From Sydney’s most famous wine region to Melbourne’s, the Yarra Valley. Another name which featured prominently in my early wine education. Names such as de Bertoli, Coldstream Hills and Yarra Yering were part of that learning the latter two showing that Australian wines weren’t all big and gutsy. Pinot Noir from Coldstream Hills was a particular favourite.

On a brief visit to Melbourne, and without a car, options were limited for getting to the Yarra but we chose another half day visit with Local Way, a good choice it proved to be as our guide Ray was knowledgeable, amusing and helpful. Other options involved 10 hour days of 6 or 7 wineries and whilst that has some appeal the half day suited well, offering a flavour of the region and its wines.

There are ninety wineries in the Valley about an hour’s drive out of the city. Like the Hunter many offer tourist cellar door visits with tasting rooms, cafés and restaurants, again weekends are peak time for them being open so the visitor needs to weigh up what’s available versus how busy that might be.

The Yarra is perhaps less scenic than the Hunter (my view only) but it opens into rolling hills and grasslands with vineyards spread out, certainly not concentrated in French fashion. Many take advantage of slopes but not all, irrigation seems fairly universal.

Our first visit was to St. Hubert at the entrance to the Valley, apparently the second oldest winery of the area. The tasting room, restaurant and art gallery are in a new building set in beautiful grounds, little wonder that their website concentrates largely on tourism, events, weddings etc. We were offered the basic tasting wines and the estate’s entry level. They were fairly innocuous in truth, clean and light fruited but not a lot of character. The Pinot Noir was well made and the pick of these. In fairness our host did open their Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 23 which had only been in bottle for three weeks and there was a lot more depth and character there. Highlight though was the art gallery with some beautiful aboriginal art on display.

On to Helen and Joey, just up the road. Another beautiful setting with new buildings and winery constructed just last year though the estate has been running since 1996 having been purchased from someone who grew grapes to sell on. The wines were much more characterful, the Blanc de Blancs having a cleaner, more refreshing fizz, the Pinot Grigio having more depth and aromatics. The 2020 Wayward Pinot Noir here, made in old oak barrels showed good Pinot character, nice to see a commercial winery hold back wines until they are at their peak. There was even a no SO² Merlot, NoSo 23, which was ok without exciting me.

At this point we had a choice to go into Healesville, try some gin or go to a third winery. Fortunately (and unsurprisingly) we chose the latter and what a great decision, easily the best wines I have enjoyed in a month here in Australia. Payten and Jones is in Healesville and is a small, organic winery and farm, see the photo for their story.

Andy, our guide, opened up a range of wines from entry level to more serious and they were genuinely exciting. Lots of fruit character but serious, complex and well structured with a freshness and drinkability that pleased me after so many fatiguing, woody wines in the last few weeks. The entry level Chardonnay, even more the Pinot Noir, showed good character and fruit but step up to the next level, named Hollow Bone and there was more depth and character. The Hollow Bone Chardonnay 23 was oaked but so well judges, complimenting the fruit not mastering it. The Hollow Bone Pinot Noir 22 was made with 40% whole bunch from a single vineyard and made in a plastic egg! The results were exciting (priced at $40 a real bargain) and the plastic egg seems to work, Adam and Behn praising the way it energises the wine, just as Jeff Coutelou does with his concrete eggs. They have stainless steel versions too.  The Pinot clone MV6 is used because it has been phylloxera free from the start. Seeing all the vines without grafts is quite an eye opener, they look so much thinner and neater. Long may it remain so.

I really enjoyed the Sangiovese with a character much closer to Chianti than the previous examples I have had this holiday, good acidity and freshness to cut through the red fruits. Nebbiolo 2016 was actually made in the winery by a friend of Payten and Jones and was delicious, the years have mellowed the tannins and the wine has fruit and tertiary forest notes.

Best of all though was the Mataro 22, FFS. Now, I struggle with Mourvèdre a lot of the time, too many examples of leathery, composty notes and I know that it is a grape which can be a swine to grow. It hates water and any serious rain can cause the grapes to turn to much in a few hours, indeed Andy reported that is what happened to them in 23. Thus Mataro 22 though was singing. Dark, plummy fruit, freshness and acidity and definite aromas of mushroom and forest. The grapes were on skins for 8 months and extracted deep colour but still soft tannins. I admire their boldness in leaving the juice on skin for so long, and that bravery has been well rewarded. A great wine. (The name comes from lockdowns, with the wine first made in 2020 names F*** Twenty and the next year S*** Show).

It was good to talk with Behn and swap notes and stories before we had to leave to return to the city. Payten and Jones have a UK importer, ABS Wines, please leave some for when I get back!!

There was a lot of beautiful scenery in the Yarra, it would have been good to spend more time there and visit some of those educational producers from my younger days as well as the excellent producer Mac Forbes who is based here though does not offer cellar door. And, with Payten and Jones, I have a new favourite to remind me of this visit and another excellent wine region.