Block 6
Sauvignon Blanc
Altitude 260m
Vineyard Area 1.2Ha
Fermentation: Wild / In barrels
MLF: No
Tasting notes: Grapefruit, white peach, lemongrass
Our Sauvignon Blanc is made in the 'Fume Blanc' style similar to varietal wines made in the Loire Valley, France.
The boldness of our Sauvignon Blanc benefits from this style of winemaking. We also find that barrel fermentation offers the qualities of a more sophisticated wine with more complexity and texture.
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Block 5
Marsanne
Altitude: 280m
Vineyard Area: 1.1Ha
Fermentation: Wild Yeast / In barrels
MLF: No
Tasting notes: Citrus, apricot, honeysuckle
Marsanne is a variety we love. It was more popular in the 80's and we thought we had to bring it to Anakie as we believe it has all the credentials of a great variety: complexity, expressivity and ageability.
The small 2-acre plot has flourished at the Anakie Vineyard, producing some truly exceptional wines over the years. Which we're proud to have a long museum collection of, as it's a variety that only truly expresses itself over time.
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Block 3, 9, 11
Chardonnay
Altitude: 225-235m
Vineyard Area: 4.8Ha
Fermentation: Wild Yeast / In barrels
MLF: Partial
Tasting notes: Grapefruit rind, quince, butter
Our Chardonnay is produced in the Burgundian style. The richer and bolder style is well-suited to our site and the fruit we produce. The region has historically produced some of the highest quality and complex Chardonnay in the country.
Each vintage typically sees 30-50% new French oak barrels and lees contact.
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Block 1, 2
Pinot Noir
Altitude: 250-280m
Vineyard Area: 3.9Ha
Fermentation: Wild Yeast
MLF: Full
Tasting notes: Red cherry, blueberry, black tea
Situated at the very top of the Anakie Vineyard, we have a moderate cool climate for Pinot Noir.
Pinot Noir has its great challenges which we endeavour. We aim to strike the balance between elegant and perfumed Pinot-esque qualities and Old World Burgundy earthiness.
Our Pinot Noir typically sees between 20-40% new French Oak and partial whole bunch fermentation.
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Block 4, 10
Shiraz
Altitude: 220-225m
Vineyard Area: 2.4Ha
Fermentation: Wild Yeast
MLF: Full
Tasting notes: Black plum, chocolate, white pepper
The Anakie vineyard offers a similar climate to Northern Rhone, giving our Shiraz a similar fruit ripeness reminiscent of the Old World.
Growing in a cooler climate has its challenges with ripening but we find the style offers a more refined expression of the variety.
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Block 3, 8, 12, 13
Cabernet Sauvignon
Altitude: 220-225m
Vineyard Area: 2.4Ha
Fermentation: Wild Yeast
MLF: Full
Tasting notes: Cassis, forrest floor, cigar box
del Rios is one of the only Cabernet Sauvignon producers in the Moorabool Valley. Most deem the region too challenging to grow the variety with its cool climate and requires a significant amount of work with restricting yield.
We grow 4 different clones of Cabernet Sauvignon giving each block its unique qualities. The final product is a blend of all these blocks.
The wines are barrel aged in our own custom French oak barrels for up to 2 years before released. 50-70% New oak.
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Vintage Guide
We endeavour to make our wines as expressive of the varietals, and of the growing conditions of the season as much as possible.
Explore our wines through the growing conditions and throughout our history.
Wines are an expression of the land and everything experienced that year. We are only as good as the experiences we've grown from and only as interesting as the stories we tell from them.
2022
2002
Vintage Guide
2004
2003
2005
2021
2020
2020
2000
2019
2014
2008
2010
2012
2018
2017
2016
2015
2022 experienced unusual wet and cold Spring which affected the growing season and the final yield. The quality was unaffected as the ripening season was quite consistent and long. The overall quality was high with perfumed and elegant fruit, Pinot Noir being a standout.
2014 had a healthy growing season and a warm dry ripening season that was pretty ideal. The varietals showed great intensity and depth with Shiraz being a standout of the vintage.
2015 was a textbook vintage with perfect and predictable conditions. The grapes demonstrated their varietalness and regional expression. An amazing vintage across all varietals, they should be great wines to age and look back on.
2016 had quite a hot start to the growing season between October and December, vine growth was healthy with good canopy coverage. The ripening season was dry leading to a good fruit intensity and an earlier vintage. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Shiraz were good standouts of the season.
2018 was a moderately hot but consistent growing season. The ripening period was dry which helped with picking. Fruit had a great ripeness and weight to them resulting in a bold and characteristic vintage. The Pinot Noir in particular was exceptional and a reserve AD was bottled.
2019 was another draught year with an incredibly dry and hot growing season where yield was affected. However, we were diligent in irrigating and fruit reached a great ripeness level and intensity.
2004 was an amazing vintage, with ideal growing conditions, steady rainfall and sun throughout the entire growing season. Fruit demonstrated flavour intensity and great expressions of their variety.
2002 was generally quite a cool but steady growing season. Vintage started a little later and the ripening period was drawn out. The grapes developed full phenolic ripening as a result while retaining decent acid, especially with varietals like Pinot Noir giving it good ageability.
2003 had a moderately dry and relatively stable growing season. Vintage started on time and the conditions during the picking season were predictable allowing us to pick at peak fruit quality. The wines produced are great representation of our terroir.
2000 was our first commercial vintage, the growing season was a little dry which demanded some irrigation but otherwise was a successful vintage with pretty moderate conditions.
2007 was an early vintage with what was a persistently hot and dry Summer. Fruit carried a good amount of ripeness and flavour and lower levels of acidity. Overall still a characteristic vintage.
In 2006, Anakie Vineyard was on the brink of being lost to what was a lethal bushfire in Anakie. The firefighters had heroically stopped the fire from crossing Geelong-Ballan road. The vintage turned out to not be as affected as it had happened in January.
2017 vintage saw a moderately hot growing season leading to a healthy start to vintage and a consistent ripening season. April saw quite a bit of rain which gave scares on picking season, but the drainage offered on our slopes helped with what ended as a great vintage. We bottled a reserve AD Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon being a standout of the season.
2020 was a challenging vintage throughout. We were fortunate to not be affect by the bushfires of 2019. The season was still a challenge with the final month of April seeing quite a large amount of rain during a cool ripening season. We were fortunate enough to pick at the right time and were selective with bunches, the final wines were delicate and refined.
2010 was a healthy vintage, with consistent and steady rainfall and sun throughout the growing season. Yields were moderate but wine quality was high across all the varietals.
2008 was a challenging but rewarding vintage, with great yields and overall quality. The growing season was pretty ideal with flashes of unpredictable hot weather which made scheduling vintage a challenge. The vintage showed immense fruit intensity and to be remembered for years to come.
2009 saw some unusual heat waves which contributed to the extreme bushfires that year. The conditions resulted in an extremely early vintage and yields were significantly affect. Wines did not make meet the standards and were written off.
2001 was one of our first great vintages where growing conditions had aligned perfectly. We bottled our first reserve Chardonnay bottled after Gus’ mother and our first reserve Cabernet Sauvignon aged 3 years in barrels bottled after Gus' Father.
2013 had a relatively warm and dry season, vintage started a few weeks earlier and fruit was moderately ripe and plus for our site. The red varietals in particular benefitted from the ripeness, with Cabernet Sauvignon being the standout.
2011 was a late vintage, with mild and wet weather throughout Autumn and Summer. The final months in March and April became dryer which provided more predictability for the picking season.
2012 had near ideal ripening and growing conditions. The 2012 turned out wines with impeccable varietal flavours and great intensity. A real standout vintage with great ageability.
2005 saw some ideal growing conditions resulting in good yield and ripening. February saw some heavy rainfall but were mostly unaffected due to the drainage and winds we experienced. The wines show great expressive characteristics of the growing season.
2021 vintage was a spectacular vintage for us. We experienced regular sun and rainfall throughout the growing season followed by a long, steady and dry ripening season. Fruit quality was exceptional, and it was a fantastic season. This is a vintage where we've bottled our reserve AD wines across multiple varieties.
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