Lethbridge Wines

Henty Cool: Single-Vineyard Riesling, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir
Lethbridge Wines
Henty is Ray Nadeson’s home away from home. Ray has long had a thing for Australia’s coolest wine-growing region and began working with Drumborg fruit not long after establishing Lethbridge. Henty started as a hub for sparkling material when Seppelt planted its flag in this prime agrarian land. Among the great attractions is the region’s affinity for aromatic varieties, including Pinot Gris and Riesling, and it was the latter that proved the biggest draw for Nadeson.

“I’ve always been a fan of German Riesling, and it was so exciting to see Riesling wines from Henty with those same outrageous levels of acidity,” he told us. “But they were made in a [bone-dry] Clare Valley style, which I thought was crazy. The raw material was crying out to be made more off-dry.” Which is exactly what he has done since 2006.

The Doeven vineyard is a low-yielding, schist-rich vineyard planted in the 1980s to Pinot Noir, Riesling and Chardonnay. It’s a remarkably cool site, with an average temperature of 17-18 degrees and very cool nights. For two decades, Ray has taken a large chunk of Jack and Lois Doeven’s crop for use in his single-vineyard Dr Nadeson Riesling, Henty Pinot Noirs and premium sparkling programme.

Ray’s other Henty source is the Vaughan Vineyard, about 15 kilometres from the Doeven site. Ray sources Pinot Gris from these limestone soils and works with the cool, drawn-out seasons to craft seductive Gris in a ripe, savoury Alsatian vein. “I don’t know what it is about this place; there’s an incredible ginger spice tone to the fruit. I’ve always loved it.” The impeccable fruit quality in 2023 prompted Ray to produce his first single-vineyard Gris from this site.

Even by Henty standards, 2023 was bone-chillingly cold, resulting in a late season featuring long hang times; the kind of year Nadeson loves for the texture, potency and coiled, refreshing acidity. The result is a trio of classy, cool-climate Lethbridge.

The Wines

Lethbridge Dr Nadeson Riesling 2023
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Lethbridge Dr Nadeson Riesling 2023

The Dr. Nadeson Riesling is Ray’s tongue-in-cheek homage to the great wines of Dr. Loosen in the Mosel. When it comes to Riesling, Ray draws inspiration from the benchmark wines of Germany, particularly the importance they place on texture, structure and balance. To this end, he sources all his Riesling from very cold, well-established sites in Victoria (particularly Henty) and leaves a lick of residual sugar for texture.

Jack and Lois Doeven’s site in Drumborg (Henty) is well-known for the quality of its fruit. Planted in the 1980s in beautiful schist rock soils, it is very cool and delivers paltry yields of intensely flavoured fruit with bracingly high acidity. Ray has sourced grapes from here for 20+ years and currently takes the vineyard’s entire Riesling crop. The bunches are picked by hand and ferment in large oak before maturing on fine lees in smaller barrels. Ray leaves a touch of residual sugar to balance the naturally high acidity.

The Lethbridge Rieslings are some of Australia's best examples of residual sugar styles, and Ray’s touch for balanced power is on full display here. It bolts from the glass with aromas of confit lemon, salt, herbs and stones and slides through the palate with mouthwatering energy, punchy structure and pure, delicious flavour. Pair this with some chilli crab and thank us later!

"Matured in older foudre. A very bright green gold. A slightly different but superb rendition of Henty Riesling. A penetrating nose with its core of citrus fruits, floral notes and crushed rock. There's a hint of sweetness, but this is essentially a dry wine, with mouth-tingling and invigorating acidity ensuring it's balanced and fresh. I liked this. A lot."
97 points, Philip Rich, The Wine Companion
Lethbridge Dr Nadeson Riesling 2023
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Lethbridge Vaughan Pinot Gris 2023
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Lethbridge Vaughan Pinot Gris 2023

Ray Nadeson and Maree Collis have been sourcing fruit from Angela and Larry Vaughan’s old vineyard in Drumborg, Henty, for the best part of two decades. The sheer quality delivered in the cool, long 2023 growing season proved the catalyst for the first single-site bottling from this cool vineyard. It’s a very low-yielding site—a prerequisite for Lethbridge―with vines that took root in the 1980s in soils rich in limestone and clay.

As is his way with Gris, Ray picks late to maximise flavour and texture. In a marginal climate like Drumborg, this usually means holding your nerve well into April! This long hang time means Ray gets full ripeness and layers of complex flavours while maintaining bracing natural acidity. The fruit is picked over several passes and ferments in small batches in tank and new wood. Some portions see up to 24 hours of skin contact, and others get the carbonic treatment in amphora. The wine then matures in foudre on fine lees for a few months before bottling.

It's a wonderful first release, littered with orange citrus, high-toned floral notes, ginger and baking spice and rich, white orchard fruit notes. There’s a lovely saline edge from the limestone soils, and the weighty texture is countered deftly by the fresh, cool spine of acidity. This is proper Gris.

"Fermented in both stainless steel and wood, with some components receiving up to eight hours' skin contact. The different components were then blended and matured in foudre. Fragrant and discreet with aromas of stone fruits, nashi and ginger spice. This has flavour and structure, not always easy with this variety. Seriously good pinot gris and one that will still be looking good five years from now."
96 points, Philip Rich, The Wine Companion
Lethbridge Vaughan Pinot Gris 2023
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Lethbridge Henty Pinot Noir 2023
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Lethbridge Henty Pinot Noir 2023

Jack and Lois Doeven’s site in Henty was planted in the 1980s and significantly contributed to Seppelt’s sparkling programme for years. It’s a 40-hectare vineyard that lies on schist soils and is planted predominantly to Riesling, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Ray Nadeson has worked with the fruit from this revered vineyard for 20+ years and currently takes the entire Riesling and Pinot crop, as well as half the Gris. As such, Ray has a lot of input into the farming practices at the site, so yields are kept low.

With the warming climate, certain parcels of Pinot Noir at the Doeven site can be earmarked for still wine―as a point of interest, the fruit for Lethbridge’s premium Nadeson Collis sparkling programme is also sourced from this site. The clone is of Swiss origin (Mariafield), with an open bunch structure so it can ripen well in cooler climates. Ray says it’s structurally softer than MV6 and tends to be more high-toned and perfumed. The fruit is picked by hand and ferments in open-top vessels with a small portion of bunches. After a long, cool ferment (20 days) with only gentle cap work, the wine is pressed to barrel (20% new) for 11 months’ maturation.

Ray captures the essence of this wine perfectly: “The Geelong Pinots are all about slapping the base, whereas this Henty wine is more like the snap of the snare drum.” It’s full of perfume, summer berries, brown spice and earth notes, with fleshy weight and a savoury finish—cool-climate Pinot Noir in fine form.

Lethbridge Henty Pinot Noir 2023
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“Ray is ever inquisitive, working across a panoply of varieties, from classic to those emerging in this country. He also works across many regions... That he stitches together all these into such a beautiful whole is much the magic of Lethbridge. Working with a wide variety of techniques and vessels, all the wines under the Lethbridge banner feel so purposeful, so necessary, and are deliciously leading lights in their respective categories.” Halliday Wine Companion Top 100 Wineries 2024



“Now and then someone comes into the wine world who learns so fast and produces excellent wine so quickly it takes your breath away.” Huon Hooke



“As well as understanding the importance of terroir, the partners have built a unique strawbale winery, designed to recreate the controlled environment of cellars and caves in Europe. Winemaking is no less ecological: hand-picking, indigenous-yeast fermentation, small open fermenters, pigeage (foot-stomping) and minimal handling of the wines throughout the maturation process are all part and parcel of the highly successful Lethbridge approach.” James Halliday

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