The Merricks Chardonnay, from 28-year-old vines on soils of grey loams and red ferrosols on south- and southeast-facing slopes, was harvested and sorted by hand before being pressed as bunches. Fermentation was spontaneous with high levels of solids in 500-litre François Frères puncheons. A small portion went through natural malolactic fermentation, and the wine rested in large-format barrels (15% new) on full gross lees for 10 months before bottling. Barney seeks long, slow lees interaction, choosing extended, gentle contact over stirring, a process writ large in the supple, integrated texture of his recent releases.

This is a home run: pithy, punchy and pure with serious revs under the bonnet. Expect stone fruits, juicy citrus and well-pitched richness allied to deliciously chewy texture, spine-tingling acidity and big, fleshy presence. As always, a Chardonnay of pedigree, class and substance, and a high-water mark for Garagiste’s Chardonnay.

The Pinot vines at Merricks are 28 years old and sit on grey loams and red ferrosols, but with a north-facing aspect. Yields were slightly higher than in 2023, and the fruit’s integrity meant it retained balance with Barney’s preferred inclusion of 33% bunches. The winemaking is, as always, pretty hands-off: natural fermentation as bunches and whole berries, with gentle extraction and 10 months in 20% new oak.

Barney’s touch with whole bunches is notable and, as usual, it’s seamlessly integrated, providing savoury balance to the trademark power and intensity of the Merricks fruit. It’s very deep and layered, full of berries, spice, flowers and licks of minerality. This is serious (and seriously brilliant) Pinot, combining grippy structure with fresh lift, gliding weight and lingering length. This will get even better with air and—why not?—roast duck.

This year’s Stagiaire blend draws on fruit from Balnarring (65%), Merricks North (19%) and Tuerong (16%). The Merricks North parcel is drawn from the latest addition to Garagiste’s bench of great Mornington sites. Planted in 1996, the vines lie in similar brown loamy soils to those at the flagship Merricks Grove site located close by.

Sorted in the vineyard and winery before being pressed as whole bunches to 500-litre puncheons, this wine is wild fermented with no temperature control, followed by seven months on lees to slowly enrich the texture. A couple of barrels went through malolactic, and the nicely integrated new oak component stands at 10%. It’s bursting with youthful freshness and vigour, full of citrus, white flowers and stone fruits with a mouthwatering saline thread slicing through the fleshy texture. It’s a classic Stagiaire that will only get better with time and air.

A stint at Ogier in Côte-Rôtie left Barney Flanders with a lasting affinity for Rhône Valley wines and, importantly, a thirst for Grenache in all its guises. After years of polite nagging, in 2024, Barney succeeded in securing a small parcel of Grenache Blanc from the Rathjen family in Colbinabbin, Heathcote. Ian and Lynne Rathjen are fourth-generation farmers and vignerons who have farmed their ancient Cambrian soils since the 1850s. 

The vines face southeast and are now 10 years old, rooted in red dirt soils that lie over a layer of limestone. The Rathjens keep yields low across the board, so Barney’s parcel was just a couple of tonnes. As with all the Garagiste wines, the goal is to balance fine mouthfeel with freshness. To that end, the fruit was picked at 12-12.5% potential alcohol and pressed as bunches to seasoned 500-litre puncheons.

Though new to the variety, Barney has taken to Grenache Blanc like a duck to water. “I was constantly checking it to see how it was developing,” he told us, “It’s really delicate and perfumed with lovely texture and salinity. It’s pretty cool.” It’s a cracking first release, fresh and pure with pretty floral lift, pure stone fruit flavours and mouthwatering saline depth. Nailed it.

In Barney Flanders's hands, Pinot Gris can be a wonderful thing. Time after time, you can expect a mouthwatering pure Gris with texture, structure and balance, and the 2024 is right in the zone. The fruit is sourced from 28-year-old, northeast-facing vines rooted in the signature grey loam and red ferrosols soils of Merricks. The majority of the fruit is pressed as bunches to old puncheons with full solids and kept on lees, while a small portion of the blend (10%) ferments carbonically for three weeks. The whole bunch thing works a treat, capturing stone fruit and floral perfume, whereas the maceration nails the spice, red fruit zip, blush colour and elegant, detailed structure. Expect a pure-fruited, perfumed, spicy and savoury Gris, deftly weighted with waves of flavour, nippy texture and drinkability that’s off the scale.

Planted in the late ‘80s, Tuerong is the oldest site Barney works with. The Chardonnay here is always picked first, providing a barometer for the progression of the rest of the vintage. The opportunity to work with the site came up in 2012, and immediately “had a good feel to it”. It’s his aspirational site, providing high-quality fruit that gets better every year. The fruit is hand-harvested from 34-year-old, dry-grown, north-facing vines in grey-black sandy soils over brown sandy loam.

The fruit was picked by hand and pressed as bunches for fermentation in second- and third-fill 500-litre puncheons. A small portion went through natural malolactic fermentation, and the wine rested on full gross lees with no bâtonnage for nine months before bottling. Enticing struck match reduction makes way for a glade of summer citrus, spring florals, salt flecks and a lovely doughy/leesy character. It’s vibrant and pure, with plenty of fleshy weight stitched by mouthwatering acidity and sinewy phenolics. Great length and drive, too: it’s got it all.

Garagiste’s new Merricks North ‘fermage’, home to 30-year Dijon clones, plays a starring role in this year’s Stagiaire blend, accounting for 40%. The balance comprises fruit from Barney’s Balnarring (44%), Red Hill (10%) and Merricks Grove (6%) sites. Balnarring, Red Hill and Merricks Grove are all MV6 clone, whereas Merricks North brings Dijon 114 and 115 into the mix, lending pretty plushness and perfumed nuance to the MV6’s natural structure and power.

After sorting in the vineyard and winery, spontaneous fermentations took place in concrete and stainless steel with whole berries complemented by a 5% bunch component. The fruit spent 21 days on skins, with gentle pumpovers and a small amount of plunging towards the end. The wine matured on its lees in 300-litre hogsheads for seven months, with just 5% new oak. Bottled without fining or filtration, this is quintessential grower Mornington Pinot, bright and perfumed, with red berries, spice and some earthy depth allied to juicy weight, a powerful core and a subtle but refreshing mineral line. Simply outstanding personality.

Balnarring Pinot makes a welcome return after a brief hiatus caused by a series of low-yielding years. The Balnarring site lies just 10 kilometres from Garagiste’s flagship Merricks vineyard but gives a distinctly different expression: a slightly darker fruit profile and fine, grainy tannin structure. Most years, the site forms the backbone of the Stagiaire Pinot and Chardonnay, but in seasons like 2024, with good yields and top-quality fruit, Barney makes a small-batch, single-site wine. The MV6 vines were planted in 1996 and lie on the region’s signature brown/grey loamy soils.

Unlike the Merricks Pinot, there is no whole bunch influence here—Flanders explains that stems can easily dominate the fruit from this vineyard. The wine matured in 300-litre hogsheads (roughly 20% new) and spent nine months on lees before being bottled unfined and unfiltered. It’s lifted and perfumed with dark berries, woody herbs and spice paving the way for soft, juicy and plump weight and a distinct savoury, mineral flecked finish. A decant and a rich braise will set this off… chef’s kiss!

Cropped from a specific half-acre of the Merricks Grove vineyard, Terre de Feu (the Land of Fire) takes its name from the vein of pure red ferrosol soils of this plot. Many years ago, Barney noticed that the vines in this ironstone buttonhole were producing slightly smaller bunches, yielding wines of greater depth and concentration. Thus, in 2013 the decision was made to create this micro-cuvée. The power of the fruit enables a whole-bunch ferment, and Terre de Feu remains Garagiste’s only Pinot to be made this way.

Regardless of vintage conditions, be it warm or cool, if the quality is there for Terre, it’s always made with 100% bunches. In cooler years like 2023, Barney approaches the fruit with a gentler hand in the cellar to manage the bunch impact. The 2023 spent 25 days on skins, followed by 10 months in 25% new oak hogsheads. It’s a superb release; open, powerful, and highly perfumed with savoury, smoky complexity. Hat’s off!