YOUNG GUNS

G’day,

I write to you from the past, having thought ahead to a Tuesday morning where my head will be so sore from tasting through France’s finest in the Loire all weekend to come up with anything worth reading. Massive kudos to my former self.

Big read incoming!

In late 2024 (it still feels weird to say this) the Young Gun of Wine Awards were held back home to recognise, as the name suggests, the various young guns of wine in Australia. This is closely followed, tightly fought, and a pretty good indicator of both pedigree and future success.

For the first time in the 18 year history of the awards, the top trophy has gone to a Tasmanian winemaker, one of our own, Marco Lubiana. The Young Gun of Wine awards aim to recognise Australian winemakers and viticulturists who are already excelling in their field and who are perhaps adding a new voice to the domestic wine conversation. We’re absolutely thrilled for Marco and believe it’s well-deserved recognition for a man who is so determined to make the best wines he can, with all the hard work taking place in the vineyard, before a very ‘hands-off’ approach in the winery.

A bit about the vintage in Marco’s own words: 

2023 was a tricky year, it was the last year of the La Nina so it was cooler and wetter than normal. Thus making it challenging to mitigate disease but we were fortunate not to have any problems. The reds are typically more fruit forward from this year with less tannin, easy to drink straight out of the bottle, which is not a bad thing. On the other hand the chardonnays cropped very low due to the poor conditions, so acidity is up and so is complexity. I think they will need a bit of time, but they look good already. Overall I am very happy considering the challenging vintage, but it is just a lot harder to grow and make them!

Refreshing frankness from a producer! Something some working in another part of the world famous for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir could learn from… jks. We’re stoked to offer limited stocks of both his Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from 2023, both available by hammering the LINK RIGHT HERE!

BUT WAIT, THERE IS MORE!

From scratch; a literal few tonnes of grapes in 2018, Jordan Hein created Moorak — named as an ode to his birthplace, the small suburb of Moorak, South Australia.

Anyone who has ever had the pleasure of driving through Mount Gambier and it’s Dante’s Peak like atmosphere will understand why Jordan instead choses to live in McLaren Vale, some 6 hours north.

Each vintage, Moorak strives for partnerships with sustainable and organic growers, each with a progressive focus on regenerative viticulture. The underlying aim is to present fruit from those with knowledge, a deep understanding of the vines and vehement respect for the land from where it grows. Jordan’s winery is a minimal carbon-impact facility, completely off-grid, using Solar power, rainwater and bore water throughout production.

I’m headed back to Aus shortly to do some work (catch some rays) and visiting Jordan is high on the agenda. I’ve heard whispers of a few more alternate bottlings floating around which would be rude not to pour on the Dalston Riviera this summer, so watch this space. In the meantime, load up on these before they disappear - elite drinking.

Anyone got any paracetamol?

Dan