Mayford, from Victoria’s Porepunkah, is credited with creating Australia’s finest tempranillo, but their chardonnay and shiraz are equally as wonderful. It’s almost a shame that Porepunkah and surrounds are so beautiful, corresponding with very high real estate prices, inhibiting further vineyard development.
Essentially continental in climate, the area has very hot summers and chill laden winters. I remember swimming in the river at nearby Bright over Easter one year and it took hours to warm up afterwards! Porepunkah benefits from a mild growing season, good rainfall and moderating winds. The vineyard yields grapes of low ph’s, high acidity and intense fruit flavours providing fruit of such high quality that makes winemaking easy. These are utterly delicious wines – absolutely at the pinnacle, irrespective of variety, and at prices that would shame similar quality wines from just about anywhere else in the world.
A powerhouse of Australian chardonnay, combining richness, cut, curve and stuffing. Made with 25% new wood, all French and partial malo. Heady aromas of green apple, yellow peach, grapefruit, cut flowers, wood smoke, custard, cashew and struck match. Explosive energy, compact and luscious, with sizzling citrus, cut and curved with cream and dry extract. Layered flavours and immensely structured, this will cruise for a couple of decades and then some.
Without a doubt, Australia’s greatest varietal, and Mayford’s ‘bloody freezing climate’ example is proof of the grape’s versatility and infinite variety. Lovely compote of sweet and savoury red, blue and bramble fruits, with flashes of baking spices, smoke and dried herbs. Shiraz that nods to Barolo and Burgundy with florals, bitumen and blood orange lift. A great wine to serve blind, as it’s not darkly coloured but bright and vivid with a strong savoury element and very fine, grippy tannins.
Australia’s benchmark tempranillo, and has been since its inception. Phenomenally complex aromatics, with mixed florals, brambly fruit, savoury spice, smoke, cola and Serano. Medium bodied and compact, with an intense core of fruit that would benefit from time in the bottle. European savouriness, meets soaring Australian fruit. Fennel, liquorice, tar, tapenade, pink peppercorns, plum, cherry, raspberry, mulberry and blackberry with notes of dark chocolate and cured meat. Wonderful wine, no doubt about it, with enormous ageing potential.
