2022 Finalist Archives - Young Gun of Wine

Voyager Estate – V9Y Vineyard

First planted in the late 1970s, Voyager Estate is one of Margaret River’s oldest vineyards. Located in the Stevens Valley in the subregion of Wallcliffe, the vineyard now occupies over 100 hectares, but it is a recently planted 1.2-hectare block of cabernet sauvignon that is causing considerable excitement amongst the team. That section, called V9Y, was propagated from the original vines and is one day destined for the flagship cabernet, or perhaps a solo bottling. As with the whole estate, the vineyard is certified organic and managed by Glen Ryan, who has worked at Voyager for over two decades.

Devil’s Lair Vineyard, Margaret River

Established in the 1980s, Devil’s Lair have been making wine from the classic hero varieties of Margaret River since the first release in 1990. The vineyard is situated in the south of the region, surrounded by karri and jarrah forest and fanned by ocean breezes. It’s a cool site marked by variations of aspect in the blocks that lend the wines complexity and a certain elegance, which is further enhanced by clonal diversity. Viticulturist Simon Robertson has cared for the site for 30 years, which has been registered with Sustainable Winegrowing Australia since 2010 and certified since 2013.

Cullen

Cullen wines, led by Vanya Cullen is one of the blue chip names in Margaret River, and more specifically the subregion of Wilyabrup where her parents planted the first estate vines in 1971. Her stewardship has taken the farming from one that was always environmentally sympathetic to having now held biodynamic certification for just shy of two decades – as well as being recently assessed as carbon negative. The original vineyard is responsible for the iconic cabernets, ‘Diana Madeline’, and chardonnay, ‘Kevin John’, as well a raft of bottlings ranging from the classically styled to those that walk a more experimental path.

Corymbia – Rocket’s Vineyard

While distinctly compact, Rocket’s Vineyard is making a bold statement in the renaissance of the Swan Valley. Rob and Genevieve Mann are carrying the family name – arguably the most historically important one in the West’s wine world – to new heights, championing the regional white hero, chenin blanc, and making a midweight Swan red from cabernet sauvignon, tempranillo and malbec. Certified organic, the site has a compact 3 hectares of vines, with the emphasis placed on doing most of the work themselves and making wine from the ground up to reflect, site, varieties, region and vintage.

Winmark Wines, Broke Fordwich

The Hunter Valley’s Winmark Wines is a chardonnay specialist, with even the Hunter stalwart variety semillon making way to render the site pure in its pursuit of the Burgundian variety across its 11.33 hectares of vines. Once the home of Poole’s Rock and a raft of critically revered chardonnays from the 2000s, the site fell into neglect around 2011 until being rescued in 2016 and resurrected over the following years to now produce a suite of Winmark chardonnays from the relatively accessible to the distinctly premium. The site is managed by Liz Riley and Dave Gosser.

Scarborough Wine Co. – Hermitage Road Vineyard, Hunter Valley

The Scarborough Wine Co. has five vineyard sites in the Hunter Valley, with the Hermitage Road Vineyard acquired in 2007. The vineyard has been lovingly revitalised from the impacts of former owners’ conventional viticultural approaches by partners in life and vines Liz Riley and Jerome Scarborough.. Sustainability is the central pillar of the operation, with a push to close the loop on waste and increase biodiversity in and around the vineyard blocks. In the 18 years under their stewardship, the improvement in soil health and structure and the increase in fruit quality has been palpable. The vineyard supplies fruit for both the Scarborough Wine Co. and its Offshoots range, for which Jerome serves as the winemaker, as well as to some other producers.

Lark Hill Vineyard, Canberra District

David and Sue Carpenter’s Lark Hill Vineyard is one of Canberra’s pioneering sites, planted at significant elevation in Bungendore, 30 km north-east of Canberra. The coolness of the site precludes the region’s most planted red variety, shiraz, but it is ideally suited for riesling and other cold adapted varieties, including grüner veltliner. The viticulture has been certified biodynamic for a decade and a half, with Dr David Carpenter leading the team amongst the vines. In 2002, David and Sue’s son, Chris, joined the team, working both in the vineyard and taking the reins with the wines. The vineyard is responsible for wines under the Lark Hill Vineyard designate (they also work from their Murrumbateman vineyard, called Dark Horse, as well as sourcing some fruit for regional expressions), from sparkling wine through textural and aromatic whites to pinot noir.

Dark Horse Vineyard

The Dark Horse Vineyard is in arguably the Canberra District’s most famous viticultural area, Murrumbateman. Purchased by Lark Hill’s Carpenter family in 2011 largely for its shiraz plantings, sangiovese has emerged as a perhaps surprising hero, resulting in the subsequent inclusions of other Italian grapes, both of northern and southern origin. The site has been certified biodynamic for just on a decade, with an ever-increasing focus on sustainability both for the vineyard and business operations. The wines – currently made from shiraz, sangiovese, marsanne and viognier – appear under the Lark Hill banner with the ‘Dark Horse Vineyard’ designate declared.

Voyager Estate – V9Y Vineyard Glen Ryan