Awards and Accolades

95 Points - James Halliday, Australian Wine Companion
"Light straw-green; immensely attractive, already with an abundance of varietal fruit on show in a grapefruit/lime spectrum, yet is so light on its feet that it's difficult to decide whether it is just fruit sweetness or whether there's a dab of residual sugar; the balance is such that endeavouring to decide is only of academic interest."

GOLD - Sydney International 2014. Judges' Comments:

Bryan Currie-
Pale straw colour. A toasty nose with a developed palate. Lemon curd and a soft dry finish. Well matched with the food dish.

Cameron Douglas-
Youthful vibrant and fresh. Lots of tree and citrus fruit flavours. A lovely balance and finish. A nice wine. With the food overall it’s a solid pairing but quite safe. I think the wine wins this pairing.

Stuart Halliday-
Lovely warm toasty notes. Acid juicy. Good length. Citrus and lime and lemon overtones. That grilled sort of lemon peel. Rather complementary to the lemongrass that is in the broth. No clashing there with the palate.

Sue Bastian-
Pale straw in colour. Hints of hair oil and developed fruit with toast and lemon curd. Bright powdery acid with some sweet lemon butter at the end.

Ken Dobler-
A lovely bright green colour. Complex herbal and floral aromas with a very seductive palate. Some spicy tropical notes but with some complexity.

Mark Robertson-
The nose is dusty savoury limey and bright. There are some red fruits here that carry through onto the palate. It’s a round wine balanced and cloying. That raspberry cordial finish works here and with food the terpene lift is a little bit of a contradiction. That raspberry with the food.

Neil Hadley-
This wine shows some lemon zest and slaty mineral notes. The wine is sweeter than anticipated with a minerally firm finish but just a little short on the finish.
About the Winery

The abandoned mineshaft at our vineyard in Ararat will forever commemorate the fortunate discovery of the Canton Lead, one of the largest shallow alluvial goldfields in history. It was serendipitously discovered in 1857 by 700 southern Chinese miners who stopped in the area to replenish their water supplies, and triggered the beginning of the great Ararat Rush.

After the demise of the gold rush in 1858, two Frenchmen, Messrs. Blampied and Trouette, planted vines in the region at Great Western. Shortly after, Joseph and Henry Best also established vineyards there, using ex-miners to dig underground drives to house the wines. In this wine village of Great Western, the sparkling wine industry of Australia was born.

Over the years several wine growers followed in Best’s footsteps and the district continued to flourish. In 1970, the McRae family planted the first Montara vineyards on the eastern slopes of Mount Chalambar, a site chosen for its frost-free location. The inaugural Montara vintages were released in 1977.
Today the Grampians is one of Australia’s most historic wine regions, with 2013 marking 150 years of winemaking across a wide range of varieties and styles.