Description
Ashton Hills is a three hectare vineyard that lies in the Piccadilly Valley sub region of the Adelaide Hills on a ridge just below the summit of Mount Lofty. The estate was founded by Stephen George in 1982 and since that time it has built a reputation as one of Australia’s finest proponents of pinot noir and cool climate whites including chardonnay.
For over 30 years Stephen experimented with up to 25 pinot noir clones, ultimately settling on five key clones that now make the acclaimed Reserve and Estate Pinot Noirs from Ashton Hills, plus a range of awarded sparkling wines and chardonnay.
Stephen George wore two winemakers’ hats … one for his Ashton Hills wines, the other for the iconic Wendouree wines in Clare. He refered to his dry grown Piccadilly Valley vineyard as the “Burgundy of the Adelaide Hills” and his “garden”. Stephen is one of Australia’s most highly respected winemaking viticulturalists and a pioneer of Adelaide Hills Pinot Noir. The result is sublime pinot noir.. unfortunately in minuscule quantities!
Stephen has now taken a step back into semi-retirement to spend more time travelling to his beloved Burgundy, and has transferred his stake in Ashton Hills to Wirra Wirra Vineyards, with its pedigree in cool climate Adelaide Hills whites and quality McLaren Vale reds. Nonetheless, he continues to reside at his home at the winery and works closely at vintage with the Wirra Wirra winemaking team to continue the tradition of producing benchmark wines from the Ashton Hills site. Winemaking is now in the capable hands of Liam Van Pelt.
“The Ashton Hills winery will always be the heart and soul of the Adelaide Hills wine region. Founder Stephen George set all the benchmarks; his relentless pursuit of myriad grape clones and varieties laid the foundation for the thriving region of today. Ashton Hills has been owned by Wirra Wirra since 2015, though it speaks volumes that Stephen still lives on the property and remains involved in its operation. This has been the most respectful of handovers, best proven by the steady and continued stream of top-tier releases.” Campbell Mattinson for Halliday Wine Companion
About this wine and vintage from the winemakers: “Gamay is regarded as one of the lightest-bodied red grape varieties, famous for its expressive flavours and minimal tannin. When a small parcel from Woodside in the Adelaide Hills was offered to Ashton Hills, we couldn’t resist the opportunity.
The 2025 vintage was one of the earliest on record across Australia, and the Adelaide Hills was no exception. A warm tail end to winter promoted an early budburst and the continuing warm and dry weather meant that most of the fruit reached ripeness around two weeks earlier than usual. The Gamay was hand harvested on the 19th of February from Woodside in the Adelaide Hills.
The 2025 Gamay was fermented using indigenous yeasts and 25% whole bunches. A small portion was also fermented using the carbonic maceration technique to increase the aromatic, perfumed nose. The wine was basket pressed and aged in a mix of seasoned French oak and stainless-steel tank for eight months to preserve the fresh vibrant palate.
Wild strawberry and blackberry mix with rosewater, red pastille and black tea. A touch of white peppercorn and spice sit in the background. The fresh and vibrant palate is layered with raspberry and cranberry notes while darker, earthy characters add an underlying complexity. The crunchy acid profile drives the wine across the palate and finishes with a lick of fine, dusty tannins.”
93 points, Ray Jordan, Wine Pilot ““Now, I know you’re going to love this wine. It’s just the fourth vintage of Gamay from Ashton Hills. And yet, despite this quite early season, it displays a lovely, vibrant, perfumed aromatic. An interesting combination, in that after fermentation with indigenous yeast and about a twenty-five percent whole bunch contribution, a small portion was also worked with carbonic maceration, and that clearly stimulated the aromatics and brought them well to the fore. It was then basket pressed and then aged in a mix of seasoned French oak and stainless steel tanks for about nine months. Beautiful, exotic aromas of red fruits on the nose. A supple, fine, and quite elegant palate that’s complemented by the subtle oak and wild yeast components, with structure coming from the whole bunch inclusions. Very tidy, current drinking wine, and don’t be afraid to serve it slightly chilled.”
RRP $53 Our Special Price $43.99 when you buy 6 or more of this wine.
