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| The term Terra rossa means red earth, a rich, free draining soil that is considered by many as the viticultural equivalent of discovering gold. Beneath the strata of red earth at Wrattonbully sits a layer of ancient limestone, a winegrower's dream as it allows free drainage of water, yet ensures vine roots stay close to the surface, putting natural stress on the vine and limiting its vigor and yield. Smith Hooper» |
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| After several decades of crafting Australia's most memorable vintages, Mike Press is more sanguine than ever that great wine can only come from the finest vineyards. His dedicated hands on approach means that he is personally involved in every stage of the winemaking, from pruning the vines and inspecting grapes, right to plunging the ferments and bottling his finished wine. Mike Press» |
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| The seemingly countless, memorable vintages of Delatite have claimed a litany of trophies, accolades and rave reviews throughout the world of wine. Her first vines were planted in 1968 on a picturesque rise overlooking the vistas of Mt Buller. Delatite» |
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| A single vineyard, strongly terroir wine by maestro Ken Helm AM, from fruit picked off neighbour Al Lustenberger's property, only released under the premium black label if it reaches the highest quality benchmarks. Since 2005 the collaboration of Lustenberger and Helm has claimed more than fourteen trophies. Helm» |
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| So popular are the wines of Pepperjack, that the label hosts its own society of dedicated enthusiasts. This devout cohort of zealots, converges at bespoke venues to discuss matters Pepperjack, they dine on prime beef and imbibe in their cherished libation. Pepperjack» |
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| The Maxwell family's Meads have been acclaimed by leading wine critics and industry press for many decades. Starting with a base of Spiced Mead, a secret herb and spice infusion is introduced and the ferments are fortified. Maxwell» |
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| The High Trellis paddock has been yielding the most splendid vintages of wine since the late 19th century, so nicknamed as the vines were the first to be trained above knee height following acquisition of the property by dArenberg. For decades, High Trellis Cabernet Sauvignon has been released to unanimous critical acclaim by the wine industry press and international cognoscente. dArenberg» |
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| Stella Bella have won resounding critical acclaim and a reputation for producing artisanly crafted Margaret River wines of great expression, personality and quality. Stella Bella have established an almost peerless reputation after receiving numerous accolades at significant competitions, including coveted Gold and Mission Hill Trophy at the London International, the only southern hemisphere Chardonnay to win such a prestigious award.. Stella Bella» |
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| Mandoon are a Swan Valley operation of great provenance, their homestead vineyard being an ancient block established on the first rural grant in Western Australia, circa 1929 at a property named Sandalford. Always on the lookout for exceptional parcels of fruit, the highly decorated Mandoon team have focused on a northern block of Research Station Vineyard in Margaret River. Mandoon» |
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| Enthused by a consuming desire to make great wine, Andrew Nugent honed his craft as viticulturalist and winemaker amongst the vines of McLaren Vale before returning to the Adelaide Hills, where he established his very own wineworks at Woodside. Hand crafted from fruit grown to mineral rich soils above the historic Bird in Hand gold mine, a pure Pinot Noir with superb effervescence, dominated by red berry characters, adorned by a lift of stonefruits and floral.. Bird In Hand» |
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| Majella are one of the most highly awarded small wineries in Australia, the inaugural release of The Musician was met with unprecedented critical acclaim. In the tradition of the most salubrious Coonawarra vineyards, the Majella property was used extensively for grazing before being planted to vine. Majella» |
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| The five most most exclusive parcels of old vine Shiraz, a secret component of the Barossa's most memorable vintages, hand picked off the De Fazio and Hillview vineyards at Belvidere and Moppa. Batches are crushed into traditional open top fermenters for a week of pumpovers, gently pressed into an extravagantly high proportion of new French oak hogsheads for two years maturation, followed by the final assemblage, unfiltered and unfined. Pirathon» |
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About Lightfoot Sons - the Winery
Lightfoot Sons
About three hours east of Melbourne, the Gippsland Lakes District is located between the Great Dividing Range and Bass Strait, a region that's famed for the large areas of National Park and State Forest, as well as the scenic Gippsland Lakes System
Gippsland as a wine region defies easy classification. It is technically a zone under the Australian GI system, rather than a winegrowing region of its own. The area is large and viticultural areas dispersed, however, throughout all precincts of Gippsland, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are the predominate grape varieties. The Bairnsdale sub region has lower annual rainfall than the rest of Gippsland and enjoys coastal climate which provides sea breezes throughout the growing season. Bairnsdale's cool semi maritime climate has proven to be particularly well suited for Pinot Noir and cool climate styles of Chardonnay and Shiraz.
The Lightfoot family first planted a small vineyard in 1995 near Bairnsdale in the pristine Gippsland Lakes region, they made small batches of wine each vintage for the enjoyment of family, friends and a handful of local wine enthusiasts. The family's favourite pasttime turned into a business which grew and grew. The second generation, sons Rob and Tom Lightfoot, now manage the enterprise. Alastair brings more than 25 years winemaking experience to the winery, working previously in the Yarra and Hunter Valleys.
After completing a Viticultural Science and Wine Production degree, Tom Lightfoot has worked a number of vintages in wineries throughout Australia and the Northern Hemisphere. Tom now manages the Myrtle Point Vineyard and assists Alastair in winemaking.
The Lightfoot & Sons Myrtle Point vineyards lie within easy view of Gippsland Lakes. The vineyard site, situated between the foothills of the Great Dividing Range and Bass Strait, was selected when soil mapping of the region identified tracts of precious Terra Rosa over limestone soil structure. The 29 hectare Myrtle Point vineyard was established between 1995-1997, Pinot Noir plantings make up almost half, with smaller bocks of Chardonnay, Cabernet and Shiraz.
Good annual rainfall of around 700mm and a regular coastal breeze throughout the growing season provides good airflow within the canopy and assists in the natural management of healthy vines. Shoot thinning and crop thinning when required, along with and limited use of irrigation, help maintain low cropping levels of less than 2 tonnes per acre. The maritime influence in the vineyard has a moderating effect on the cool climate and enables fruit to develop flavours of great varietal character.
The winemaking process begins in the vineyard. Priority is on producing high quality fruit with great varietal character and depth of flavour. The winemaking philosophy is focused on retaining and expressing these characteristics of season and soil as much as possible. Lightfoot & Sons wines are made exclusively from estate grown grapes. Using pure estate grown fruit allows complete management of the entire winemaking process, from early in the season as vines make fruitset, right through to the end of the winemaking process. This ensures that the finished Lightfoot & Sons wines remain of the highest quality and can articulate an uncompromised expression of vineyard and vintage.
Depending on vintage, Lightfoot & Sons may employ a combination of both wild and inoculated yeasts, small format fermenters are hand plunged, inclusion of whole bunches and a restrained use of new French oak, achieves wines of true varietal flavour and environmental character, fine texture and engaging complexities within the wine.
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