Producer
Lethbridge Wines is a boutique producer specializing in highly terroirdriven wines from some of the best vineyards in Geelong, chosen after an exhaustive search in the mid-1990s. With total quantity capped at 5,000 cases, the focus is on quality and individuality, and environmental sustainability is also key: Lethbridge’s own vineyard is farmed biodynamically, and the winery design is minimal-impact, requiring no heating or cooling. Lethbridge is garnering critical acclaim and a cult following in Australia, and Berkmann is honoured to be their first importer worldwide.
Vineyard
This wine is from eight single vineyards sites, four in Geelong, two from the Moorabool Valley and two from Belllarine. All of the fruit was handpicked.
Winery
Each parcel was fermented seperately, with each receiving the same treatment – wild yeast fermented with 40% remaining as whole bunches, then transferred to 500-litre open vats. There was a pre-fermentation maceration for 7-10 days until the natural yeast started work. The fermentation took seven days, with temperature peaking at 32ºC, and once daily pigeage for extraction. After five days’ post-ferment skin contact, the wine was pressed to French oak barrels (40% new) for malolactic and tenmonths’ maturation. All blocks were kept separate until being blended just before bottling unfiltered.
