This is the title of an article by Max Allen in the Financial Review on 4th April 2025, written in recognition of the first Pinot Meunier produced from the Pinot Meunier block at Barwon Ridge.
Our Pinot Meunier journey started in 1868 when cuttings were taken from the Barrabool Hills and planted Best’s Great Western. These vines are still alive today and produce the famed Best’s Old Vine Pinot Meunier. They also provided the cuttings which were planted at Barwon Ridge in 2018.
For the last couple of years we have been using the Pinot Mutineer as a component in our Sparking Brut but in 2024 I decided that the vines were mature enough to have a go at making a still table wine from half of the fruit. The result is the 2024 Dusty Miller.
Why Dusty Miller? The name is a nod to the grapes ancestors. Pinot Meunier was known by the Swiss wine growers who brought the vines to Geelong in the early C19 as Millers Burgundy, due to the white dusting on the back of the leaves that looks like milers flour.
Max’s review of the wine:
2024 Barwon Ridge Dusty Miller, Geelong
First vintage from young vines but already has lots of character and
complexity. Mid-weight, autumnal berry aromatics, a touch of
undergrowth, elegant soft fruit, approachable and light-footed, but with a
nice undertow of savoury, earthy tannin. Very limited: just 50 cases made.
Read Max’s article at https://www.afr.com/life-and-luxury/food-and-wine/one-of-australia-s-newest-vineyards-has-been-150-years-in-the-making-20250325-p5lmcr
To buy the wine go to: https://barwonridge.com.au/shop/
