SVC Releases September 2026
INTRODUCING…
2022 Tallawanta Vineyard Semillon, Hunter Valley NSW
Tasting Notes
At four years of bottle age on release, this wine has the perfect Hunter Valley Semillon colour of pale straw with luminous green tints. Pure notes of toasted bread and lemon curd are starting to develop, with grapefruit aromas and lime leaf to the fore. Lovely weight and depth of fruit with lime flavours and fine acidity. A classic Single Vineyard Semillon.
Winemakers Comments
This is the 4th single vineyard Semillon from Brokenwood under the famous Tallawanta Vineyard label. The original Tallawanta Vineyard was planted to Shiraz in 1920, the Semillon block was planted in the mid 90’s and is located behind Harrigan’s Hotel. Generally speaking, the finest Semillon vineyards are on alluvial flats, but this block is one exception that proves the rule as it is planted on a west-facing slope in red clay. 2022 is a season with many similarities to 2021 but overall, of higher quality. La Niña once again made for a cool, wet season albeit tempered by consistent breeze, which kept the canopy dry and disease at bay. Pokolbin had reached its annual rainfall by the end of November, with it being the wettest November on record. We ended up receiving 956mm for 2021. One of the latest harvests in the Hunter in many years, with the Tallawanta Vineyard being picked on the 4th of February under warm, cloudy skies.
Vinification
Harvesting all by hand, the fruit was crushed, chilled and pressed immediately. Neutral yeasts were used for the fermentation, bottled in May. No oak and no malolactic ferment, only stainless steel.
2025 IV-Mendoza Chardonnay, Beechworth VIC
Tasting Notes
Near-perfect green tinted colour is a sure sign of careful fruit and oak management. Aromas of grapefruit, white stonefruit, and green papaya with prominent toasted cashew and bran meal notes from the French oak. White nectarine with a subtle creaminess, carried by fine acidity throughout the palate. This is an incredibly complex and powerful Chardonnay.
Winemakers Comments
Our Beechworth neighbour, Rick Kinzbrunner from Giaconda, has had immense success with his Beechworth Chardonnay, highlighting the excellent quality of this region. Different soils, aspect, clones and age of vines on the Indigo property lead our Chardonnay in a different direction. With minimal winemaker input, we aim to leave the region to express itself. The region is simply one of the finest regions in Australia for Chardonnay. This is the 1st release of our ‘Supa Chardonnay’ since the acclaimed 2023 vintage. This wine allows winemakers to push the boundaries of what is possible from this exceptional site! A compact harvest at Indigo Vineyard despite the above-average yields. A drier winter was tempered by almost 100mm in October, which helped to set a healthy crop. A dry end to 2024 meant that irrigation was required, but the vines were in outstanding condition coming into the new year. Perfect weather in January resulted in an early start to the harvest, with the Indigo grapes nearly a month ahead of previous years. Despite this, the fruit was in outstanding condition. Picking commenced on the 5th of February under clear skies.
Vinification
Whole-bunch pressed, with a natural ferment in 100% French oak, 37% new, in a combination of 500L puncheons and 228L barriques. No sulphur post-primary fermentation to allow malolactic fermentation to commence organically. Regular, fortnightly stirring and topping to keep the yeast in suspension and build complexity both aromatically and on the palate. The wine is matured for nine months before bottling in January 2026.
2024 Rayner Vineyard Shiraz, McLaren Vale SA
Tasting Notes
Medium-full density Shiraz, typical of the McLaren Vale region. Fragrant dark fruit pastille aromas, plum and vanillin oak in the background. Subtle fruit on entry builds to black fruits on the palate, with fine, supple tannins and persistent length. A stylish Shiraz and one to age over the long term.
Winemakers Comments
Previously made between 1993 and 2007, the Shiraz grapes for this wine are not from the 1950 plantings but from a block right next door and planted in the early 1990s. A feature of the vineyard, which is just outside the town of McLaren Vale in South Australia, is the deep sand over clay soils. This is the 11th release since the Bondar family purchased the vineyard in 2013. A relatively mixed growing season in Mclaren Vale in 23/24 with a historically wet early summer followed by a very dry late summer/autumn. Despite this, the reliability of the region shone through. Slightly above average yields with classic ripe fruit characters balanced by fine, long tannins. A return to form following the late and relatively challenging 2023 harvest.
Vinification
Crushed and chilled to tanker in McLaren Vale and then in the Hunter Valley within 36 hours. Fermented in a single static 5 tonne fermenter and pumped over twice per day. Pressed to oak just before the end of fermentation. This wine has been matured in 100% French oak puncheons, 33% being new for 16 months.
