Curly Flat wines from Victoria’s Macedon Ranges were standouts for world renowned wine expert Jancis Robinson during her visit in March 2009. In her report titled “Eminent Victorians” she tasted wines from Heathcote and the Yarra Valley but singled out Curly Flat from Macedon Ranges as the “outstanding” producer.
She wrote: “Phillip Moraghan reports that his is the latest picked Chardonnay on the Australian mainland, with harvest well into April. I can certainly believe this, having frozen during my visit there in February, supposedly high summer. He claims his is the coolest spot for any Australian vineyard. He decides on malolactic policy according to each year’s character but usually between 30 and 70% of his Chardonnay goes through MLF. There is considerable ‘gentle stirring’ during and straight after fermentation and then monthly for 6-8 months. He used to employ 100% barrel fermentation for his Chardonnay but now believes in creating more components in his super-clean winery. Shades of an operating theatre. ‘One of the highs of vintage is to get into the winery early and go to the Chardonnay ferments’. I tasted the single most exciting wine of my trip here, his 2002 Chardonnay. At a recent Victorian Pinot Noir workshp, Curly Flat’s 2008 was the second lowest alcohol apparently (the other one didn’t actually get ripe) at under 13%.”