Description
Murdoch Hill vineyard is in the undulating hills of Oakbank in the Adelaide Hills. Planted by the Downer family in ’98 but the excitement began in 2012 when Michael (family’s youngest) took over the reins after working at esteemed wineries: Vietti in Piedmont; Bests in Great Western (initiated his Pinot Meunier fascination) & Shaw & Smith. He brought winemaking in house to have absolute control (previously outsourced to neighbouring winery) and adopted minimal intervention including wild yeasts, whole bunch ferments, extended skin contact, older wood maturation, no fining, filtration and minimal sulphur. He introduced the Artisan range of single parcel high altitude offerings sourcing fruit from vines in Lobethal, Basket Range and Uraidla high in the Piccadilly Valley …. juicy, vibrant wines that highlight the detail and freshness of each site.
Downer was a Young Guns of Wine finalist in 2014, joint winner of the ‘Winemaker’s Choice’ in 2015, finalist again in 2016 and winner in 2017! In the same year he was awarded Young Winemaker of the Year by Australian Gourmet Traveller Wine Magazine! Very compelling getting vote of approval from his peers!
“Murdoch Hill is a serious ultra-quality player in Australian wine. Take note.” Campbell Mattinson, Halliday Wine Companion Top 100 Wineries 2023
“Michael really knows what he’s doing both in the cellar and in the vineyard. He has proven his credentials over and over again…” Halliday Wine Companion, Winemaker of the Year Finalists 2024
Few do Chardonnay better than Michael Downer, and this is another cracker. The lion’s share of the fruit for this year’s Chardonnay comes from Murdoch Hill’s estate vineyards: the home vineyard in Oakbank and the newly acquired 8.5 hectares of vines in Lenswood. The balance is grown on sites Michael Downer has worked with for years in Lobethal and Piccadilly. All the sites share some common traits: high elevation, sustainable farming practices and vines over 20 years old.
The top block on the Oakbank property at a lofty 420 metres is home to Bernard clone vines and forms the backbone of this year’s blend at 60%. The Lenswood site, at 20%, brings an open and generous fruit profile, providing a lovely contrast to the more linear and tight nature of the high-altitude Piccadilly and Lobethal material that rounds out the blend.
According to Downer, 2024 was an “ideal season” with mild conditions in the runup to and during harvest. The Oakbank portion was destemmed while the rest of the fruit was pressed as bunches. Wild ferments and maturation occurred in puncheons and barriques (about 20% new). To build the back end, Downer let a significant portion of the wine go through malolactic fermentation while all parcels rested on gross lees for nine months, and some barrels were stirred. It’s classic Downer, with deft reduction, orchard fruits and citrus, mouthwatering savoury lines, a juicy core and a very tidy finish.
Review from previous 2023 vintage … 93 points, Mike Bennie, The Wine Front “This does the trick of marrying fruit character with hot, flinty minerality in the best sense. Spice, green apple, grapefruit, ginger, puckering lime. A sleek, light weight and fresh feel with some waxiness to texture and a brittle, stony finish. Energetic wine. Refreshing.”
93 points, Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front “The pear flavours here are as overt as they are delicious. This is a wine that gushes up to greet you, its offering of juicy pears wrapped in wheat, cedar and grilled peach characters, its texture soft throughout. There’s joy to be had here.”
RRP $42 Our Special Price $31.99 when you buy 6 or more of this wine.
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