The story.
This new project from Victoria's Macedon Ranges is so breathtaking in its conception and execution, just reading of the time and effort that goes into making these wines leaves you exhausted. Wine buyer Robert Walters describes Place of Changing Winds as the culmination of his three-decades journey in the wine trade. Situated at 500 metres of altitude between Mt Macedon and Mt Bullengarook in a site historically known to the Wurundjeri as Warekilla, or 'place of changing winds' is now a 3-hectare organically certified vineyard planted to mind-boggling densities and generating astonishingly low yields. Your typical vineyard has 1,500 to 3,000 vines per hectare, and this has 12,000 to 33,000; your typical Australian yield is 2-3kg per plant, and this offers up fewer than 200g.
Great wine is art as well as science, no less. The artistry involved is self-evident in narrative and in the drinking. Wines from the Macedon Ranges - Pinot Noir & Chardonnay especially - were already something of an Australian sleeper hit. Robert and his right-hand man, viticulturist Rémi Jacquemain, along with their dedicated small team, have in a short space of time created veritable modern classics, whether in their home vineyard or in their partnership project in Heathcote, where they are making remarkable wines with a Rhône Valley slant.
Great wine is art as well as science, no less. The artistry involved is self-evident in narrative and in the drinking. Wines from the Macedon Ranges - Pinot Noir & Chardonnay especially - were already something of an Australian sleeper hit. Robert and his right-hand man, viticulturist Rémi Jacquemain, along with their dedicated small team, have in a short space of time created veritable modern classics, whether in their home vineyard or in their partnership project in Heathcote, where they are making remarkable wines with a Rhône Valley slant.
The wines.
