Michael Downer’s big-ticket Tilbury Chardonnay is sourced from his equally big-ticket Lenswood Vineyard (80%), with the balance coming from the usual Piccadilly growers that have previously contributed to this benchmark Chardonnay. The Lenswood site delivers generous flavour, providing a compelling contrast to the tight, linear Piccadilly material. Its vines are own-rooted I10v1 clone planted in 1989, and Bernard 76 and 95 clones planted in the early 2000s. The Piccadilly vines are at 500 metres and have varied soils of sandstone, sandy loam and ironstone, contributing fruit with a classic flinty expression and powerful drive. The fruit was picked by hand and pressed as bunches to barriques, puncheons and some Stockinger vessels for fermentation (about 30% new wood this year). The wine underwent full malolactic fermentation and had some light lees stirring over eight months of maturation.

This year, Murdoch Hill’s Lenswood Vineyard forms the backbone of the Phaeton Pinot Noir. Perched at 500 metres, the lofty Lenswood site is home to four blocks of Pinot clones D5V12 and Dijon 114 and 115, planted in 1989 and the early 2000s respectively. The clonal complexity adds a dense core of fruit as well as structure and fragrance. The balance of the fruit (15%) comes from two Piccadilly growers Michael Downer has worked with for years. The first site lies at 520 metres outside the town of Piccadilly, below Mount Lofty. Its easterly aspect gives Downer delicacy, pretty aromatics and pure, red-fruited notes. The second vineyard, also with an easterly aspect but in Ashton, sits on a steep slope at 560 metres on hard soils with relatively shallow sandstone. It adds forest floor complexity.

Downer handled each parcel separately, with small portions of berries and bunches (10%). This year, the bunch portion was pulled back because the season was cool, yields were small, and the juice-to-skin ratio was low, calling for a more restrained approach. Fermentation occurred in stainless steel, followed by maturation mainly in puncheons with a small amount in barrique (approximately 40% new) for eight months. It’s another elegant and perfumed release with a dense, powerful fruit core balanced by bright structure and savoury spice. 

The last few years have seen a serious uptick in the calibre of Murdoch Hill’s Syrah. This should come as no surprise; the quality of the raw material combined with the talent of vigneron Michael Downer is a proven combination. Murdoch Hill’s prowess with cool-climate Pinot Noir and Chardonnay is written in stone; now Syrah joins the ranks of this estate’s classics.

“Among the vanguard of exceptional Australian shiraz,” Ned Goodwin MW wrote of the 2022 release. Campbell Mattinson showed equal admiration for the same wine, prefacing his effusive review with: “This isn't your average gear.” In the mould of the preceding two seasons, 2023 was long and cool, and the resulting fruit was exceptional: perfectly ripe with detailed, composed flavour and texture profiles.

Though not the most expensive bottling in the range, Landau is Downer’s signature wine in many ways. It comes from a single parcel at Murdoch Hill’s Landau block in Oakbank. It’s a predominately east-facing slope at 400 metres on shallow, red loam soils with varying levels of schist rock and a vein of ironstone. The vines were planted in 1998. Oakbank’s warmer, sunny days allow the Syrah to fully ripen while the afternoon breezes and cool nights promote natural acidity. The block is sustainably managed according to organic principles, with zero herbicides.

Downer’s style has always channelled the elegant, spicier side of Adelaide Hills Syrah. Cool-fruited freshness and lacy tannins form the foundation, while bunches, whole berries and restrained oak add the colour between the lines. The 2023 fermented with just 12% bunches―a decision dictated by the cool nature of the season―and matured in older oak puncheons (just 10% new) and demi-muids for 10 months.

Murdoch Hill’s delicate and fine-boned Sulky Riesling comes from 20-plus-year-old vines on a small, sustainably managed vineyard in Macclesfield in the southern reaches of the Adelaide Hills. These well-established vines lie on ironstone bedrock.

The fruit was picked by hand and pressed as bunches to 1500-litre foudres for spontaneous fermentation. It matured for three months on fine lees before being moved to tank for another two months before bottling. As is usually the case with this wine, winemaker Michael Downer left a lick of residual sugar (4g/L) to balance the naturally high spine of fresh acidity. It's another highly aromatic and succulently textured release. Bursting with springtime freshness, there are bright white florals, mouthwatering melon and citrus notes and a mineral, chalky line that shoots through the palate—a far cry from your average South Australian Riesling.

Few do Chardonnay better than Michael Downer, and this is another cracker. The lion’s share of the fruit for this year’s Chardonnay comes from Murdoch Hill’s estate vineyards: the home vineyard in Oakbank and the newly acquired 8.5 hectares of vines in Lenswood. The balance is grown on sites Michael Downer has worked with for years in Lobethal and Piccadilly. All the sites share some common traits: high elevation, sustainable farming practices and vines over 20 years old. 

The top block on the Oakbank property at a lofty 420 metres is home to Bernard clone vines and forms the backbone of this year’s blend at 60%. The Lenswood site, at 20%, brings an open and generous fruit profile, providing a lovely contrast to the more linear and tight nature of the high-altitude Piccadilly and Lobethal material that rounds out the blend. 

According to Downer, 2024 was an “ideal season” with mild conditions in the runup to and during harvest. The Oakbank portion was destemmed while the rest of the fruit was pressed as bunches. Wild ferments and maturation occurred in puncheons and barriques (about 20% new). To build the back end, Downer let a significant portion of the wine go through malolactic fermentation while all parcels rested on gross lees for nine months, and some barrels were stirred. It’s classic Downer, with deft reduction, orchard fruits and citrus, mouthwatering savoury lines, a juicy core and a very tidy finish.

For the first time, Rocket is a single-vineyard wine. A couple of years back, the Downer family purchased Lenswood Vineyard, an 18-hectare property in the Lenswood subregion of the Adelaide Hills. Initially planted in 1989, this beautiful site is perched at 500 metres and is home to some of the oldest vines in the area. Since taking over the property, Downer and his team have worked tirelessly to bring farming and fruit quality at this already revered site up to the exacting Murdoch Hill standards. That work has quickly paid off.

The site is home to a tapestry of clones, but Downer chose a mix of the original 1989 I10v1 vines (own-rooted and low-yielding on a steep, east-facing slope) and B76 vines planted in 2000 in the western Forest block for the 2023 edition. In terms of style, Downer tells us Lenswood and its clonal mix make for a wine of grace, purity and openness while maintaining racy freshness and lithe structure.

The fruit was pressed as bunches to tight-grained barrels (mostly puncheons, 50% new) for fermentation. The wine went through full malolactic conversion with occasional lees stirring throughout an eight-month maturation in wood. The wine was blended and matured for a further few months in tank before bottling. It’s another striking, high-octane model and a world-class Chardonnay.

Michael Downer has a way with Syrah, that much is clear. This value proposition is made with the same care and attention—and in a very similar mould—to Downer’s flagship Syrahs, Landau and Orion. The estate-grown fruit comes from an organically farmed east-facing block planted in 1998. The fruit fermented wild in open-top fermenters with 15% whole bunches lending impressive aromatic lift. Maturation took place mainly in old barriques with a small portion (15%) new—Michael Downer is seeking complexity from fruit rather than oak.

After a few low-yielding years in Piccadilly Valley, Michael Downer cast his sourcing net a bit wider for Pinot Noir in 2024. He settled on a well-established site in Forreston in the northern sector of the Adelaide Hills. The organically managed vineyard sits just north of the Gumeracha township at 450 metres with northwest-facing slopes. The MV6 Pinot Noir, which makes up 55% of this year’s blend, comes from a ridge with lean soils, and Michael tells us the fruit has lovely purity and supple structure. The rest of the fruit comes from Murdoch Hill’s estate vineyard in Lenswood (30%) and the usual, high-elevation Piccadilly sources. The Lenswood site delivered spice-driven, weighty, deeply flavoured fruit balanced nicely by the cool, fresh, elegant structure of the Piccadilly stock.

Fermentation took place in small open-top fermenters with just a small portion of whole bunches (less than 10%). In response to the cooler conditions of the last few years, Downer has decreased the bunch component, explaining the Lenswood fruit already brings sufficient spice and structure. Maturation occurred in barriques and puncheons for seven months (22% new). The higher sunshine hours in 2024 have delivered a deeper-coloured wine with more power and drive than its predecessor. It’s perfumed and spicy with wild red berry fruits and mouthwatering earthy depth aligned to silky texture, crisp acidity and elegant, fine-boned tannins. Seriously good Pinot. 

This is the inaugural release of Murdoch Hill’s Jupiter Sangiovese, but not its first rodeo with the variety. Winemaker Michael Downer has been working with Sangiovese from a well-established vineyard in Forreston in the northern sector of the Adelaide Hills since 2019. For years, he used the fruit to make his bright, savoury rosé and often included a portion in his Red Blend. The 2023 season was cool in the Hills, providing long hang-time for the Sangiovese. The resulting quality was too good for Downer to resist bottling his first Sangiovese red.

The vines were planted in 1996 at 500 metres on steep, west-facing slopes in soils rich in ironstone. The wholly destemmed fruit fermented in tank. After 10-14 days, the wine was pressed to seasoned barriques for nine months, followed by a further nine months in a single seasoned foudre. “The extended maturation allowed the wine to knit together beautifully,” Michael explained. “There’s a lovely red fruit profile, with true Sangiovese tannins and delicious savouriness, too.” It’s a bright, medium-bodied Sangiovese, full of red fruits, spice and subtle woody herb notes.

Trophy, Best South Australian Shiraz, 2022 Melbourne Royal Wine Awards. Sourced from the best fruit off the Landau block (the lion’s share is from the apex of the vineyard) and further classified in barrel post-fermentation, the Orion represents the cream of Murdoch Hill’s Syrah. The site is at 400 metres above sea level, predominately east-facing on shallow, red loam soils with varying levels of schist rock and ironstone. The vines were planted in 1998.  

Hand-picked fruit spent 21 days on skins (with a 25% whole bunch component) in a two-tonne open fermenter. It was then transferred into 500-litre Stockinger puncheons (25% new) where it rested for 10 months. The result is a high-toned, perfumed and intense Syrah, with reverberating power and striking freshness. It’s savoury, spicy and packed with blue fruits, balanced beautifully by silky density, composed acidity and precise, graphite-like tannins.

Orion represents the cream of Murdoch Hill’s Syrah crop, comprising the best fruit from the Landau block (the lion’s share is from the apex of the vineyard) and further classified in barrel post-fermentation. This year, barrels were selected from just two parcels kept separate until the final blending decisions were made. The site is 400 metres above sea level, predominately east-facing on shallow red loam with varying levels of schist and ironstone. The vines were planted in 1998.

The fruit was picked over two days in late March and early April. It fermented with 15% bunches in a two-tonne open vat and then moved to 500-litre Stockinger puncheons (20% new), where it rested for 10 months. It was never going to be easy surpass last year’s triumphant release, which took out the trophy for Best South Australian Shiraz at the 2022 Melbourne Royal Wine Awards, but Downer has found a way.

Like Murdoch Hill’s Rocket Chardonnay, 2023 Apollo Pinot Noir is sourced entirely from the Downers’ Lenswood Vineyard in the subregion of the same name in the Adelaide Hills. Initially planted in 1989, the Pinot Noir accounts for 35% of the acreage under vine (just under 10 hectares). There are four blocks: two were planted in the early 2000s to Dijon 114 and 115 (facing southwest), and the D5V12 blocks were planted in 1989 in the top corner of the vineyard, facing east. Fruit for this year’s edition came from the two 1989 blocks—one very rich in ironstone, giving a deep tannin profile to the fruit—and one of the 114/115 clone blocks. 

The vines sit in lean, loamy soils with seams of ironstone and quartz throughout. The clonal complexity gives a dense core of fruit, structure and excellent fragrance. The fruit is mainly destemmed (10% bunches) and spends 10-21 days on skins. Maturation occurs in a mix of barrel sizes (barrique, puncheon and demi-muid; approximately 35% new wood) for nine months. Downer works with tight-grained, low-impact barrels to build texture and structure in the wines.