White Wine
Vignerons Schmolzer & Brown "Brunnen" Chardonnay 2021
Vignerons Schmolzer & Brown "Brunnen" Chardonnay 2021
Beechworth, Australia
“Flinty from barrel, white peach and grapefruit with apple-skin powdery licks and and a spicy hint of fine French oak in a corset of mineral acidity. It's stunning. Long and laser focused but with the depth and power the Beechworth is known for. It's composed, not a showy bone in its body, but there's electricity in the air. Wow.” Different Drop
The Brunnen vineyard is located just across the road from their own farm just south in Beechworth, in Stanley. Farmed organically and without irrigation, this high elevation site producers Pinot and Chardonnay of serious distinction. 5 barrels produced, 1 barrel new French oak.
Heralded as “one of Beechworth’s rising stars,” husband and wife team Tessa and Jeremy Schmölzer Brown purchased a 20ha block of prime cleared land just south of Beechworth, complete with lake and abandoned goldmine back in 2013. Whilst Jeremy had previously worked as an architect, Tessa comes with a wealth of cellar experience, having clocked up years working as a winemaker at Kooyong estate, and closer by at Sorrenberg. They’ve so far planted 10,000 vines at the highest point of their property, with the plan to farm it organically. In Tessa’s words, “Winery operations are a shadow dance to the vineyard's growing season and although the work happens indoors, it can’t be separated from the vineyard.” Whilst waiting for these vines to mature, they’ve been producing wine from several vineyards close by in Beechworth, as well as the King Valley and the Alpine Valleys, all farmed with the same principles as they follow.