Exciting times are these for Luke Lambert and Rosalind Hall. Earlier this year the pair crushed their first Nebbiolo from the family’s young vineyard in the Yea Valley, 30 kilometres north of Yarra Glen. As many will know, Lambert’s small, 1.6-hectare plot of young Nebbiolo was planted in 2019 to a mix of clones and planting densities. The place was christened Sparkletown by Luke’s daughter, Olive, after the rays of winter sun glinting off the rocky hillsides of Glenburn. It has long been Luke’s dream to grow and bottle a Nebbiolo from his own dirt. And while that dream is getting closer, the mercurial winemaker—and now winegrower—thinks we may have to wait until 2030 before Sparkletown’s first wine hits the shelves. Fortunately, while his young Nebbiolo matures, Luke has another surprise up his sleeve. In the more immediate future, Lambert Wines will release not one, but three single-vineyard Nebbiolos, each crafted from a separate Victorian region. You heard it here first! As for the 2023 Yarra Valley Nebbiolo we offer today, Luke and Rosalind have done it again. The new release is a typically nuanced and complex Lambert Nebb, albeit one with a denser, more rounded personality than the previous two releases. Luke recommends decanting if approached in the short term. Even so, it’s already offering oodles of red-fruited purity, integrated freshness, and beautiful length. In the words of one of our tasters: “another beauty!” At the same time, Lambert is releasing the 2024 Yarra Valley Chardonnay and Syrah. Anyone who has tasted the 2024 Crudo wines will have some idea of what to expect. The warmer harvest this year has gifted two cracking wines. The Chardonnay is less angular than those from the preceding La Niña vintages. More juicy and readable, might be one way to put it, even if the wine remains impeccably fresh and never loses sight of Denton’s granitic DNA. As Jerry Seinfeld might say, it’s a wine that leaves you wanting more. And the Syrah is a killer. It’s a fuller style this year, and a wine with superb definition and focus. Lambert used 80% whole bunches this time, but you wouldn’t know, unless you pick up that ripe-stem orange-peel character that is woven through the wine’s silky texture. We are limiting the Nebbiolo to 6 bottles per customer, while the Syrah and Chardonnay have no restrictions. We encourage you to support this small producer across their full range.