What is it they say? Behind every great winemaker, there is a great viticulturist. The recent return of seasoned viticulturist John Evans marks another leap forward for Toolangi and its wines. Evans was a vital member of the team that designed and planted the Dixon’s Creek vineyard in 1995. He knows the Yarra like the back of his hand and how to get the best from the Toolangi vineyard. With Evans back on the tiller and Kaspar Hermann’s single-mindedness in the cellar, is it any wonder Toolangi wines have never looked better?Every great vineyard has its sweet spot, and Toolangi’s Block wines are the definitive expressions of this outstanding site. Of the three siblings, Toolangi’s world-class, chiselled F Block Chardonnay has shone the brightest, though today, the Pinot Noir and Shiraz are also firing with intensity and focus. Cropped from just a handful of rows, these two expressive reds are made in tiny quantities and only in exceptional years. Hermann’s progression with Pinot Noir from this vineyard has been especially impressive. “The MO for Pinot is transparency,” he told us. “We’re trying to let the place shine.” To that end, he uses a portion of whole bunches to add layers of tannin and textural appeal to the block’s punchy, spicy fruit.When it comes to Shiraz, our ex-Mount Mary man draws his inspiration from this variety’s star performers—including Luke Lambert, with whom he’s had many a chinwag about how to draw the best out of Yarra Valley Shiraz. Again, the fruit is everything, so you won’t find new oak or winemaking artifice; just evocative, sinewy tannin and waves of seductive, savoury flavour. It all adds up to a classy and outstanding trio of top-drawer Yarra Valley.