Australian Gourmet Traveller - (02)February 2021 (1)

HangingRockMacedon

BrutLDCuvéeX,$115

Fora sparklingwhosebasewineconsists

of 50 percentreservewinefrom1998,it is

astoundingthatthismarvellousandcomplex

dropdoesn’tcostmore.Lesscostlythanmost

growerChampagne,it haslayersofbrioche

and toasty notes.hangingrock.com.au

2019 BindiKostasRindChardonnay,$60

MichaelDhillon’spickofhis 2019 vintage,

thiswinecomesfromthevineyardblockthat

sitsonanerodeddam(wherethelavaflow

stoppedmillionsofyearsago)thathasthe

highestconcentrationofvolcanicsoils.

Themostapproachableanddrinkearly-style

in the Bindi range.bindiwines.com.au

2019 AthletesofWineAlto!Alto!!Rosso,$28

A brightred-fruitedblendofMacedonRanges

pinotnoirandmalbeccombinedwithKing

Valleymerlot,that’sperfectfordunkingin an

icebucketonhotdays.Craftedbysommelier

duoLiamO’BrienandMatthewBrookewho

startedAthletesofWinein 2015.

athletesofwine.com.au

2018 CobawRidgePinotNoir,$58

AlanandNellyCooper’scertifiedbiodynamic

vineyardsareoutofa fairytale– withan

Australiantwist,askangaroosboundacross

theproperty.Thewinesarejustasmagical

withthenewestreleasepinotnoirfilling

themouthwithtextureandhintsofcherries,

bloodplumsandsubtlenotesofsage

and horsemint.cobawridge.com.au

MountainGin& Tonic,$30for4 x 330ml

MountainGinis craftedusinglocallyforaged

botanicals.Pineneedlesandpepperberries

areforagedalongMountMacedonand

combinedwithorangepeel,lemonmyrtle,

juniperandcoriander.Anexcellentexample

ofa ready-to-drinkginandtonic.

mountaindistilling.com

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areplanted,Warekilla.Walters,whoownsa successful
winedistributionandeducationbusiness,startedthinking
abouttheprojectin2008,closelyresearchingwhatleading
growersinEuropeweredoingwithpinotnoirand
chardonnaygrapes.Experimentswithhigh-density
planting,climateandsoiltypesledhimtotheMacedon
Ranges.“TherewasnoquestionwhenI waslookingfor
placestoplant,thatMacedonis thehomeforpinotnoir
andchardonnay.”
Butwhatis it aboutthisparticularplacethatdraws
suchreverencefromseasonedwineprofessionals?If anyone
knows,it is MichaelDhillon,whosefamilywineryBindi
hasa legacyintheMacedonspanningmorethan 30
vintages.“It’sa funnystory,”explainsDhillon,“myfather,
inthe1970s,wastoldnottoplantgrapesontheproperty
butbeingthefriendlyguythatheis,hesoughtadvicefrom
localgrowerswhosawthepotentialoftheserichvolcanic
soilsandthehighaltitude.”Andthus,oneofthemost
iconicwineriesintheregionwasborn,craftingchardonnay
andpinotnoirthatareadmiredalloverAustralia.
Walterssaysit best:“Arealawakeningis happening
aroundpracticeandidentityintheMacedonRanges

• the bar is being raised higher and higher.”●

MacedonRangesis locatedonthecountryoftheDja

DjaWurrung,TaungurungandWurundjeriWoiWurrung

peoples.Thesethreegroupsarethetraditionalowners

andcustodiansoftheland,andalongwiththe

WathaurongandBoonWurrung,makeupthefederation

oftheKulinnation.Allthevineyardsreferredtowithin

thisstoryfallwithinWurundjericountry.

VI

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Melbourne

Macedon Ranges

Geelong Mornington

Daylesford

GOURMET TRAVELLER 33

Wine country