2022 Archives - Page 2 of 18 - Young Gun of Wine

Savina Lane Vineyard, Granite Belt

The Savina Lane Vineyard is a cool site in the sunny state of Queensland, with its suitability to grape-growing owing to the lofty elevation and the distinctive soils of the Granite Belt. Brad and Cheryl Hutchings work with old-vine shiraz – some of the region’s first vines – and a clutch of less-common varieties, including fiano and graciano. They farm with a carefully tailored organic nutrition program that saw a previously somewhat mismanaged vineyard slip into natural balance three years after they bought the property. That push towards revitalisation also extends beyond the 3.4-hectare vineyards, with a native replanting program aimed at rewilding the remaining 20-odd hectares.

Yangarra – High Sands Vineyard, McLaren Vale

The beating heart of the lauded Yangarra Estate Vineyard is the collection of bush vine grenache that was planted a year after the cessation of hostilities in World War II. That vineyard accounts for over a quarter of the old vine grenache in McLaren Vale. It’s not that long ago that this might have been seen as a liability, but with the grape’s star truly on the rise, it represents one of the most precious resources in the Vale. And that growing consumer appreciation for the grape has been heavily influenced by the wines made by Pete Fraser from fruit farmed by Michael Lane, with over a decade and a half of biodynamic management and deep focus on regenerative agriculture and sustainability. The High Sands Vineyard is a 1.7-hectare section on deep sands at the highest elevation, which produces exceptional and distinct fruit that goes to make Yangarra’s flagship ‘High Sands’ bottling.

Vinteloper Vineyard, Adelaide Hills

Originally working only with sourced fruit, David Bowley’s Vinteloper found a home vineyard in the Adelaide Hills only for it to be savaged by fire in 2019. Restoring those lost vines remains a demanding ongoing project, running in parallel with a program of regenerative agriculture across both vineyard and non-vineyard land. The 30-hectare property sits between Lenswood and Lobethal, peaking at just over 500 metres above sea level, with only one-third under vine. The site is managed by vineyard manager Sarah Marrocco, whose appointment in 2023 came with a specific brief to extend the operation’s sustainability reach – including employment of young oenology and viticulture graduates through the winter months. The vineyard is responsible for the ‘Home’ Shiraz and pinot noir, shiraz and pinot gris in the Vinteloper ‘White Label’ range, as well as the Neonoir, an early-release nouveau-style pinot noir first made in 2023, and a gewürztraminer that is being established as a new core product from 2025.

Sutton Grange Vineyard, Bendigo

The Sutton Grange Winery vineyard is a few years into its third decade, growing French and Italian varieties in the granitic soils that surround Mount Alexander. Those soils lend the wines a distinct character, which is enhanced by foundational sympathetic farming incorporating organic and biodynamic practices (not certified). The vineyard has the oldest aglianico vines in Australia, while Sutton Grange were also early adopters of fiano and have long flown the flag for elegant, mineral and spicy syrah. Today, the vineyard is managed by Sue Hamilton.

Seppelt Great Western Vineyard, Great Western

The Seppelt Great Western is the oldest continuous wine producer in the Grampians region, with the historic winery sitting atop a kilometre and a half of 19th century tunnels used for maturing wine. While Seppelt has other vineyards in the region, along with elsewhere, the 100-odd hectares of mainly shiraz that wrap around the winery is the heart of the Great Western operation, providing fruit for their pinnacle wines, including the benchmark ‘Show Sparkling’ Shiraz’ and flagship ‘St Peters’ Shiraz. Although the vineyard was replanted in the 1960s – meaning there are no ancient vines – it is the heritage clonal material and nuanced management techniques that set the Great Western Vineyard apart. The vineyard has been tended by James McKenzie since 2017

Granjoux Vineyard, Beechworth

The Granjoux vineyard is the passion project of Peter Bartholomew and Donna Pelka, inspired by the research and ongoing input of legendary viticulturist Mark Walpole. Just outside of Beechworth, the relatively steep site had been planted in the 1860s, with the only remnants of that occupation the durable dry-stone walls and ruin of a winery. Armed with historical records, the trio embarked on both honouring the history and fine-tuning the methods to densely plant an individually staked vineyard that is in part inspired by the vineyards of the Northern Rhône, for both viticulture and varieties, but also committed to the regional star, chardonnay.

Jasper Hill – Georgia’s Paddock

Jasper Hill is one of the great foundation stones of Victoria’s Heathcote wine region, with Ron and Elva Laughton not just making iconic wines from the russet Cambrian soils but also being somewhat of a leader in low-impact viticulture. Today, Nick McNally tends to the land and vines along with his wife Emily – Ron and Elva’s daughter – who makes the wines. The vineyards are named after the Laughton daughters, with Emily’s Paddock twinned with Georgia’s Paddock, which is home to almost 13 hectares devoted to riesling, nebbiolo, fiano and, of course, shiraz.

Heathcote Estate

Although nebbiolo is gaining a meaningful if modest foothold there, Heathcote Estate is a bastion of the region’s key grape variety, shiraz. That doesn’t mean that the vineyard, run by Tom Carson and Paul Viggers, is set in its ways, though. Far from it, with a program that seeks to express all the nuances of specific blocks, clones and the vagaries of vintage in as transparent a way as possible, with winemaking artefact taking a backseat and primacy placed on the health of the land and the fruit. Certified organic viticulture and an emphasis placed on biodiversity make for a property thriving with life and wines that are increasingly more elegant and naturally balanced.

Savina Lane Vineyard, Granite Belt Brad Hutchings

Savina Lane Vineyard, Granite Belt

Yangarra – High Sands Vineyard, McLaren Vale

Vinteloper Vineyard, Adelaide Hills

Sutton Grange Vineyard, Bendigo

Seppelt Great Western Vineyard, Great Western

Granjoux Vineyard, Beechworth

Jasper Hill – Georgia’s Paddock

Heathcote Estate

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