Dominique Portet
— Portfolio —
The Brut Rosé sees exclusively upper Yarra Valley fruit made from premium Pinot Noir and Chardonnay fruit which as a result of its elevation is a perfect cool climate profile delivering fruit depth, complexity and acid line. This NV comes mainly from the 2020 vintage and is made up of 60% Pinot and 40% Chardonnay. As always the Brut Rosé NV is made using champagne traditional method and the fruit is always hand picked, gently pressed and vilified in steel tanks. There is then a secondary fermentation in bottle where it spends at least 2 years on years lees in cool cellars. A light dosage of 5g/l is also done prior to release. A gorgeous salmon pink colour with a nose showing rose petals, lemon pith, shortbread and strawberries. An energetic palate with brioche notes and vibrant red fruits. Lovely aromatics with a clean and fresh, zesty palate.
FONTAINE ROSE 2023
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Fontaine Rosé, the staple of the Portet’s huge impact on the industry is a beautiful blend of 50% Merlot, 25% Shiraz and 25% Cabernet. All the fruit is hand picked before gently crushing and pressing. It’s then fermented into stainless steel tanks for freshness and lees are then stirred regularly to give the wine it’s soft texture and bright mouthfeel. Mild conditions during ripening allowed the grapes gradually to develop lovely flavour while retaining vital natural acidity. The fruit for this rosé comes from various cool sites from throughout the Yarra Valley. A great balance of cooler nights helped bring it all together and retain lovely acid.
ESTATE SAUVIGNON BLANC 2020
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Another in the single vineyard series is the premium Sauvignon Blanc. It’s grown on a beautiful site in Coldstream which consistently provides great fruit on the site year after year. 2020 was a great vintage – mild, good rainfall and enough sunshine to ripen. A healthy canopy allowed to drive the natural acidity, which combined with a later picking date, allowed us to retain aromatics and freshness. Being Australia, there is always enough ripeness to hold barrel weight, and give the wine mouth feel and texture. All hand picked, its pressed and sorted, then 70% of the fruit is fermented in stainless steel with the remaining 30% in oak for 6 months. Lees were occasionally stirred the build complexity. 5% malolactic fermentation was also added. Lime zesty and white flowers on the nose. Bright stone fruits with grass and honeycomb also feature as an aroma. A lovely complex palate with great texture and finesse. Lime acidity gives a lovely balance with stone fruits and citrus lining the palate. Beautiful length and vibrant acidity makes this a premium example of Sauvignon Blanc.
SINGLE VINEYARD CHARDONNAY 2021
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From a mature site in the Upper Yarra Valley, the vines grow on volcanic red soils on a steep, fast-draining slope at an altitude of 250m. The elevation makes for cooler growing conditions compared with the valley floor + the cool nights increase the ripening period and help the grapes retain vital acidity for freshness and drive.
The hand-picked fruit is whole bunch pressed to tank then fermented in French oak puncheons (25% new). Around 35% of the overall production goes through malolactic fermentation. After ten months of barrel ageing with a proportion of less stirring to add more weight and texture, the wine was transferred to tank and then bottled.
FONTAINE CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2020
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For us, the Fontaine wines represent the full breadth of the Yarra Valley by sourcing from a range of vineyards in both the northern and southern ends of the Valley. The sites are all north facing for maximum sunshine and are generally clay based soils with broken sandstone, allowing for excellent water retention. This enables the vines to handle summer drought and consistently deliver Cabernet Sauvignon that is concentrated yet elegant; as well as juicy with soft, silky tannins.
A bit of a ‘Médoc’ blend this year, with 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 2% Malbec, and 1% Cabernet Franc. Everything is picked and sorted by hand, then destemmed and fermented at a relatively cool temperature to accentuate the aromatics and brightness. The wine spent 20 days on skins, before being moved to French oak barrels, of which 25% are new and then aged for 14 months.
FONTAINE CABERNETS 2021
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55% Merlot, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Petit Verdot, 4% Malbec. Everything is hand picked and sorted by mechanical sorting line, then fermented at a relatively cool temperature to accentuate the aromatics and brightness. The wine spent 20 days on skins, before being moved to French oak barrels, of which 20% are new and then aged for 14 months prior to bottling.
A mild spring with high rainfall set the scene for the cool growing season. Summer began dry and remained below average temperature throughout – in the end the season brought everything together albeit much later than the previous year and gave us a wine that resulted in a really classic Yarra style of Bordeaux blends – restrained and fruit driven with fine tannins. We strive for drinkability through elegance, and the season came through to deliver exactly that.
ESTATE CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2018
Bottle Shot
This wine has come so far in the last few years. Dominique’s more structured Bordelais style has been softened by now head winemaker Ben Portet. In addition the family bought the world’s most respected sorting machines so after hand picking the Cabernet Sauvignon only the best and healthiest grapes make the wine which has taken this wine to new heights of quality. The grapes came from two Yarra Valley sites, both of which are home to mature vines (20+ years) on soils of sandstone over clay. The first, in Coldstream, is the cooler of the two and gives aromas in the red-fruit spectrum. The second site is at Steels Creek on a warm, steep west-facing slope. Aged for 14 months in French oak (40% new).
SINGLE VINEYARD CABERNET MALBEC 2021
Bottle Shot
A new entry to the single vineyard range is the excellent Cabernet/Malbec. From 25 year old vines in Coldstream which is a heavy sandstone clay make up, the vineyard has fantastic Cabernet and Malbec fruit for this elegant structural combination. Warm years don’t worry Cabernet or Malbec. In fact both can thrive in warmer vintages. Interestingly the blend is only made up of 5% Malbec, which is surprising as the characters of Malbec in the blend do shine through. The Cabernet is classic, elegant with great fruit weight. It sees 20 days on skins with 14 months on oak with 30% of that oak being new French. Pure fruited with an abundance of red fruit notes and bramble characters, there is lovely minerality as well lining the refreshing acidity. Silky tannins make this a generous and delicious wine one and the same.
SAUVIGNON BLANC VENDANGES TARDIVES 2016
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Grown on the cellar door site in Coldstream, this Sauvignon Blanc based dessert wine is a beautifully balanced wine with a wide spectrum of aromas and flavours. All while still being appealing fresh with modest sugar levels that make pairing this wine easier and gives much diverse application both on its own and with food. Made in a classic French Sauternes style picked when the fruit hits the botrytis point in the cool months of May with much higher sugar levels than a drier style of Sauvignon Blanc. The fruit is sorted and gently pressed then fermented in 100% new French oak. Temperatures are maintained at a cool level for 14 months. 150g of residual sugar remains unfermented. Lovely aromas of honey, caramelised apples with sweetness and spices. On the palate its a beautiful combination of orange, honey, apricot and fruit cake spices.