TIMO MAYER: 100% WHOLE CLUSTER AUSTRALIAN TRAILBLAZER
Timo Mayer is nothing if not a trailblazer. With a family legacy of winemaking in Germany that goes back over 400 years, you would think he would be happily making Riesling, but instead he is making some of Australia's most exciting Chardonnay, Syrah, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Timo moved to the Yarra Valley from his home in Germany with the intent to start something new and focus on incredibly small production, hand crafted wines from traditional French grape varieties. He likes to talk about himself as a humble farmer, but his wines are anything but simple.
Timo started his estate in 2000 with a 2.5 hectare plot known as Bloody Hill, which was aptly named because it is "bloody steep" and 300-470 meters high depending on the site. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir were his first plantings, but he has since branched out to Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Nebbiolo, among others. He was also one of the first in Australia to use 100% whole cluster in his wines, and this Burgundian technique gives his wines a particular perfume and finesse that is hard to achieve in the New World. Timo's wines are beautiful expressions of Yarra Valleys cool climate and unique terroir, and the whole cluster lift brings a sensory experience more often associated with the great wines of Burgundy and the Northern Rhône. - KELLY RAU
