2020 Finalist Archives - Page 3 of 7 - Young Gun of Wine

Crittenden Home Vineyard, Mornington Peninsula

Crittenden Estate is one of Mornington Peninsula’s oldest vineyards, with Garry Crittenden planting his first couple of hectares in the 80s, which doubled the region’s land under vine at the time. Today, while the regional strengths of chardonnay and pinot noir remain the same, much on the Peninsula has changed. And the Crittendens have changed too, with Garry and his son Rollo steering the viticulture down a sustainable route that has seen vast benefits for biodiversity and soil health, as well as wine quality. The estate vineyard produces a suite of wines – including two savagnin-based bottlings that pay homage to the wines of the Jura – which form the premium end of the Crittenden range. Top of that tree are the Cri de Coeur wines, and they’re wines that Rollo says would not have been possible without their farming revolution.

Crawford River, Henty

In the windswept cool of Henty in Victoria’s south-west, Belinda Thomson both tends the vines and makes the wines for Victoria’s preeminent riesling producer, Crawford River. The operation is a family affair, with her parents initially planting the site between 1975 and ’77. The vineyard sits in a gentle amphitheatre on land that has been in the family since 1884, with it predominantly used for grazing both sheep and cattle.

Chalmers Heathcote Vineyard

The Chalmers family have supplied vines and fruit to countless growers and makers over the years, with a specialisation in Italian varieties that are revered in Italy but less well known here. The Chalmers Heathcote vineyard was first planted in 2009, with 27 different varieties now in the ground that go both to their own label as well as a suite of top makers, including Momento Mori, Jamsheed, Little Reddie and Konpira Maru. The vineyard has recently achieved certification from Sustainable Winegrowing Australia and the Chalmers approach – with the guidance of viticulturist Troy McInnes – is one of adaption not just through variety, but also via norm-shattering vineyard layouts and a management plan that places soil health front and centre.

Best’s – Concongella, Great Western

Best’s is synonymous with Great Western in Victoria’s Grampians, and its Concongella vineyard is home to one of the world’s most precious resources of pre-phylloxera grapevines, containing some of the oldest vines of their type in the world. With 22 hectares under vine, the vineyard has ancient vines of riesling, pinot meunier, pinot noir, dolcetto, cabernet franc, merlot, cabernet sauvignon and shiraz, plus a mixed planting of some 40 rarities, which produce such iconic wines as the Best’s ‘Thomson Family’ Shiraz and ‘Old Vine’ Pinot Meunier. And while the Thomson family are respectful custodians of the past, they are also progressive ones, with the community always at the heart of their thinking.

Mewstone Vineyard, Tasmania

Mewstone has appeared comet-like in its success. The wines – hailing from the banks of the D’Entrecasteaux Channel in Tasmania’s viticultural deep south – have been accorded a rapid series of accolades, but though that ascension may seem quick, it was laboriously built from the ground up. Although the vineyard is just on a decade old, an intensely thoughtful process has underpinned the processes of owners Jonathan and Matthew Hughes, with the site meticulously tended and progressively planted to optimise its potential. Today, viticulturist Alex McLean works with Jonathan Hughes to manage the 5.2-hectare vineyard, farming pinot noir, chardonnay, riesling and shiraz vines.

Meadowbank, Tasmania

Meadowbank’s Ellis family are pioneers of the modern Tasmanian wine scene, planting their vineyard in the 1970s against the best available advice. That site in the Upper Derwent Valley has validated their conviction, becoming one of the island’s most enduring and respected fruit sources. The 50-hectare vineyard supplies names like Arras, Bay of Fires and Glaetzer-Dixon (including for their 2011 Jimmy Watson win) with grapes, primarily pinot noir, shiraz and riesling. Today, the Meadowbank brand has also been reinvigorated, with the wines fine-tuned by the glittering talents of Peter Dredge, along with his own Dr Edge label, which largely centres around Meadowbank fruit.

Tamar Ridge – Kayena, Tasmania

A short drive from Launceston, Tamar Ridge’s Kayena Vineyard has over 130 hectares of vines, with a strong focus on pinot noir across almost two dozen clones. Viticulturist Ben Pietsch employs technology to optimise operations, from compost applications, to irrigation, to identifying underperforming blocks, but many of the solutions are far from technical, such as roaming poultry and insectary plantings to control pests. Fruit from the vineyard goes to making aromatic whites and pinot noir for the Tamar Ridge label, as well as sparkling wine under the Pirie brand.

Invercarron, Tasmania

The Invercarron Vineyard is a bit of a trailblazer, a young vineyard in an area of Tasmania that has never had grapevines planted to it – the Jordan River Valley. In its brief history, the grapes from the 6 hectares of vines on the Jones family’s historic grazing property have both gone to make their own lauded wines and been in demand as contract fruit. Pinot noir, chardonnay, pinot gris and a rosé are currently produced under the Invercarron label. Vigneron Andrew Jones manages the property with viticulturist Marty Smith.

Crittenden Home Vineyard, Mornington Peninsula Rollo Crittenden & Garry Crittenden