Denton
Yarra Valley, Victoria.
Available nationwide.
John and Simon Denton’s estate sits atop a 300-million-year-old granite plug on the border of Coldstream and Tarrawarra in the Yarra Valley, aptly named ‘View Hill’. Vine establishment was in three stages between 1997 and 2004, and included some close-planting of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir at the highest elevation of the vineyard. Now sitting at 80 acres under vine, this unique site is also home to plantings of Cabernet Sauvignon, Nebbiolo (8 clones) and, more recently, Ribolla Gialla.
The Denton View Hill Vineyard is as unique a site in the Yarra Valley as you are likely to find. This special terroir was formed millions of years ago by an active volcano that left behind a granite plug. The granite-rich, sandy soils that lie above hulking granite boulders are key to the site’s expression and a huge contributing factor to the singular character and quality of the wines made here. Viticulturalist Julian Parrott has a sustainable approach; the site is almost exclusively dry-farmed, there are no herbicides applied and under-vine cultivation is used widely. With a laser focus on soil health, the fruit coming from this site has never been in better shape.
Winemaker Kirilly Gordon has an enviable resumé, having worked in Victoria with the likes of Bindi, Hanging Rock, Bress and Provenance, as well as a stint abroad working with the iconic Vie de Romans in Italy. Her intuition and skill with a broad swathe of varieties, coupled with the outstanding fruit quality from this meticulously managed site, bodes very well indeed for the continuing evolution of the Denton Wines.
The Denton’s Shed series are delicate and perfumed wines that are immediately expressive and delicious. Then there is a few experimental wines, currently comprised of a ‘Yellow’ (sous-voile Chardonnay), an ‘Orange’ (also under flor) and a Ribolla Gialla fermented on skins, while the Estate range represents the pinnacle of production from the Denton site.
Wine
SHED Pinot Noir
Variety
Pinot Noir
Terroir
Granitic sand over granite bedrock. Sourced from the bottom section of the North Eastern slope of the Denton View Hill vineyard.
Vineyard
Denton View Hill
Viticulture
Sustainable
Winemaking
Whole-bunch pressed to older French oak barriques and puncheons for wild yeast ferment and malolactic fermentation (100%). Left on full lees with occasional stirring for 6 months. Bottled without fining or filtration.
SHED Skins Chardonnay
Variety
Chardonnay
Terroir
Granitic sand over granite bedrock. Sourced from the bottom section of the North Eastern slope of the Denton View Hill vineyard.
Vineyard
Denton View Hill
Viticulture
Sustainable
Winemaking
Fruit for the Skins Chardonnay is sourced from the cooler, bottom section of the north-eastern slope of the Denton View Hill site. The clone is P58 - the workhorse of the Valley. The fruit spends several days on skins, before a wild ferment and full malo. It rests in old barriques until bottling later in the year.
SHED Chardonnay
Variety
Chardonnay
Terroir
Granitic sand over granite bedrock. Sourced from the bottom section of the North Eastern slope of the Denton View Hill vineyard.
Vineyard
Denton View Hill
Viticulture
Sustainable
Winemaking
30% fermented as whole bunches to dryness, balance whole-bunch pressed. Matured in old French oak with wild yeast ferment and wild malolactic fermentation (100%). Left on full lees with occasional stirring for six months. Bottled without fining or filtration.
SHED Nebbiolo Rosé
Variety
Nebbiolo
Terroir
Granitic sand over granite bedrock
Vineyard
Denton View Hill
Viticulture
Sustainable
Winemaking
Whole-bunch pressed and wild yeast fermented in old French oak. Wild malolactic. Bottled without fining or filtration. Minimal sulphur at bottling.
SHED Cabernet Sauvignon
Variety
Cabernet Sauvignon
Terroir
Granitic sand over granite bedrock. Sourced from the bottom section of the North Eastern slope of the Denton View Hill vineyard.
Vineyard
Denton View Hill
Viticulture
Sustainable
Winemaking
Denton’s Cabernet vines are located on the north-western slope in a warmer area near the top of the Denton View Hill. The fruit for this wine was processed with the aim to make a bright and fresh, early drinking style. Fruit is fermented wild before being pressed to old puncheon.
Nebbiolo
Variety
Nebbiolo
Terroir
Granitic sand over granite bedrock.
Vineyard
Denton View Hill
Viticulture
Sustainable
Winemaking
De-stemmed, wild yeast fermented and held on skins for 20 days with frequent plunging and foot stomping. No temperature control. Pressed to 500 litre French oak puncheons (20% new) and left unsulphured for 18 months prior to bottling without fining or filtration.
Pinot Noir
Variety
Pinot Noir
Terroir
Granitic sand over granite. Sourced from the high density MV6 Pinot Noir block. High on the north east facing slope of Denton View Hill.
Vineyard
Denton View Hill
Viticulture
Sustainable
Winemaking
Fermented with 80% whole bunches included, wild yeast fermented and held on skins for 23 days with frequent plunging and foot stomping. No temperature control. Pressed to 500 litre French oak puncheons (20% new) and left unsulphured for 12 months prior to bottling without fining or filtration.
Chardonnay
Variety
Chardonnay
Terroir
Granitic sand over Granite bedrock. Sourced from the bottom section of the North Eastern slope of the Denton View Hill.
Vineyard
Denton View Hill
Viticulture
Sustainable
Winemaking
Whole-bunch pressed to older French oak barriques and puncheons for wild yeast ferment and malolactic fermentation (100%). Left on full lees with occasional stirring for 6 months. Bottled without fining or filtration.
Cabernet Sauvignon
Variety
Cabernet Sauvignon
Terroir
Granitic sand over granite bedrock. Sourced from the bottom section of the North Eastern slope of the Denton View Hill vineyard.
Vineyard
Denton View Hill
Viticulture
Sustainable
Winemaking
Denton’s Cabernet vines are located on the warm, north-western slope, near the top of the Denton View Hill. The fruit is wild fermented and pressed to three puncheons (one of which was new). It rests there until bottling (without fining or filtration).
Orange Chardonnay
Variety
Chardonnay
Terroir
Granitic sand over granite bedrock. Sourced from the bottom section of the North Eastern slope of the Denton View Hill vineyard.
Vineyard
Denton View Hill
Viticulture
Sustainable
Winemaking
The fruit for this wine is sourced from the cooler north-eastern slope, at the top of the Denton View Hill site, specifically from a close-planted parcel of Gingin clone, chosen for its sunnier, richer characteristics. The fruit is kept on skins for several days, fermented wild and goes through full malo. It then rests in old puncheons until bottling in February. Less than 50 dozen made.
Yellow
Variety
Chardonnay
Terroir
Granitic sand over Granite bedrock
Vineyard
Denton View Hill
Viticulture
Sustainable
Winemaking
20% fermented as whole bunches to dryness, balance whole bunch pressed. Matured in old French oak with wild yeast ferment and wild malolactic fermentation (100%). Left on full lees and without topping for two years the barrels slowly began to ullage and develop a flor on the surface of the wine. No sulphur was used through maturation and the flor character appeared stable and thick. Bottled without fining or filtration
Ribolla Chardonnay
Variety
Ribolla Gialla (75%), Chardonnay (25%)
Terroir
Granitic sand over granite bedrock. Sourced from the bottom section of the North Eastern slope of the Denton View Hill vineyard.
Vineyard
Denton View Hill
Viticulture
Sustainable
Winemaking
From one acre of Ribolla Gialla vines at the bottom of the cooler, north-eastern slope. Picked late in the season when the skin colour starts to turn and flavour intensity develops. It's kept on skins for a couple of weeks and then held in tank for 10 months. The Chardonnay (P58 clone) is picked earlier than the Ribolla, and sees a week on skins before fermenting and resting in old barrique. The wines are blended and bottled unfined and unfiltered.
Orders
For all order enquiries please get in touch.