Lambert Wines Mixed Pack

The perfect introduction to one of the best value, quality Yarra producers around, and a benchmark Nebbiolo!

Three Pack contains 1 bottle each of the following :

• Lambert Wines Nebbiolo 2023
• Lambert Wines Chardonnay 2024
• Lambert Wines Syrah 2024

 

Lambert Wines Yarra Valley Nebbiolo 2023

Lambert’s Nebbiolo block sits halfway up Denton’s northwestern slope, catching all available sunshine. There are six acres planted to a patchwork of six clones; Mat 3 accounts for half the acreage, with the balance comprising K6, Mat 9, 10, 230 and 111. The soils here—granitic sand over granite bedrock—provide a unique terroir for the Yarra and Nebbiolo, which in Luke’s words “always contributes plenty of bright red fruit and floral perfume along with gun-flint, graphite characters typical of a granitic soil profile”.

According to Luke, the “excellent growing season gave us a long and slow finish to the Nebbiolo harvest with very good hang time.” The wine itself is a touch riper, and the fruit flavours a darker shade of red compared to the most recent releases. Yet the song remains the same. Again, the Mat 3 clone brings the clout from its small berries and bunches, while the K6 layers in high-toned aromatics of anise, amaro bitter and dried red-flower prettiness.

Despite the musculature, there is no lack of poise and structure, which builds in the glass as the wine takes on air. It is perfumed and brooding with energy, mineral steel and long, complex length. When it all comes together—the right site, the right vine stock, and the variety’s mercurial talent—this is what great Nebbiolo from Australian soils look like. Luke recommends decanting if approached in the short-term.

 

Lambert Wines Chardonnay 2024

Lambert’s electric Chardonnay is the gift that keeps on giving. It’s drawn from the usual plot of clone 95 Chardonnay at the top of the east-facing slope in Denton Vineyard. Here, the granitic soils are elevated and are considerably thinner than further down the slope where the Crudo vines sit. Clone 95 is an early-ripening clone with small canopies and berries, so Luke pays particular attention to managing sun exposure and picking dates for these vines.

The winemaking is classic Lambert, with no additions save for small doses of sulphur. The fruit is pressed as whole bunches, fermented naturally and matured in a seasoned 2000-litre foudre. The choice of clone, the higher point on the slope, and the extra sunshine hours produce more power and depth in the Lambert Chardonnay compared to Crudo.

This kind of wine impossible not to love. The 2024 has added a sheen of fleshy radiance to the wine’s classic mineral stoniness, white blossom, cut hay and citrus oil. Like the Syrah from the same year, the Chardonnay has moved up a weight division yet remains as ripped and athletic as ever. Some will prefer the leaner, mineral-charged style of Luke’s 2023, many will prefer the denser, mouthwatering 2024. Either way, it’s a striking Chardonnay through and through. Tension, deeply-cast flavour and poised precision: this wine has the lot. It finishes with appealing umami notes and a reverb of citrus peel.

 

Lambert Wines Syrah 2024

The Syrah vines grow on the sunnier western side of Denton towards the top of the slope, where soil is thin and yields are low. This year, 80% whole bunches were included. In the crucial early days of vinification, Rosalind foot stomps the ferments three times a day to ensure each berry is quickly but gently popped, maximising the juice’s exposure to skins and stalks. Ferments are fast, and the wine is promptly pressed, settled and racked to neutral 5000-litre French oak foudre for maturation.

Following three cool seasons, the new release is ringing with scents of violet, blueberry and smoky lift. The palate channels the muscle of the vintage, wonderfully harnessed by Lambert’s artisanal winemaking. It’s generous and detailed with cosy, juicy-sweet blue fruits laced with orange rind, violet and aniseed perfume; everything is neatly folded into shape by fine acidity and lingering, silky tannins. It’s a radiant Lambert Syrah that will appeal to acolytes and newcomers alike.