THE WINES
Made in collaboration with Brendan Lane of Musk Lane. Extended barrel ageing gives this the tannins of an orange wine, a must try for skin contact enthusiasts.
“Delicious. Textural white wine of high pedigree. Nutty, floral, saline, gingery, cumquat, mandarin. It’s all happening. Grip in texture too. A chalky fuzz. Nice. Juiciness as well. How’s that? Kinda crazy in the best sense but with high drinkability in tow. It’s a medium weight vermentino with sizzle and interest. Get that roast chook out now.” 92 points, Mike Bennie, Winefront
on any dozen* or non dozens over $350
Any 12 bottles bought together
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Additional Information ABOUT THE PRODUCER
“The GilGraves family vineyard is a pint-sized affair in Axedale, located somewhere between Heathcote and Bendigo. They’ve been releasing small batch wines eked out off their own plot … It’s all great fun, kinda cool, and the resulting wine is great! And value! They’re down that natural wine pathway somewhere in winemaking/growing, as a reference. Not much not to like here.” Mike Bennie, Winefront
“Life is not a dress rehearsal” – such is the motto of husband and wife vignerons Ken Gilchrist and Kaye Graves, who in 2010 started their second careers by purchasing a 50 acre property in Axedale, between Bendigo and Heathcote, to start a completely new venture.
Aside from farming sheep and offering accommodation on the picturesque farm, the centrepiece was the planting of a 5 acre vineyard – small enough to be enjoyably manageable, and large enough to grow meaningful quantities of wine, with purchased fruit topping things up as needed.
Inspired originally by the lo-fi wines of the Loire Valley, ethos is on organic farming, minimal handling of the grapes, and allowing nature as the author. Winemaking was originally handled by Tim Sproal of Boomtown, seeing Jake Winther of Trutta taking things over from vintage 2023. All wines are wild fermented and receive no additions beyond sulphur.
ABOUT THE PRODUCER
Biodynamic Minimal Intervention Wines From A Beautiful Adelaide Hills Estate
Owner Damon Nagel started life as a sommelier in Adelaide, moving to London to further his wine education whilst working in top end dining restaurants. Achieving success in London property, he would eventually return to Adelaide, purchasing the beautiful undulating Brackenwood farm in the early 2000s, first releasing wines from vintage 2005.
Winemaking is today overseen by Daniel Zuzolo, ex Primo Estate, with the stable offering interesting blends and lesser seen plantings of Barbera and Gamay alongside more traditional offerings such as Shiraz and Riesling.
Growing and winemaking is strictly along biodynamic lines, with no additions bar minimal sulphur at bottling. A pure set of releases very much at home alongside Felixir’s European offerings, fun styles of personality with enough depth and interest to be taken seriously.
