WINELIST No. 70
Dear Mailing List Member,
It’s not often I get to write to you with the winery cleaned down, all ferments pressed off and tucked away in barrel, but that’s the result of an early vintage!
A dry, warm spring saw the vines begin their growing cycle nearly three weeks ahead of schedule, and that momentum carried right through to harvest. With healthy crop levels and plenty of sunshine, both Chardonnay and Pinot Noir developed beautifully balanced flavour profiles.
By late February, all the Chardonnay was fermenting away in barrel, and we were straight into picking Pinot Noir. Once we started, it felt like we didn’t stop until the last bunch was snipped from the vine. It was a pleasure to see immaculate fruit pass over the sorting table and through our gentle destemmer, with caviar-like whole berries tipped into our small open-top fermenters.
Fruit this good doesn’t happen by chance. It’s thanks to the hard work and dedication of Anton, Jose and Matt, who manage our three-hectare Estate vineyard along with the leased Bowhouse and Woods Hill sites. Walking each row - rain, hail or shine - is the only way fruit of this quality finds its way into the winery.
From there, it’s over to the cellar team to guide it through the winemaking process. This year, I had the help of Olivia, Riley, Harry and Josh, who marked his fifth vintage with us. At one point we had 38 individual ferments to look after, so it was all hands-on-deck. I’m happy to report that the wines in barrel are looking fantastic, a true reflection of the care and effort from the team.
In some bittersweet news, Olivia made the difficult decision to leave us at the end of vintage - though perhaps less difficult with a year of European travel and a Burgundy vintage ahead of her! While we’ll miss her, we wish her all the best and can’t wait to hear about her adventures.
The early vintage has been a blessing for me personally, as my partner Holly and I are expecting our second daughter in just a few weeks. I’ll be away from the Cellar Door for a little while, but Liza will be here keeping the fire going, so please drop by and say hello.
Cheers,
Liam Van Pelt Winemaker
Left to Right - Liam, Harry and Josh.
2024 IN THE PICCADILLY VALLEY
Cool weather during flowering meant lower yields across the Piccadilly Valley for the 2024 vintage. A wetter than average December and January gave way to a warm, dry February - ideal conditions for ripening.
The 2024 Piccadilly Valley Pinot Noir was sourced from a handful of carefully selected sites within five kilometres of the Ashton Hills estate. With lifted aromatics and vibrant fruit, it’s a classic expression of the region. A touch of whole bunch (6%) was included in the ferment, and the wine was matured in seasoned French oak for nine months. The result is a layered Pinot showing dark cherry, plum and strawberry coulis, supported by fine, dusty tannins.
Mike Bennie (Halliday Wine Companion) calls it “A highly perfumed, snappy, sappy, bright and red-fruited pinot noir of satiny texture and general sense of freshness”
The 2024 Piccadilly Valley Chardonnay was wild fermented in French oak barrels and matured on lees for nine months, with gentle stirring to build texture and complexity. With two of the three vineyards now under our care, we’re seeing a noticeable lift in quality each year.
Mike Bennie describes it as, “Bright and fresh, clean and lively. A pure-feeling chardonnay... Right on”.
Winemaker Liam Van Pelt believes this is the most exciting release to date - a true highlight of the cool 2024 vintage.
Available now in Cellar Door and the online store.
2024
RELEASE
LARGE FORMAT BOTTLES
Back for a second release by popular demand, our Piccadilly Valley Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are now available in limited-edition magnums. Because sometimes one bottle simply isn’t enough.
Each wine is limited to one magnum per customer and priced at $120, or $108 for Martini Club members. Both wines are available to purchase in our online store and in Cellar Door now.