The Syrah No.2 is a blend of the two blocks in Heathcote and Harcourt. Although it’s the most accessibly priced wine, it’s important to stress that it gets the same attention to detail in the vineyard and the winery as all POCW’s other wines. The 2023 was fermented with mostly whole-bunches and matured in a range of casks (mostly large, neutral Stockinger) and a concrete egg. It was bottled in February 2025, almost two years after harvest. Rob’s belief that the 2023 is the most exciting release to date is well founded.

As always, this wine is a blend of the two blocks we work with, in Heathcote and Harcourt. Although it’s our most accessibly-priced wine, it’s important to stress that it gets exactly the same attention to detail in the vineyard and the winery as all of our other wines. It was fermented with a majority of whole bunches and was matured in a range of casks (mostly large, neutral Stockinger) and a concrete egg. It was bottled in February 2025, almost two years after harvest. We think it’s our best release of this label so far.

This Marsanne/Roussanne comes from Harcourt North in Victoria’s Bendigo G.I., about an hours’ drive north of the Macedon cellars. With its pure, sandy, granitic soils, and mild climate, this is one of Australia’s most exciting places for Rhône varieties. The grapes were picked fully ripe, pressed firmly and sent straight to barrel (500 and 228 litres), concrete egg and 220-litre glass Wineglobe, for both fermentation and aging with all the fine lees. Malolactic occurred naturally and the wine was bottled in November 2024 without fining or filtration.

It's the polar opposite of the ‘pinot gris’ style of many Australian Marsanne's that are picked early, inoculated, tank reared and filtered. It has the power and richness of previous releases, yet with good vibrancy thanks to Harcourt’s micro-climate and the inclusion of a larger portion of Roussanne.

This Marsanne/Roussanne comes from Harcourt North in Victoria’s Bendigo G.I., about an hours’ drive north of the Macedon cellars. With its pure, sandy, granitic soils, and mild climate, this is one of Australia’s most exciting places for Rhône varieties. The grapes were picked fully ripe, pressed firmly and sent straight to barrel (500 and 228 litres), concrete egg and 220-litre glass Wineglobe, for both fermentation and aging with all the fine lees. Malolactic occurred naturally and the wine was bottled in November 2024 without fining or filtration.

It's the polar opposite of the ‘pinot gris’ style of many Australian Marsanne's that are picked early, inoculated, tank reared and filtered. It has the power and richness of previous releases, yet with good vibrancy thanks to Harcourt’s micro-climate and the inclusion of a larger portion of Roussanne.

This is the third Syrah release from Harcourt North (from the same site as the white above). Just touching 13%, it is the prettiest and most floral Syrah POCW has made from the exciting, granite-rich Lome vineyard. The long hang time and slow ripening in 2023 allowed the team to pick exactly when they wanted, and it shows in the superb balance of the wine. Fermented with 60% whole-bunches, the wine underwent almost two years’ maturation in large-format Stockinger (500, 1,500- and 2,000-litre casks) and was bottled in late February 2025. From a cooler vintage, it’s another example that combines perfume and finesse with excellent depth and fine structure.

This is the third Syrah release from Harcourt North (from the same site as the white above). Just touching 13%, it is the prettiest and most floral Syrah POCW has made from the exciting, granite-rich Lome vineyard. The long hang time and slow ripening in 2023 allowed the team to pick exactly when they wanted, and it shows in the superb balance of the wine. Fermented with 60% whole-bunches, the wine underwent almost two years’ maturation in large-format Stockinger (500, 1,500- and 2,000-litre casks) and was bottled in late February 2025. From a cooler vintage, it’s another example that combines perfume and finesse with excellent depth and fine structure.

Inspired by the great reds of Hunter legend Maurice O’Shea in the 1940s and ’50s, Tradition is a ‘cellar blend’ of estate Pinot and grower Syrah. This release is a blend of 50% Pinot from Estate vines in Macedon, and 50% Syrah from Heathcote and Harcourt.  It was raised in a mix of mostly neutral large and small oak and was bottled in December 2024. Made with 80% whole bunches, it’s a bright, perfumed, juicy wine packed with brambly fruit and all sorts of spice. Where many producers of this blend make simple, lighter reds, this wine sits at the more serious end of the spectrum with good structure and loads of spice to go with the bright, juicy fruit. Think of it as Victoria’s answer to a good Morgon, and you’ll be in the ballpark! Less than 3,000 bottles were made this year.

Our Tradition is a ‘cellar blend’ of estate Pinot and grower Syrah. The greatest Australian wines I have ever tasted were made by Hunter legend Maurice O’Shea in the 1940s and ’50s. These wines were blends of Syrah and Pinot, and they have inspired this blend (and the label), which we make only in suitable years. This release is a blend of 50% Pinot from our own vines, in Macedon and 50% Syrah from Heathcote and Harcourt. The 2023 is 50% Pinot and 50% Syrah. It was raised in a mix of mostly neutral large and small oak and was bottled in December 2024. Made with 80% whole bunches, it’s a bright, perfumed, juicy wine packed with brambly fruit and all sorts of spice. Less than 3,000 bottles were made this year. It’s already very approachable, yet we think it will age well. Grab some for now and some for later.

Place of Changing Winds has produced only one Pinot Noir from 2023. As Rob explains it, the cool, late season meant the style and personality of the Beyond the Forest and High Density parcels fell a whisker short of receiving their own label, so he and Rémi simply created the best blend from the best ferments produced across the three-hectare POCW vineyard (and declassified whatever didn’t make the cut). This strict selection results in a wonderfully perfumed, complex, finely structured Pinot—one of the most seductive this vineyard has produced. There is a core of sweet fruit that belies the cool, late season and speaks more to the low yields, but there is also plenty of Asian spice on the nose and palate, crystalline red fruit, high-toned florals (violet and rose) and a driven finish with plenty of fine structure for aging.

It is a gorgeous drink now if you give it plenty of air in a decanter, but it will certainly cellar well. Bottled in January 2025, whole bunches made up almost a third of the blend (bringing a lot of perfume and spice), and the wine spent 21 months maturing in a range of Stockinger casks (228, 500, 600 and 1,000 litres) and some Wineglobe glass fermenters, with only around 5% new oak.

This is the second release from Harcourt. It comes from a very specific plot in Victoria’s Bendigo G.I., on the foothills of Mt Alexander. With its pure granite soils and mild climate, the POCW team believe that Harcourt is one of Australia's most exciting terroirs for Syrah. 50% whole bunches were used, and the wine underwent almost two years’ maturation. The initial period was in older 600- and 1,500-litre Stockinger casks, with the final eight months in 2000-litre Stockinger. It was bottled in late December 2023. It’s a wine that combines lifted perfume and finesse with excellent depth and fine structure.

This wine is now released with an extra year’s aging. It comes from an east-facing plot of 20+-year-old vines rooted in the red Cambrian soils of the Mount Camel Range in Heathcote’s north. Although this sub-region can produce some of Heathcote’s most refined wines, it is still an area that lends itself to growing powerful Syrah, so it gets an additional year in cask. The 2021 spent its first year in a range of Stockinger cask and concrete tank before being blended to one 2,000-litre Stockinger cask for the remainder of its maturation. It was bottled at the end of November 2023 after 33 months’ aging. It is a gorgeous, dark-fruited expression of this famous region. At 13% alcohol, it is in no way heavy and, in fact, is quite the “refreshing” contrast to many wines released from the area. Only around 10% new oak used.