Description
This single‑vineyard estate, first planted in 1995 in Dixons Creek in the Yarra Valley, sits on 11.2 hectares of well‑drained, gently sloping vines sheltered by the Toolangi State Forest and oriented to the northeast. For many years the fruit was crafted by respected winemakers including Rick Kinzbrunner, Franco D’Anna and David Bicknell, but since Helmut Konecsny, the owner of Rochford Wines, purchased Toolangi Vineyards in 2017, winemaker Kaspar Hermann has elevated the site’s individuality and expression. Hermann brings experience from respected Yarra Valley estates—including eight years at Mount Mary—along with time at Seville Estate, Coldstream Hills and Punch. He works closely with viticulturist John Evans, whose two decades of Yarra Valley experience guide the vineyard’s thoughtful management. The soils—fine silty clay loam over richer clay silts—provide a natural balance of vigour and fruitfulness, while the team’s practices, from shoot‑thinning to enhance airflow to minimal spraying and under‑vine mulching, support healthy ripening and a thriving ecosystem.
About the wine: Kaspar Hermann is coming up on eight years at the helm of Toolangi Vineyard. Under his site-first approach–allowing the place and vintage to dictate the result rather than forcing a particular style—the true character and quality of Toolangi’s vineyard are revealing themselves, with impressive results. Drawn from 22-year-old vines, the 2025 was picked over two days in the third week of March. It was partially destemmed and fermented as whole berries, with a small portion of bunches included (10%). After 14 days, the wine was pressed to oak (10% new) for nine months’ maturation. As has come to be expected from this single-vineyard bottling, it’s vibrant and pure-fruited with textural finesse and plenty of bang for your buck alongside typical Toolangi elegance.
From the winemaker: “The season began with a mild spring giving nice yet modest cropping levels from a successful flowering and fruitset period. The summer was quite dry with sustained warmth through January leading to a very early harvest period. The resultant wines show great tannins in the Pinots and phenolic structure for the Chardonnays, the wines have plenty of flavour with typical Toolangi elegance.
“The 25 Toolangi pinot noir opens with notes of red berry fruits (raspberry and boysenberry), a stoney mineral note and some gentle nutmeg spice aromas too. The palate has a nice depth of berry fruits with red plum and a wholesome structure with pumice like tannins. The wine reflects the warmer season with plenty of flavour but not at the expense of freshness.”
As has come to be expected from this great-value bottling (here from a great vintage), the 2025 is vibrant and pure-fruited with textural finesse and plenty of bang for your buck.
RRP $36 *Our Special Price $29.50 when you buy 6 or more of this wine*
