We are delighted to present Lethbridge Wines for the first time. Our excitement will come as no surprise to those who know the wines and the characters behind them. Few growers across the world could have pursued their dream of planting a vineyard with such rigour as Maree Collis and Ray Nadeson. Starting in 1993, these wine-obsessed scientists spent three years scouring Victoria for their perfect site, poring over maps and analysing soils, rocks and weather patterns. The search ended with a piece of land in the heart of Geelong’s Moorabool Valley. They did not know it then, but the same patch of dirt could trace its viticultural roots back to 1874 when it was planted by Swiss immigrants before phylloxera devastated the region’s vineyards.Sitting at 270 metres elevation and 30 kilometres northwest of Geelong, the Lethbridge vineyard is the Moorabool Valley’s coolest site. The site’s thin black-clay topsoils lie over two tongues of ancient lava flows—bluestone and honeycomb basalt—formed by volcanic activity 30-50,000 years ago. In Nadeson’s hands, these rocky, low-vigour soils and the site’s cool, dry, windy climate help to yield layered wines of impressive intensity, driving freshness, and no lack of provenance.Of course, Ray and Maree also source fruit from several sites across the broader Geelong region and beyond. Like the Lethbridge home site, these plots are selected for their ability to slowly ripen low yields while maintaining high levels of natural acidity, while farming philosophies mirror those of the Lethbridge ethos. In the cellar, Nadeson follows his instinct as much as his intellect. Together with his right-hand man, Crimea-born winemaker Vasily Pestretsov, Ray explains that they “frame nature” by removing little and adding less.Regardless of its provenance, each Lethbridge wine is an honest expression of its site, season and soil. They are not, in the main, primary, fruit-forward wines. Instead, they follow their own muse, leading with structure, texture, savouriness and definitive freshness (merits writ large in the Reserve wines in particular, which age in bottle for three years before release). The Chardonnays are deep, chiselled wines flecked with mineral and floral nuance, while Lethbridge’s Pinots are prized for their succulent freshness allied to classy, age-supporting structures. You will find plenty more to delve into and can view the full range here. In the meantime, here are some gems to welcome you into the sensual, cerebral realm of Lethbridge!