Brave New Wine
Great Southern, Western Australia.
Available in Victoria, Tasmania, ACT.
Working with Yoko Luscher-Mostert and Andries Mostert is a thrilling, dynamic ride. Their self-coined “irreverent yet relevant wines” are produced at a tiny operation in Denmark, Great Southern, miniscule amounts of experimental blends and singular cuvées from prime sites. Always brave, always new.
Don’t be mistaken in thinking there’s anything slap-dash about this operation, however. Mostert has 25-years of winemaking experience across Central Otago and Emilia-Romagna and at some of Australia’s top wineries, including Howard Park, Moss Wood, Brokenwood, Shaw and Smith, Best’s and Ashton Hills. His work continues at Castle Rock Estate in Porongurup.
Yoko fittingly is the muse who, along with being the resident foot-stomper, pump-over gal and general gag-maker, informs the label’s creative, free-thinking identity. The pair’s hard-earned experience and dedicated personalities have shaped a vanguard of Australia’s new-styled négociants—classical wine training and expertise with unlimited freedom of expression.
Along with plenty of skins, funk, lees and crunch, releases at this address can include idiosyncratic notions like their Riesling fermented with aromatic botanicals, or pét-nats made by blending Sauvignon Blanc and Shiraz. But there’s also a focus on varietal, site-specific wines—like their Schadenfreude Shiraz, some dry-grown Grenache and barrel-fermented Chardonnay—evidence they are aware that beauty can be found in tradition as well as innovation.
Wine
Rude Boy
Variety
Grenache, Cabernet, Shiraz, Cab Franc, Gewurztraminer and Vermentino
Terroir
Frankland River: ironstone-based gravels and duplex sandy loams over clay sub-soils. Mount Barker: strong continental aspects with marri soils with lateritic gravel and sandy loams. Porongurup Range: karri loams and well-drained loamy gravels.
Vineyard
Swinneys (Frankland River), 3 Drops (Mt Barker), Zarepahth (Porongurup).
Viticulture
Some conventional, some organic inputs only (not certified).
Winemaking
100% wild-fermented with some co-fermentation, gentle extraction for medium weight and light slippery tannin, then basket-pressed to older oak for 12 months before bottling with no fining, filtration or additives (other than a very small amount of SO2 at bottling).
Glitter Us
Variety
Vermentino, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc and Gewurztraminer
Terroir
Vineyards at elevations of 200-300m above sea level, ironstone-based gravels and duplex sandy loams over clay sub-soils derived from granitic outcrops.
Vineyard
Swinneys
Viticulture
Conventional
Winemaking
Picked early for fresh fruit and natural acid. Naturally fermented in a combination of old barrels and tank, with a small amount of skin contact to extract extra flavour and structure. Blended and bottled while fermenting for fizzy wine fun. No preservatives or any other additions.
Magical Animal
Variety
Zarephath, Porongurup
Terroir
Located at an elevation of between 200 and 400 metres, with a variety of soil types, the most fertile being the karri loams and material derived from the weathered granite.
Vineyard
Zarephath, Porongurup
Viticulture
Organic inputs only. Not cerified.
Winemaking
Single-vineyard Porongurup Chardonnay, pressed straight into one new and one older French oak puncheons for a 100% natural ferment. Left on full solids with zero additions for 11 months then racked to tank to settle for two more months until bottling (with only very a small addition of SO2). No fining or filtration.
Klusterphunk
Variety
Chardonnay
Terroir
Vineyards at elevations of 200-300m above sea level, ironstone-based gravels and duplex sandy loams over clay sub-soils derived from granitic outcrops.
Vineyard
Swinneys Vineyard, Frankland River
Viticulture
Conventional
Winemaking
Single-vineyard Frankland River clone 95 Chardonnay. Three-week carbonic maceration, then foot-stomped for a few more days’ fermentation before basket-pressing to older oak. Maturation on full lees for 12 months, then bottled without fining, filtration or additives other than a very small amount of SO2.
Pi-Oui
Variety
Pinot Noir
Terroir
Located at an elevation of between 200 and 400 metres, with a variety of soil types, the most fertile being the karri loams and material derived from the weathered granite.
Vineyard
Zarephath, Porongurup
Viticulture
Conventional
Winemaking
Single-vineyard Porongurup Pinot Noir, hand-picked. Part whole-bunch, long carbonic maceration, then foot-stomping and fermentation in open-top oak fermenter. Remainder de-stemmed by hand and fermented as whole berries (100% natural fermentation and malo). Basket-pressed to older oak for 12 months. Unfined, unfiltered and no additions besides a very small addition of SO2 at bottling.
Schadenfreude
Variety
Shiraz
Terroir
Frankland River: ironstone-based gravels and duplex sandy loams over clay sub-soils. Mount Barker: strong continental aspects with marri soils with lateritic gravel and sandy loams. Porongurup Range: karri loams and well-drained loamy gravels.
Vineyard
Zarephath (Porongurup), Swinneys (Frankland River) & Three Drops (Mt Barker)
Viticulture
Some conventional, some organic inputs only (not certified).
Winemaking
Partial whole-bunch natural fermentation and malo, then was raised in older French oak puncheons for nine months with no racking. No fining, filtration or any additives besides a small amount of SO2 at bottling.
Doppelgänger
Variety
Riesling, Gewurztraminer, PInot Gris, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Vermentino
Terroir
Vineyards at elevations of 200-300m above sea level, ironstone-based gravels and duplex sandy loams over clay sub-soils derived from granitic outcrops.
Vineyard
Swinneys
Viticulture
Some conventional, some organic (not certified).
Winemaking
All fermented separately with different times on skins varying from two weeks to 12 months. Complexity built in with barrel ageing, lees contact and some components under flor in ceramic egg and barrel. Carefully blended with reserve wine from last year’s blend (similar to a solera system).
Sunshine & Hercules
Variety
Riesling
Terroir
Located at an elevation of between 200 and 400 metres, with a variety of soil types, the most fertile being the karri loams and material derived from the weathered granite.
Vineyard
Zarephath, Porongurup
Viticulture
Conventional
Winemaking
Short soak on skins to extract flavour then pressed to ceramic egg and French oak puncheon. Natural fermentation on full solids, left on full lees with no SO2 for nine months. Blended and bottled with no fining, filtration or any additives other than a small amount of SO2 at bottling.
Bouche
Variety
Riesling
Terroir
Vineyards at elevations of 200-300m above sea level, ironstone-based gravels and duplex sandy loams over clay sub-soils derived from granitic outcrops.
Vineyard
Powderbark Ridge, Frankland River
Viticulture
Bush-vine trained Riesling vines. Organic inputs only (not certified)
Winemaking
Short soak on skins to extract flavour then pressed to ceramic egg. Natural fermentation on solids, then left on full lees with no SO2 for nine months. Natural flor maintained for the entire elevage. Blended and bottled with no fining, filtration or any additives other than a small amount of SO2 at bottling.
Savant Guard
Variety
Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon
Terroir
Strong continental aspects with marri soils with lateritic gravel and sandy loams.
Vineyard
Three Drops, Mount Barker
Viticulture
Conventional
Winemaking
Short soak on skins to extract flavour then pressed to tank. Briefly settled before 100% natural fermentation (20% in new French oak puncheon), left on full lees with no SO2 for nine months. Blended and bottled with no fining, filtration or any additives other than a small amount of SO2 at bottling.
Batard Sauv
Variety
Sauvignon Blanc
Terroir
Vineyards at elevations of 200-300m above sea level, ironstone-based gravels and duplex sandy loams over clay sub-soils derived from granitic outcrops.
Vineyard
Bobtail Ridge, Frankland River
Viticulture
Oganically farmed and dry grown
Winemaking
Natural fermentation on skins for two weeks then basket-pressed to old oak for 10 months. No fining, filtration or additives other than a small amount of SO2.
Maison Derriere
Variety
Pinot Noir and Chardonnay
Terroir
Located at an elevation of between 200 and 400 metres, with a variety of soil types, the most fertile being the karri loams and material derived from the weathered granite.
Vineyard
Zarephath, Porongurup
Viticulture
Organic inputs only (not certified).
Winemaking
Natural fermentation on skins for two weeks then basket-pressed to old oak for 10 months. No additives of any kind (zero sulphur).
El Rojo
Variety
Tempranillo and Shiraz, Mencia, Cinsault and Counoise
Terroir
Vineyards at elevations of 200-300m above sea level, ironstone-based gravels and duplex sandy loams over clay sub-soils derived from granitic outcrops.
Vineyard
Swinneys, Frankland River. 11-year-old bush vine Tempranillo and three clones of Shiraz.
Viticulture
Some conventional, some organic (not certified)
Winemaking
Partial whole-bunch natural fermentation and malo then raised in older French oak puncheons for nine months. Bottled with no fining, filtration or any additives besides a small amount of SO2 at bottling.
Gamin
Variety
Grenache
Terroir
Vineyards at elevations of 200-300m above sea level, well drained gravelly loam laterite.
Vineyard
Swinneys, Frankland River. Dry grown, 15 year old bush vine
Viticulture
Some conventional, some organic (not certified)
Winemaking
Two week carbonic maceration then foot-stomped and whole-bunch fermented in open-top oak tyne. Raised in older French oak puncheons on full lees for nine months before bottling with no fining, filtration or any additives other than a small amount of SO2 at bottling.
Orders
For all order enquiries please get in touch.