Description
“LL is a genius. One of the most gifted winemakers in the country.” Gary Walsh, The Wine Front
It’s been almost a decade since Lambert’s daring, handcrafted and joyously aromatic wines first made their way down from the Yarra Valley and on to the lists and shelves of Melbourne’s finest wine establishments (and a few of Sydney’s).
Lambert is obviously inspired by his experience making wine in Piemonte and Australia yet firmly believes that the personality of a wine will be dictated by its “place”. Lambert’s source vineyards (in poor, rocky and elevated pockets of the Yarra Valley) are therefore managed in order to bring out their unique geographic signature in the final wines.
All Luke Lambert wines are handpicked and of single-vineyard origin. They are wildly perfumed with moderate alcohol, fresh acidities, powdery tannins, and limited oak influence. Luke’s methodology includes wild ferments without the aid of temperature control, hand plunging, long macerations (with plenty of whole-bunch for the Syrahs), basket-pressing, gravity rather than pumping, old oak, and no fining or filtration. Lambert’s belief that “..the best wines have always been made by feel and are always sourced from unique and interesting vineyards that have natural balance and grow grapes full of character…” comes through strongly in the remarkable complexity and placeness of these wines.
It’s fair to say Luke Lambert hasn’t looked back since ‘relocating’ his Syrah to the Tibooburra vineyard. This southwest sloping site lies in the south-eastern corner of the Valley, near Gembrook, and might be the coolest microclimate of the Yarra. The site is expertly managed by Greg Kerr, the grower who planted the vineyard in 2001. The soils here are considered very unusual for the Yarra, comprising a seam of black volcanic topsoil over yellow clay with a smattering of granite rock throughout. Furthermore, the quality of the clonal material in Tibooburra supplies Lambert with a deeper, darker and more structured Syrah than we typically see in the Yarra. This is what drew Lambert to the site and a good chunk of the reason that this Syrah has become a touchstone example of the cool-climate Australian red genre. Put this up against the most famous Aussie cool climate reds and it’s clear that something pretty special is going on chez Lambert. The handling was pretty similar to previous vintages, wild ferment—taking in 80% wholes bunches—ageing in neutral oak (a ten year old, 5,000-litre). The wine was left unsulphured until just prior to bottling, without fining or filtration. Lambert describes his 2018 as, “A warmer, dryer year with more fruit power” adding that “because of the elevation of the Tibooburra vineyard and the aspect (Chardonnay facing East, Syrah facing South) the wines hold their acid structure and elegance and sail through the hotter years.”
96 points, Gary Walsh, The Wine Front “… Neon purple, perfume, pepper, boysenberry, blackcurrant, honey biscuits. It’s light to medium-bodied, intense small berried black fruit, plenty of bunch and spice, highlight is ultra-pure mineral water acidity, fine chalky tannin, and a long crisp peppery finish. Wonderful delineation and expression of Shiraz ..”
RRP $41 LIMITED STOCK
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