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
For the first time, Rocket is a single-vineyard wine. A couple of years back, the Downer family purchased Lenswood Vineyard, an 18-hectare property in the Lenswood subregion of the Adelaide Hills. Initially planted in 1989, this beautiful site is perched at 500 metres and is home to some of the oldest vines in the area. Since taking over the property, Downer and his team have worked tirelessly to bring farming and fruit quality at this already revered site up to the exacting Murdoch Hill standards. That work has quickly paid off.
The site is home to a tapestry of clones, but Downer chose a mix of the original 1989 I10v1 vines (own-rooted and low-yielding on a steep, east-facing slope) and B76 vines planted in 2000 in the western Forest block for the 2023 edition. In terms of style, Downer tells us Lenswood and its clonal mix make for a wine of grace, purity and openness while maintaining racy freshness and lithe structure.
The fruit was pressed as bunches to tight-grained barrels (mostly puncheons, 50% new) for fermentation. The wine went through full malolactic conversion with occasional lees stirring throughout an eight-month maturation in wood. The wine was blended and matured for a further few months in tank before bottling. It’s another striking, high-octane model and a world-class Chardonnay.
97 points, Nick Ryan, The Weekend Australian Magazine “The Downer family has been farming around Oakbank since 1939, and the decision to plant vines 60 years later may have been the best move they ever made. This is chardonnay out on the town and dressed to kill. Sleek, sophisticated and sexy. There’s fragrant white peaches and creamed wild honey, a wisp of flinty funk and an electrifying acid line. Give me this ‘Rocket’ over Bezos or Musk any day.”
96 points, Ned Goodwin, jamessuckling.com “Powerful aromas of lemon confit, minerals, oyster shells, chalk and candied lime zest. The plate is medium-bodied with underlying power framed by focused acidity, giving notes of fresh pineapple, green apple skin and grapefruit pith. Exceptionally well balanced and tightly constructed. Drink or hold. Screw cap.”
95 points, Katrina Butler, Halliday Wine Companion “An important wine for the region and site, estate grown in Lenswood. 100% mlf and 50% new oak in both French and Hungarian small and large format oak. Texturally brilliant with a chalky, crushed aspirin-like texture, it melds and relents under the brightness of fruit, leaving only a mineral sherbet tingle behind. Lemon and grapefruit, white stone fruits, raw cashew and nougat, too. There is a softness here that begs for pause, so take some time to appreciate its multifaceted nuance and complexity.”
RRP $103 Our Special Price $84.99 when you buy 6 or more.
