From Tom McCarthy's one-acre single-site parcel at Musk Creek, a rare ultra-cool pocket of Mornington planted in the mid-1990s on basalt-derived volcanic soil at 150m, dry-grown and multi-clonal on own roots. Hand-picked March 15th and whole-bunch pressed direct to barrel for wild fermentation, the wine spent 10 months in French oak puncheons (25% new), left largely undisturbed to build texture and coax out mineral character.

The result is Quealy's signature paradox: muscular yet fine, marrying cool-climate tension with barrel-derived richness. It's a distinctive, elegant Chardonnay that reflects Tom McCarthy's deep feel for the variety and his continued exploration of premium single-vineyard fruit.

Arfion's Dave MacKintosh and ex-Giant Steps' Steve Flamsteed have united once more to produce a brilliant 2025 Chardonnay from Salo, in what will unfortunately be the label's final release from the Full Moon Vineyard in Gladysdale, Yarra Valley. While Salo will find a new home in 2026, what better way to see off Full Moon than with a Chardonnay this layered, expressive and compelling in the glass.

Salo has always sat slightly outside the regional norm. Since the project began in 2008, the brief has been clear — make Yarra Chardonnay with weight, power and structure, while still letting site and season do the talking. That spirit remains intact here, and the 2025 is a beautifully resolved expression of it.

The 2023 Chardonnay is a compelling expression of cool-climate Mornington Peninsula fruit, combining the site’s naturally high acidity with impressive flavour, texture and length. Hand-picked, wild ferment, 100% malo. All parcels were whole-bunch pressed and wild-fermented on full-juice solids in puncheons (25% new oak) before undergoing 100% malolactic fermentation and 10 months' maturation. Coarse filtered only. Bottled late December 2023 from a blend of Penfolds 58, 95, I10V5, 548, 96 and 76 clones. Just 190 dozen produced.

Located in the heart of Hunter Semillon's dress circle, on the free-draining sandy flats of Pokolbin, Braemore is consecrated ground for fans of the variety and region. Thomas has worked with Braemore fruit since his very first vintage, and when the chance to buy the vineyard arose in 2017, he jumped at it. Today it contributes to several blends, but the two single-vineyard wines, the Braemore Semillon and Cellar Reserve Semillon (released at six years old), shine the brightest.

Thomas is one of about 12 producers, including Tyrrell's, on this narrow, two-kilometre strip of 'Grand Cru' Semillon soil. Once an ancient sea floor, the deep, sandy loam is free-draining, letting roots dig deep. "The thing that sets Braemore apart, what gives it its longevity, is that extra level of intensity and concentration that comes from Semillon grown on this kind of soil," Andrew explains.

2026 was similar to the previous vintage: a dry growing season through to véraison, with brief rain early in the new year delivering beautifully ripe fruit, balanced natural acidity and another generous crop. Picking began on 22 January, and the whole vineyard was hand-picked by 30 January. The fruit was sorted, whole-bunch pressed to minimise phenolics and fermented with a neutral yeast for varietal purity, then rested on lees for four weeks.

The result is another classically shaped Braemore, pure and precise, with concentration and tightly wound energy, and an underlying approachability and generosity. It will drink well now and is an absolute belter for the cellar.

This is the 27th consecutive vintage of Braemore Semillon under the Thomas Wines label. 11.3% ABV.

Perched atop Main Ridge at 150 metres, Musk Creek is a cool, marginal site for Pinot Noir, where late ripening demands low yields and meticulous canopy management. Planted in 1997 by Kevin McCarthy and Kathleen Quealy, the mature, dry-grown vines are rooted in rich red soils ranging from basalt-derived volcanic clay to alluvial deposits.

The 2025 vintage enjoyed a healthy fruit set, ample water to replenish the dry-grown vineyard and a beautiful, unpressured ripening season. Hand-harvested fruit spent 28 days on skins before maturing for 12 months in French hogsheads, one-quarter of which were new. The wine shows intense varietal character, fully developed tannins and excellent acid retention, with the vintage’s clarity allowing strong site definition.

This elegant Pinot comes from one of the oldest sites in the region. "We've gone for perfume. 2023 is a perfumed wine anyway, but we're going for a perfumed style," says winemaker Steve Flamsteed. Various parcels were fermented either destemmed or as whole bunches — 50% whole bunch in the final blend — with wild yeast and 10% new oak. Fruit is sourced exclusively from the Eldridge site, from a blend of MV6, Pommard 5, 114, 777, G5V15 and 115 clones. Bottled late January 2024. Just 200 dozen produced.

Pat's 2023 Nebbiolo comes from the renowned Chalmers Vineyard, home to one of the most diverse plantings of the variety in Australia. The block sits on the sweet middle of an east-facing slope, planted east–west to capture gentle morning sun. Beneath the vines lie ancient Cambrian meta-basalt soils, where greenstone and quartz push through clay and silt, an ideal foundation for Nebbiolo’s naturally structural style.

The 2023 vintage marks the third harvest from this site, though only the second release under the Patrick Underwood label. Pat harvested the 2022 fruit earlier than he would have liked and ultimately chose not to release the wine, a decision that speaks volumes about the standards he holds for this project.

For 2023 he pushed the wine further toward the northern Piemonte expressions of Bramaterra and Ghemme, incorporating darker clonal material (MAT5 and MAT8) alongside his preferred clones MAT1, 3, 10 and CV230. The result is a Nebbiolo of perfume, structure and savoury depth, carrying both the classical architecture of the variety and a distinctly Central Victorian voice.

Nebbiolo is kinda Denton’s thing. Eight of their 80 acres are planted to six different clones of Nebbiolo, with plans for expansion in the works. The Nebbiolo block sits halfway up the northwestern slope on Block 2A, catching all available sunshine and ensuring a long, slow ripening period–essential to achieve full phenological ripeness in this variety. The fruit was destemmed, wild yeast fermented and held on skins for 12 days with frequent plunging and foot stomping. There was no temperature control. The wine was then pressed to 500-litre French oak puncheons (20% new) and left unsulphured for 18 months before bottling without fining or filtration.

Bondar's Hope Springs Eternal Grenache is sourced from Sue Trott's Wilpena Vineyard in Blewitt Springs, widely regarded as a benchmark site for the variety. Planted in 1952, these dry-grown bush vines sit at 200 metres elevation on deep Maslin Sands, facing steeply east—an uncommon aspect in McLaren Vale that Bondar favours. The vineyard produces wines of remarkable power and structure, with a distinctive tannin profile and darker fruit character.

The parcel was divided into two ferments: one with 60% whole bunches, the other 30%. Élevage took place over 16 months in seasoned oak and Vin de Terre ceramic amphora. This is a wine that rewards patience, requiring time to harmonise and fully reveal its character.

The 2024 vintage was cool, with healthy yields from ample soil moisture in spring and early summer. A long, dry lead-in to harvest resulted in well-balanced wines combining freshness and flavour, embodying Bondar's philosophy of elegant, refined expression.

First released in 2001, Thomas Wines’ flagship Shiraz is a single-vineyard wine sourced from the mature Pokolbin Estate Vineyard across the road from Brokenwood’s famed Graveyard Vineyard. The vines date back to 1969 and are planted on Hunter’s classic clay/loam soils, where the low-yielding vines produce fruit with exceptional depth and concentration.

Fruit from this vintage was hand-picked in early February, then cold-soaked for 24 hours and fermented on skins for 9 days. Maturing for 16 months in hogsheads (20% new oak), the wine was then bottled and rested in the Thomas cellar for 11 months.

Despite the power of its wine, the Pokolbin Estate vineyard is, devastatingly, no more; 90% of the vines were recently cleared by land developers, making this resplendent 2024 vintage of Kiss the last of its ilk. Fortunately, cuttings were taken before the end, so that the vines of this brilliant site might find a new home someday.