PICTURED: Montara offers a striking 50 grampians & pyrenees view of Mount Langi Ghiran, said to 51 resemble a pregnant lady. COUNTRY WESTERN Stark, dry and dotted with sheep: As he ambles among the vines, The fruit goes into what Ben describes Thanks, in part, to those deep-set roots, &Ben Thomson stoops every few yards, as “mongrel blends”, sold as The Nursery the vineyard has traditionally been dry at first glance, the Grampians and Pyrenees in Victoria’s snatching up a grape with his ink-dark Block Dry Red or Concongella Blanc. Now, grown. But as Ben kicks at the parched, fingers and popping it into his mouth. For as we work our way along the rows, Ben unyielding soil, he admits that those days Central West seem unlikely hubs for world-class wine. the fifth-generation vigneron and current pauses amid the gnarled, low-slung vines, may be drawing to a close. “We’re having And yet, among sprawling broadacre farms and the sinuous custodian of Best’s Great Western, it’s a saying, “Sometimes you do have to stop to water now, but it’s a bit of a crystal rhythmic, reflexive act that’s as instinctive and think about the history of it all.” ball thing, as you have to preempt any silhouette of Mount Langi Ghiran, five-star wineries are as breathing. For a visitor to Best’s, that history is writ rainfall,” says Ben. We’re in the Nursery Block, planted to large across the winery. The cellar door On the Thomson Family block, this year winecompanion.com.au producing stellar shiraz off some of the world’s oldest vines. about 40 varieties by founder Henry Best in is housed in an old red gum stable, built they’ve watered and laid straw mulch for 1866. Of these, 32 are known, their lineage in 1869. Beneath this lies the rough-hewn the first time. “When we put the straw WORDS // SARAH LEWIS noted in Best’s faded old journal. The cellar, hand-dug in the 1860s. Outside, you’ll down it was rock-hard, but within two others remain a mystery – the last of their find some of the oldest shiraz vines on weeks there were worms everywhere. AUG / SEPT 2015 kind, they defy modern-day classification. Earth, at almost 150 years of age. I was amazed,” says Ben. ➺ 52 grampians & pyrenees 53 BELOW: The Best’s Great Western cellar door THIS PAGE: The high-vis environment of Seppelt Great Western winery; is in an old red gum stable, built in 1869. below lies 3.3 km of maturation drives built in the 1880s; Isa Bal, RIGHT: Mount Langi Ghiran’s Hill Crest block. head sommelier at the Fat Duck, and Ben Haines of Mount Langi Ghiran. Grapes from that prized block blending room are in stark contrast to REGIONAL CHARACTERS the estate produces cool-climate shiraz, riesling and go into the Bin 0 Shiraz and, in the mossy maze below. At another Grampians icon, Mount Langi Ghiran, cabernet under the Fallen Giants label. exceptional years, the Thomson Thanks to stints in Burgundy, Adam’s young-gun winemaker Ben Haines is keen to get his “We bought the property because it has always Family Shiraz. Nearby, the world’s winemaking style is imbued with a first vintage here underway. “The pepper comes in produced good fruit, but also because I’m a big oldest pinot meunier vines European aesthetic, which he has just before the harvest,” says Ben, who recently joined believer in the Grampians,” says Aaron Drummond. produce the iconic Old Vine Great brought to Seppelt. “We’ve installed the team from Yering Station. “It’s a matter of tasting “My idea here is to try new things. With established Western Pinot Meunier. It was this 10-tonne open fermenters for our and being confident that everything you’re looking brands like Best’s, Langi and Seppelt, in some extraordinary vine age and sense of premium lines, and we bypass any for is yet to come.” cases there’s 150 years of history, so you have to be place that appealed to winemaker mechanical process. It’s all about He’s paying particular attention to the cognisant of what has come before you.” Justin Purser, who joined Best’s in smaller, premium winemaking now,” 1963-plantings of Old Block shiraz. “It’s the best With Halls Gap Estate, Aaron and winemaker 2011 following a three-year stint in he says. (And it’s paying off: at a recent shiraz fruit I’ve eaten,” says Ben. Duncan Buchanan are free to explore. “There’s been Burgundy. “Best’s is one of the few blind-tasting among the region’s top Out among the vines, viticulturalist Damien a lot of trial and error, but the 2015 vintage is looking places in the world that has such winemakers, the Drumborg Vineyard Sheehan explains that the varietal characters change super exciting,” says Aaron. history in its vines,” says Justin. Henty Chardonnay was mistaken for throughout the block. “The east-west plantings give “My aim is to create wines that a Grand Cru Chablis.) us more complexity,” says Damien. “We get variations EAST TO THE PYRENEES really express where they’re from.” Seppelt sources fruit from established between rows and panels, from black and white To the east of the Grampians lies the Pyrenees region, sites in Henty, Heathcote and the pepper and ripe, crunchy red fruits at the southern an exciting wine destination in its own right. OLD MEETS NEW Grampians, first planted by Henry end of the block, to blue and black fruits as you head “The Pyrenees is largely undiscovered, but for such Just down the road at Seppelt Great Best’s brother, Joseph, in 1865. Adam north up the rise to the Hill Crest section.” a small area, it has a lot of five-star wineries, and Western, senior winemaker Adam uses a mix of whole bunch and whole that’s thanks to the fruit,” says Mark Summerfield of Carnaby has been charged with berries, and puncheons, barriques and Summerfield Wines. “I think it consistently produces balancing the obligations of history larger vats to create diverse blending better reds than anywhere else. We have a beautiful and legacy with contemporary components. A case in point is the 2015 climate here and it varies so much.” winemaking techniques. Below riesling, which is still fermenting on At his Moonambel winery, Mark crafts top-rated ground lies 3.3-km of labyrinthine our visit. “One example was fermented shiraz and cabernet, plus the members-only Family drives, built by Hans Irvine in the cold, has a small amount of fluffy lees, Series, named for his three children, Sahsah, Saieh 1880s for the maturation of sparkling and will be stopped while it has a bit of and Taiyo, and brother, Jo. wine, including the original residual sugar. The second was picked During vintage, it’s all hands on deck at this sparkling shiraz. Above, the high-vis, a day later – it’s been whole-bunch small family-run winery. Summerfield’s wines are hard-hat environment of the winery pressed for a textural element to be all made in open-tank fermenters, hand-plunged and the lab-like sanitation of the used in blending,” says Adam. a few times a day, and matured in oak. ➺ This is precision viticulture. Soil mapping has allowed the Langi team to zero in on the areas that “IT’S A MATTER OF produce the most rotundone, the compound that gives shiraz its peppery qualities. “We call it the TASTING AND BEING ‘peppy-centre’,” says Ben. “It varies in intensity each year, but the hotspots remain the same.” CONFIDENT THAT Over a vertical tasting of 12 Langi shiraz from 1984 to 2012, we bear witness to the changing styles SMALL WONDERS good red off the vine,” says Leigh. EVERYTHING YOU’RE of the winemakers, from Trevor Mast’s limited oak On the other side of Mount Langi “The shiraz and pinot that are in the usage in the ’80s to Kate Petering’s most recent Ghiran lies Montara, near Ararat. barrel now are looking very smart. It’s LOOKING FOR IS vintages. There’s a clear evolution of style in the Built in the late 1970s, the mud- been a great red year.” early 2000s. “We see the importance of late maturity. brick cellar door offers a striking Over the past nine years, Leigh has YET TO COME.” In order to get the full development of flavours and view of the mountain’s curvaceous refined the Montara style. “We started BEN HAINES // MOUNT LANGI GHIRAN aromas, you need to leave the fruit on the vine,” silhouette, said to resemble a here with a big bang using plenty of says Ben. But the greatest shift can be seen in 2010, pregnant lady. Here, guests can American oak, but I’ve pulled right when winemaker Dan Buckle introduced whole enjoy a picnic and a bottle of wine back,” says Leigh. “Hang the cost; bunches and reined in the alcohol. “It was a pretty in the garden, or recharge with we’re aiming high with French oak.” courageous wine to make,” says Damien. “It brought coffee and a light lunch in the cafe. Leigh also lends his nous to Clarnette into question: what should Australian shiraz be?” Winemaker Leigh Clarnette & Ludvigsen, a 14-hectare vineyard “It was really important for it to go there,” says draws on 30 years’ experience in primarily planted to rare shiraz clones. Ben. “All of that history gives us more confidence winecompanion.com.au the Yarra Valley, Padthaway and the Another 35 minutes’ drive west and context.” But Ben’s attention can’t be held for Grampians, most notably at Millers brings you to Halls Gap Estate, a long.