was then left on skins for 21 days. It was then pressed to French barriques and puncheons (less than 10% new) for malolactic conversion and left on lees in oak for 10 months.

Toolangi is a state forest just outside Healesville that was devastated during Black Saturday. The excellent vineyards remain, and continue to produce wines of personality and place. The Chardonnay combines varietal characters of quince and crab apple with some delicious nutty oak nuances. Its great value.

This unfiltered Chardonnay was made at Giaconda by Rick Kinzbrunner using traditional techniques. Quite sublime buttery richness with perfect balance of acid and oak integration.

Spicy, faintly floral aromas of stone fruit, grapefruit, lime juice and coriander are backed by matchstick-like oak and a hint of mineral. It's round and creamy, smooth and voluptuous, with a gentle, mouthfilling core of flavour and nougat-like complexity finishing with a hint of butter, gentle lemony acids and a faint smokiness. Crushed and pressed with full solids straight to oak (20% new), both primary fermentation and malolactic were natural. Elevage: 8 months on lees in oak before being racked and filtered in preparation for bottling. Hand-picked on 12th March 2018 First established in 1995, Toolangi Vineyards is located in the Yarra Valley adjoining the Toolangi State Forest. This Chardonnay is grown on fine clay loam and produces grapes which represent the unique site. Low cropped and hand harvested from 23 year old vines of I1OV3 clone grapes on D Block rows 35 55. The 2018 harvest will be remembered fondly by winemakers in the Yarra Valley. It was a rare season that gave above average yields and excellent quality fruit. Dry sunny conditions with cool overnight temperatures provided good natural acidity and concentrated wines at lower alcohol levels.

Kaspar Hermann’s reputation is built on the back of Chardonnay―Toolangi’s F Block is one of the Yarra Valley’s finest examples―but the ex-Mount Mary man’s skills extend far beyond that. Since taking the helm at Toolangi Vineyard a few years back, he has honed his Shiraz skills, taking the top-notch fruit grown in the forest-hugging Dixons Creek site and transforming it into evocative, sinewy, seductively perfumed cool-climate Shiraz—at a killer price, too.

The 2024 vintage of Toolangi Vineyard Pauls Lane Chardonnay from Yarra Valley is a true testament to the potential of this renowned wine region in Victoria. The nose is greeted with a bouquet of ripe tropical fruits, such as pineapple and mango, layered with subtle hints of vanilla and toasted oak. On the palate, the wine reveals a beautiful balance of crisp acidity and creamy texture, showcasing flavors of juicy peach, lemon curd, and a touch of hazelnut. The finish is long and satisfying, leaving a lingering note of citrus and a touch of minerality. The color is a pale golden hue, shimmering under the light. This Chardonnay is a true delicacy, and will only continue to improve with age. Enjoy now or cellar for further development.

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.