Linnaea

Linnaea’s far-flung adventure began in 2008, when husband-and-wife duo Daniel Fischl (an Australian agricultural scientist) and Michelle Edwards (an accomplished American winemaker), crafted their first wine in the Napa Valley. Their brilliant 2009 Howell Mountain Napa Cabernet—which we still receive enquiries about today—set a decidedly international tone for the label, which has since travelled to Piemonte and, more recently, to Heathcote in Victoria. Fischl and Edwards are now based relatively nearby in Melbourne.

The pair take an intellectual and open-minded approach to their sourcing of vineyards and their winemaking. Through their experiences Linnaea is becoming a flag-flier for sustainable vineyard practice, both across the land they manage themselves and every vineyard they touch globally. Think cover crops, soil regeneration, carbon-footprint reduction, re-establishment of vineyard perimeter habitats and building biocontrol, along with a transition to full organics, energy recapture systems, dry-farming where feasible, and even native bee research.

This dynamic and complementary pair’s range of wines features wonderful purity together with frisky approachability. The wines are made with a meticulous, reductive approach, and a blend of tradition and thoughtful intuition. We’ve watched them try their hand at high-grown Napa Cabernet, use traditional methods in Barolo, utilise ceramic eggs for Heathcote Sangiovese, and embrace whole-bunch and skin contact for their Cortese from Asti. While they continue to source from all over the world, the duo is now very hands-on in Heathcote, where they are focusing on Malbec, Grenache and Petit Verdot. With future plans for exploration into more regions in Victoria, we can’t wait to see what they come up with next.