There’s romance in a cellar door surrounded by vines and wines that tell the story of their place as Mitchelton well knows, nestled in the beautiful Nagambie Lakes district an hour north of Melbourne. While Mitchelton craft a range of wines from their estate vineyards, for their ‘Vine to Wine Series’ they have collaborated with growers around Victoria to express the best of different regions around the state.
2019 Mitchelton Vine to Wine Great Western Cabernet Sauvignon
93 points
$40 – Drink now to 2030
Even as a youngster there’s immediate complexity on the nose. The fruit is lovely – lashings of cassis, sundried blackberries, and brighter just-ripe blueberries. Dark licorice allsorts – rich and dense with a lifted coconut spice.
On the palate the inky concentration offers more brooding dark berries. It’s earthy and savoury, with firm but fine tannins. The finish is long and laced with bitter dark chocolate, the bean to bar kind, with a hint of seductive vanilla bourbon. This is the kind of wine you need a case of to drink slowly over the next 10 years and marvel at the evolution.
Drink with a braised beef cheek and mushroom pithivier with roasted root vegetables.
2020 Mitchelton Vine to Wine Mornington Peninsula Sauvignon Blanc
91 points
$40 – Drink 2022-2027
The aromas are recognisably Sauvignon Blanc with lychees, spicy lemongrass and freshly cut passionfruit. But this is not your run-of-the-mill Savvy B. Subtle oak influence adds a silky vanilla custard complexity and allows the fruit to express richer tones of juicy yellow nectarines and dried ginger.
On the palate it is light and agile – dancing around your tongue, offering up apricot and pineapple and finishing with a piquant grapefruit acidity.
A complex and attention-grabbing wine, delicious now, but with the promise of settling into assured elegance in a year or so. This is Sauvignon Blanc to age my friends – not a common thing to do, but so rewarding.
2020 Mitchelton Vine to Wine Yarra Valley Chardonnay
89 points
$40 – Drink 2021-2025
A few years ago I had a brief stopover in Perth. There was one thing on my mind – to watch the sun set over the water. There was a wine bar with a perfect view of Cottesloe beach, where I settled myself to wait. Whilst there I ate one of the most delightful dishes of thinly sliced peach, dressed in fruity olive oil topped with a decadent whole burrata. This wine took me straight back there – a hint of sea breeze minerality, juicy fruit and a fresh, slightly herbal fragrance; paired with a silky, creamy mouthfilling texture. Drink with grilled chicken served with a crisp summer salad, studded with ruby grapefruit wedges and chunks of creamy avocado.
