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There are fewer than twenty hectares of Stefano Lubiana vines, overlooking the spectacular tidal estuary of Derwent River. Chosen for its felicitious winegrowing aspects, it is a place of scrupulously clean soils, free of any pesticides or manufactured treatments. Insects are welcome here, they are mother nature's endorsement of a holistically biodynamic viticulture. Lubiana is a fifth generation winemaker, one of the apple isle's leading vignerons, he works to an arcane system of seasonal chronometers, governed by cosmic rhythms, the turning of leaves and angle of the moon. His wines are given full indulgence to make themselves. Ferments lie undisturbed and movements to barrel are led by gravity. A peerless expression of vintage, an orphic approach to the.. Celestial wines from southern climes»
Just outside the Gippsland town of Leongatha, a few minutes down the road from the hallowed grounds at Bass Phillip estate, ten precious acres of exceptional terroir were planted in 1990, to artisanal clones of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Syrah. The propitious easterly aspects make the most of morning sun, an auspicious bequeath of fertile Ferrosols oblige the rootstock and infuse the fruit, while reducing the vigor and rationing the harvest. Lucinda Estate was never established as a producer of scale, its scant yields were always destined to be in pursuit of stunning Syrah and the perfect Pinot. Victoria's Gippsland is a place of paradise for vintages in the Burgundy style, a oenological wonderland of restrained releases from vivid little vineyards. Enthusiasts.. A glimpse of the gippsland grail»
Airline pilots make surprisingly good wine. Their appreciation of the sciences, a respect for the weather and a bird's eye view of the land, all invaluable to the winemaker's art. John Ellis would take every opportune weekend away from his regular New York Paris route, to pursue a passion for viticulture. He planted the first commercial Cabernet Merlot vines in the Hamptons and found time between trans atlantic flights to work vintages amongst the Grand Cru vineyards of La Bourgogne. Ellis ultimately made the great lifelong sea change in favour of our land downunder. He settled on a farmstead outside Leongatha, amongst the slow ripening pastures of Gippsland and established a vineyard called Bellvale. It is now a place of fully mature vines and old world.. Placing pinot amongst the pastures»

Crawford River Nektar 375ml CONFIRM VINTAGE

Sauvignon Blanc Semillon Henty Victoria
From time to time at Crawford River, when vintage conditions are just so, the capricious botrytis cinerea blights a parcel or two of Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc grapes. This however can be a blessing of nature, if a spell of clear skies and sunny days, just before the time of picking, works its magic by drying out the berries and intensifying the natural sugars. The uniquely favourable mesoclimes of the Henty region are heaven sent for white wines, even more so when mother nature sets the stage for a toothsome sauternes style to rival the very finest.
A mostly Sauvignon Blanc wine with a smaller component of Semillon. Fruit is slowly and carefully whole bunch pressed, the cleanest most pristine free run juices are essential to the integrity of style. Batches are racked for several days and treated to a regimen of rackings for clarification. A combination of yeasts inoculate the vinification, a third of the wine is filled to a selection of seasoned French oak for a luxurious course of barrel ferments, enriching the wine with complexity while softening the palate.
Deep bright yellow. A lifted, fresh scent of elderflower blossom and apricots, followed by yellow nectarine, chargrilled peach and cashew notes. A luscious, textural and dense, focused structure on the palate, fresh passionfruit and ripe peach linger on the back, its crisp, clean acidity capping off the extremely persistent finish. Exquisite as aperitif, a joy alongside fresh fruit desserts and ices.
Crawford River
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Crawford River
Inspired by its potential to produce superior quality grapes, John and Catherine Thomson planted their vineyard in 1975 at Crawford River, in south west Victoria, a relatively unexplored wine growing region

Crawford River is located in the Henty winegrowing region on the Upper Hotspur Road between Hotspur, on the Casterton/Heywood Road and Condah, along the Henty Highway, half way between Hamilton and Portland. The winery is less than an hour from Port Fairy, Dunkeld, Portland and Mt. Gambier in South Australia. The beautiful cellar door building added in 2000 was designed by Graeme Gunn. Visitors can drink in the glorious views of the vineyard that sweep down to grazing cattle and sheep as they sample the wines.

Crawford River

Situated approximately 50 kilometres inland from the Southern Ocean and lying at the alluvial edge of a volcanic lava flow, the 11.5 Ha vineyard has its roots in an unusally complex, mineral- rich soil base. Gravelly, friable, basalt loam overlays permeable clay which lies above limestone created by an ancient, risen seabed. Rainfall is generally reliable, with much of the 650mm average falling in Winter and Spring . At Latitude 38° South and 110 metres above sea-level, temperatures are cool.

All wines are crafted entirely from fruit grown at the Crawford River vineyard, vinified and bottled on site. The hand picked grapes are brought in to the winery in small batches where meticulous attention is paid to detail. Patience and time are of the essence throughout the winemaking process. Minimal interference and movement during vinification, in preference of the fruit naturally expressing the special terroir. This approach influences the pure, elegant quality of the end product.

White wines are cool fermented to dryness exclusively in stainless steel tanks. Red wines are fermented in small, open fermenters and hand plunged. Small parcels are given extended maceration and a further portion are barrel fermented to create wines with finesse, multi-layered flavours and complexity. Individual blocks and treatments are kept separate throughout their maturation of twelve to twenty four months in a varitey of French oak. Malolactic fermentation proceeds naturally in the spring.

Crawford River

Presiding over gently undulating grazing lands with sprawling forests in the distance, Crawford River has paved the way for the industry in what is traditionally a wool, beef and dairy region. The cool southerly latitude together with the maritime environment, complex soil structure and favourable micro-climate create a terroir which has justified that initial vision. The winery atop the hill and the vineyard hugging the slope nestle in the midst of a large sheep and cattle station that John’s great- grandfather settled in 1884.

The splendid site enjoys its moderating maritime influence whilst managing to escape most of the Autumn sea mists. The combination of these factors produces a long and even growing season helping to produce grapes with intense fruit flavours and high natural acidity. Whilst the dry grown vineyard enjoys low yields, some years require careful manipulation of bunch numbers, ensuring the highest possible fruit quality. Budburst is usually mid- September with picking from mid April to mid May. Riesling and Cabernet Sauvignon are the two main varieties in the vineyard, with smaller plantings of Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc. All the pruning, picking, shoot and fruit thinning, leaf plucking and general canopy management are done entirely by hand.

Due to the long ripening period and consequent late picking dates, there can be an onset of Botrytis Cinerea. In these years the ability to hand select botrytis affected fruit is crucial, as the dry table wines can only be made from clean fruit. The sweet, botrytised fruit is reserved for the estate's renowned dessert wines. These are fermented to comparably low sugar levels in order to find an ideal balance between sugar, acid and alcohol so the purity of the style is expressed with a clean, crisp finish.

Crawford River