Pam and Richard Austin planted their first vines during the 1980s, in the Barrabool Hills southwest of Geelong, with a view to making super premium wines for Australia's best restaurants. The soils they turned were the same as those worked by pioneering Swiss over a century before, when Geelong was recognised as source of the finest Australian wines. The climate and rolling slopes of Moorabool Valley, the super soils and idyllic terroirs stimulate the vines into yielding intense Shiraz grapes with luscious plum flavours, cool climate spice and gripping tannins.

$1499each $177DOZEN EACH DOZEN Moorabool Valley can trace its oenological heritage back to the 1840s, when Swiss immigrants established vines, some of the earliest plantings in Victoria and Australia. The area suffered badly in the second half of the nineteenth century when phylloxera and bureaucracy combined to destroy the region. Moorabool re-emerged as a viticultural precinct in the first days of Victoria's wine industry renaissance during the 1960s. Austins defines the outstanding potential of Shiraz within the Geelong region and the uniqueness of Mooroobool Valley. The finished wine is all about quality of fruit, a pure, single vineyard effort vinified from Shiraz clone PT23, grown to the Steiglitz Road property at Sutherlands Creek. Alcohol 14.0%

Deep dark red in colour. A compelling bouquet of balance and style. Blackberries and licorice, cloves and black pepper in a mix that's both heady and refined. Distinctly Geelong and Sutherlands Creek in particular, savoury elements provide a fine counterpoint to the lifted fruit, all superbly detailed by a fresh acidity. Deeply flavoured, the palate fulfils the promise of the bouquet and emphasises those facets, blackberries, clove and licorice reduced to a savoury intensity. The intergration of all facets sets this wine apart from its peers. That unity, so distinct in the nose, plays out along the palate and puts the restrained breadth of the wine into perspective, an elegant Geelong Shiraz with the grace and charm of old world wines.

Bannockburn was established with a view to treating the vineyard as the engine of great wines, to maximise the potential of the site and to achieve a genuine expression of the vineyard from vintage to vintage. In essence to capture the terroir of the place. Bannockburn is never a reflection of market fashion or trends. An exquisite assemblage of Cabernet and Merlot in opulent Bordelais styling, with an exemplary integration of pencilled oak, artisanally dovetailed fruit, splendidly drying acids and compassionate, supporting tannins.

$1499each $177DOZEN EACH DOZEN Bannockburn Vineyards was established by Stuart Hooper in 1974 when he planted a three hectare block of vines near the township of Bannockburn, 25 kilometres north of Geelong. Bannockburn has since grown in size and notoriety to have it's wines listed with Langton's and become one of the most highly regarded small winemaking estates within Australia. Bannockburn's endeavours to create a wine that speaks purely of the unique terrain is the key to the production of some of Victoria's most memorable vintages. This sounds romantic but is far from easy. The desired outcome is only achieved through rigourous viticultural management, a hint of obsession and a minimum of hoopla.

The nose is classic aged Cabernet, leafy, cedar and cigar box characters. Reveals some savoury, leather notes and a hint of menthol over a very restrained palate. Tannins at the back indicate this wine is still quite youthful. A very long and restrained palate in a very classic style of Cabernet Merlot.

Distinguished Langtons Classification. Bannockburn release a Chardonnay each year that accurately and faithfully reflects the merits of an exceptional terroir. This is far from easy, it is only achieved through dedication and resolve.

$4499each $537DOZEN EACH DOZEN Bannockburn manage some of the finest Chardonnay vines in Australia, dry grown and over thirty years of age. Techniques employed to vinify the superlative fruit follow the traditions of Burgundy, everything is done with thought and care, never compromising on quality. Organic practices and extended maceration before a fastidious barrel selection achieve a wine that's exciting and complex. Grapes are inoculated to indigenous yeasts and barrel fermented in a selection of French Allier oak barriques at natural temperatures followed by a spell on sedimentery lees to promote malolactic, a softening and enrichening process which infuses the wine with a rich middle palate and old world characters of butter and cashew.

Pale, straw colour with hints of green. Complex nose displaying chalky minerality, almond meal, grapefruit pith and a creamy biscuit character derived from extended lees contact. The palate is very long with a lovely texture and weight. A hint of creaminess from some malo-lactic involvement. The palate is full without being broad, tight without being austere. Wonderful back palate persistence and structure, the wine goes on and on, a lovely, long, textural finish.

Distinguished Langtons Classification. One of Australia's finest Pinot Noir, from low yielding vineyards on the windswept Bellarine peninsula, by a winemaker wholly committed to Burgundian practices. Aromatic with dark cherry and spicy vanilla oak, a velvety palate of plums and gamey flavours. A wine of concentration, power and structure, with unmistakable varietal personality, more muscular and rich than it's euro antecedants.

$4999each $597DOZEN EACH DOZEN Bannockburn is about making wine that does not reflect market fashion or trends, but which sympathetically expresses a unique terrain. French influences abound at Bannockburn, where the experience has contributed richly to the style and character of wines, especially the Pinot Noir, roundly acclaimed as one of Australia's best. Nineteen hectares of vines are mostly dense planted on low-fertility clay-based soils beside the Moorabool River where yields are very low. Ripening is cool and late. Pinot Noir grapes are whole bunch fermented warm in open vats with regular pumping over the cap. The final wine exhibits stalk influence as well as a Burgundian gaminess, rarely seen in Australian Pinot.

Ruby red colour, a wine of brilliance and clarity. Lifted nose with earthy forest notes and rhubarb, five spice and toasted oak. Characters carry through to the palate, which is of medium weight - fresh, light ethereal yet with good flavour intensity. Great balance and mouthfeel, as the palate is still quite youthful and restrained, silky textured and elegantly structured. A long, smooth, fine tannin finish.

French influences abound at Bannockburn, where Sauvignon Blanc draws inspiration from Sancerre, the emphasis being on elegance and depth of flavour. This is definitely not another boring, grassy, single dimension style.

$2699each $321DOZEN EACH DOZEN From fruit grown to two estate vineyard blocks, one bearing vines over twenty years of age, the other slightly younger, both are low yielding. The maritime influenced climes surrounding the Bannockburn vineyards make for cool and stable ripening, combined with unique soils, providing sensational conditions for growing excellent Sauvignon Blanc. Each site enjoys it's own mesoclimate, the most recent planting consisting of new French clones with greater vine density. Grapes are hand picked in two batches, the majority are vinified in tank to retain vital fruit expression, the smaller component is treated to barrel ferments in small French oak casks with extended lees contact.

Clear, bright appearance, a yellow straw colour and hints of green. The nose is quite complex with the classic mineral, cassis and Loire Valley gunflint characters. Fragrant honey and interesting smoky fume scents from the Italian Acacia puncheons. Good weight and texture on the middle palate before assertive acidity drives through the wine, providing excellent length and persistence.

Sourced from vines planted in 1988 to quartz alluvial and volcanic soils on the lower slopes of Bindi. The site is special, increasingly low impact, organic outcomes are implemented, production varies from 300 to 600 dozen each vintage.

$4499each $537DOZEN EACH DOZEN Composition Chardonnay is grown to a 1½ hectare plot. Fastidious small vineyard management regimes are employed, hand pruning, frequent passes, at least ten for each vine, vertical shoot positioned canopies and hand harvesting. Composition is fermented in a selection of new and seasoned French oak barrels, some are inoculated with cultured yeast, others are vinified without any addition of yeasts. The fermented wine is lees stirred every week over winter and treated to a quarter of malolactic conversion. The wine is racked around eight months after vintage and returned to barrel for a further three months before bottling. Composition spends just under eleven months in barrel, ten on sedimentery lees.

Light straw gold colour. The nose is fine and quite complex, floral and gently spiced with a delicious mealy, pulp mineral Chardonnay fragrance. An intense, mineral wine fully ripe but lean, taught and intense with savory, creamy elements. The fruit complexities range through white peaches and nectarine, lemons, grapefruit and nashi pear. The palate is fresh and intense, walking the line of mouth filling textures combined with delicacy and finesse, a beautifully fine and flavoursome wine. Composition can characterized by it's fragrant notes of orange blossom, nectarine stone, spice and subtle nuttiness over a vibrant, tight and lengthy palate highlighted by clean acidity, wonderful texture and superb length.

Vinified from choice Pinot Noir grown to the Original 1988 Vineyard alongside a component from Bindi's newer Block K. Barely 500 to 700 dozen are made each year, a deliciously perfumed, spicy, harmonious and textured forward drinking wine that's true to the style of the estate flagships without being overly complex or intense.

$4999each $597DOZEN EACH DOZEN Bindi is a 170 hectares near Mt Macedon, six of which are planted to vines. Fifteen hectares are managed plantation eucalypts and the remainder is maintained as indigenous grasslands. The vineyard is the focus but the aim is to maintain balance and harmony between viticulture and wild remnant bush lands. Winemaking is an equal partner to preservation of the natural environment. Composition is handled in the same manner as Bindi's flagship Pinot Noir, completely de-stemmed and gently worked in small open vats, most of which are run as un-inoculated ferments. The wine spends nine months on sedimentery lees and a total of eleven ageing in a selection of new and seasoned French oak barrels.

Deep scarlet colour. Bright red fruits on the bouquet, raspberry, cherries and strawberry, beautiful sweetness and perfume with complex earth and mineral elements. The level of fragrant, Pinot purity is quite wonderful, enhanced by spicy barrel nuances. The palate begins lavish and textural before a mineral drive and grippy tannins. Highly pleasurable upon release, a well balanced, firm and long wine offering delicious combinations of flavour, silky textures and fine structure.

A highly limited yield release, crafted from grapes picked off the same property which makes the illustrious Sangreal Pinot Noir, a highly mineral site to grow Chardonnay. By Farr is a profound expression of uniqueness in terroir. A Victorian flagship Chardonnay, exhibiting exquisite balance between fruit freshness and power, texture and minerality. A regimen of lees stirring and full malolactic, further contribute to the understated richness of an immensely engaging white wine.

$6499each $777DOZEN EACH DOZEN Gary Farr established Chardonnay vines on his house block at Bannockburn in 1994. The quality of fruit, picked off a mix of Dijon clones and Penfolds 58, grown to a northerly slope of rich, friable red loam over limestone soils, clearly shows shows through in the finished wine. Grapes are all hand picked and whole bunch pressed, solids are collected and chilled before filling to a mix of seasoned and new French oak. A naturally occuring wild fermentation at cooler temperatures is followed by a course of lees stirring and the completion of malolactic. Barrels are racked, fined and lightly filtered for botling, eleven months after vintage.

Light straw green hue. Varietal stonefruit and melon nose, complexed by nutty oak and spice notes. Generously layered palate showing tinned peaches and nectarine, preserved lemon and creamy autolysis. A wine of remarkable fullness and balance, framed by toasty, nutty oak and resolving on an intense, seemingly endless finish.

For many years, Gary Farr followed up every vintage at Bannockburn with a tour of duty at Burgundy's Domaine Dujac. He believed Australian technology to be superior but was greatly inspired by the traditional practices of French vignerons. Farr brought home the ancient technique of pigeage, throwing whole bunches into large, open vats and immersing his body into the wine to break up any hot spots. The Farrside vineyard was planted in 2001 to clones 114 and 115, 113 and 667, 777 and MV6. The site's black volcanic soils yield a cogent, masculine Pinot wine.

$6499each $777DOZEN EACH DOZEN Vines on the northeast facing slopes of Farrside are grown to a thin layer of rich volcanic soils over limestone, planted east to west so that grapes receive some cover from the sun. Farrside makes wines of greater structure, tannin and savouriness. Farr chose his ground carefully, to compare favourably alongside some of the finest Pinot growing sights in the world. He aspired to owning the seven hectare property for over twenty years but it's owner resisted all temptation to part with his land.

Deep crimson colour. A rich, full nose exhibiting floral Pinot characters and powerful berry fruits which build and develop as the wine breathes. The palate offers sweetness of fruit with overtones of minerality enhanced by toasty oak. Fine tannins and great structure are a trademark of Farr, fine texture and savouriness complete the gem. A weighty Pinot wine, Farrside combines density and precision with a capacity to endure and evolve.

One of Australia's inspiring, salient winemakers, Gary Farr has always aspired to formulate the ultimate Pinot wine. He may be very close. Gary Farr's style is traditional and essentially Burgundian, employing natural yeasts and whole bunch ferments, he insists on cork. A wine of exceptional balance and finesse, seamless from fragrance to finish, Farr was inspired after reading the Da Vinci Code, to annoint this superlative cuvée Sangreal. As the estate vineyards continue to mature, the holy grail of Gary Farr Pinot Noir comes within easy reach.

$6999each $837DOZEN EACH DOZEN The By Farr vineyards have plantings of a mixture of Pinot Noir clones and rootstocks. The aspect of the vineyard is north to northeast and quite undulating. The soil is volcanic loam over limestone, in some sites the limestone dominates the loam, well drained and of low fertility. They compare well with the best sites for Pinot Noir anywhere in the world. Farr applies techniques he learned in France, whole bunches with stalks fermented in large, open, cylindrical vats. The traditional process requires him to immerse his body into the wine and to break up the hot spots which occurr in this uneven and ancient form of vinculture. This method called pigeage is practised in the production of the great burgundies.

Deep scarlet colour. Great perfume on the nose, fine well integrated fruit of highly complex red berries and subtle toasted oak. Perfumed but savoury, the essence of Pinot Noir from a precious site. Strong colour, rich flavoursome palate, showing weight, true length and depth. Seamless in its delivery and a joy to drink but there's good underlying material and a balance to age. A velvety, generous Pinot wine, seamless in its delivery, a nice dose of currant and plum fruit balancing the animal character, lingering long. Flavoursome and compelling, yet acquiescent and accomodating. Is it really the sangreal of myth and lore? Not yet, but it's getting closer, the aficianado's style of Pinot, gamey and moreish.

Romsey Brut is a blend of very slow ripening Chardonnay and Pinot Noir with often a substantial proportion of reserve wine to ensure that the authentic House Style of Cope-Williams is maintained year after year. Winemaker Gordon Cope-Williams is indeed from the Old Country and his passions for bubbly and cricket have manifested themselves in a cricket pavilion on top of a sparkling wine maturation cellar, next to a cricket pitch. Established in the seventies, the Cope-Williams winery releases discreet quantities from within a very limited range.

$3599each $429DOZEN EACH DOZEN The gently beautiful Cope-Williams Winery has more than a little Englishness about it. Conferences and weddings are the principal activities on a truly quiet rural site that boasts a sophisticated winery, vineyards, cricket oval, real tennis court, numerous other ball sports and a diversity of rooms for dining, conference, and the quintessential wedding reception. On Sunday, lunches are offered alongside the wines, which include the brilliant Cope-Williams fizz, Romsey Brut. Alcohol 12.

Appearance is a white honey hue with straw tinged highlights and an extremely fine bead. Nose of tea-cakes, treacle and baking spices, very rich with citrus and herbal oils. A fruit and sandwich baskety bouquet that displays superb yeast and bready highlights with ample stonefruits and refreshing mild cakey spices. On the tongue there is a buttery, golden texture awash with apples and pear, sweet yeast, dried fruit rinds and hints of extended lees maturation. A wonderful sparkler that hails from mature and well tended Macedon vines.

Curly Flat is located on a slope which catches the very last rays of sun in the Macedon Ranges at the magical moments before dusk. The vines here yield a national flagship wine that beat Domaine de la Romanee Conti at a Winewise taste off and was listed by Wine Ark as the second most collected Pinot Noir in Australia.

$4799each $573DOZEN EACH DOZEN The choice of trellis sets Curly Flat apart. Divided trellis systems are more costly to construct and manage, only a manual harvest is possible, making it unviable to larger commercial operations. Curly Flat have planted multiple clones for complexity, their property was selected by the Victorian & Murray Valley Vine Improvement Association to be one of only two Victorian custodians of the most recently introduced Burgundy clones 114 and 115. A prolonged exposure to autumn sun contributes to the exceptional quality of harvest. A combination of whole bunch and de stemmed fruit is vinified without being crushed in a highly traditional, minimalist approach, followed by twenty two months oak maturation on lees.

Deep ruby colour, brightly lit. Generous, complex and seductive bouquet, showing vibrant aromatics, red and black fruits, cherries and plum. Lots of secondary characters, dried flowers, chocolate, white pepper and spices, earthy, toasty oak with hints of cigar box and tobacco. Speaks of Pinot Noir and of place. Medium plus palate weight, with dancing acidity, lots of fine powdery tannins and savoury fruit. The complexity of bouquet flows through to the palate, supported by integrated oak to give a long and lingering finish. A complex aromatic Pinot Noir with loads of primary and secondary layers. Drinking well now and will continue to develop beautifully, a wine with fine acid, well suited to food.