Ravensworth
Canberra District, ACT.
Available nationwide.
As he tells it, Bryan Martin established Ravensworth in Murrumbateman with his partner Jocelyn and brother David in 2001 because “it seemed like a good idea at the time.” This former chef, restaurant critic, food writer and winemaker at Clonakilla is known for his emotional symbiosis with the region and his exceptionally good taste. And that’s the constant to Bryan’s wines: they express the region, and they taste good. Really good.
Martin’s approach is deliberately unconventional—he produces a range of brilliant, regionally classic wines, offset by a decent smattering of genre-bending experiments. Shiraz is the main crop on the Ravensworth Estate, followed by Riesling and Sangiovese. Then there’s Rhône white varietals, Gamay and Nebbiolo. Not only does Martin use a wide range of varieties, but clonal differences across these are also utilised for complexity and tonality.
Everything at the Estate is grown with organic principles and the vineyard is consciously farmed as an element of a wider ecosystem in balance with other flora and fauna so it can develop to its greatest potential. This balance limits any chemicals or other nasties. A little old Italian tractor is employed rather than heavy machinery, and likewise in the cellar, the winemaking uses a light touch. There’s no recipe—a range of techniques and vessels are used, always dependent on what the vintage presents.
Wine
Estate Riesling
Variety
Riesling
Terroir
Granite bedrock, regional duplex: red loamy clay, wind-blown parna inclusions. Three clones, 20 years old. Northeast and south-facing.
Vineyard
Patemans Lane.
Viticulture
SXC Certified organic (under conversion).
Winemaking
Whole-bunch pressed to ceramic egg. Wild ferment for three weeks then topped and left for eight months. Unfined, unfiltered.
The Grainery
Variety
Marsanne, Roussanne, Viognier
Terroir
Granite bedrock, regional duplex: red loamy clay, wind-blown parna inclusions, mixed clones, north to northeast facing
Vineyard
Patemans Lane
Viticulture
SXC Certified organic (under conversion)
Winemaking
Combination of whole-bunch fruit straight to 600L demi muids and ceramic eggs, skin contact and whole-cluster ferments. Nine months on lees, before transferral to 20hL Stockinger with extra lees and another year of maturation.
Seven Months
Variety
Gewürtzraminer, Riesling, Pinot Gris
Terroir
Granite bedrock, regional duplex: red loamy clay, wind-blown parna inclusions, mostly north to northeast facing
Vineyard
Patemans Lane
Viticulture
SXC Certified organic (under conversion)
Winemaking
Fermented on skins in Italian concrete and amphora for seven months. Pressed in October, settled for another five months and bottled unfiltered. Minimal sulphur addition.
Estate Sangiovese
Variety
Sangiovese
Terroir
Granite bedrock, regional duplex: red loamy clay, wind-blown parna inclusions, three clones, northeast and south facing
Vineyard
Patemans Lane
Viticulture
SXC Certified organic (under conversion)
Winemaking
Processed as whole berries. Natural ferment and left on skins for six months in oak vats. Matured in foudre for an additional 18 months. Bottled unfined and unfiltered.
Shiraz Viognier
Variety
Shiraz, Viognier
Terroir
Granite bedrock, regional duplex: red loamy clay, wind-blown parna inclusions, four clones, northeast and south facing.
Vineyard
Patemans Lane
Viticulture
SXC Certified organic (under conversion)
Winemaking
Natural ferment including 30% whole-bunch. Left on skins for six weeks, then pressed to puncheons. Maturation for one year in these puncheons and another year in foudre. No additions. Bottled unfiltered and unfined.
Riesling
Variety
Riesling
Terroir
Varied: mostly granite based with more shale in higher vineyards.
Vineyard
Long Rail Gully, Barton Estate, Murrumbateman. Mixed clones and aspects.
Viticulture
Conventional
Winemaking
Whole-bunch pressed and fermented at low(ish) temperature. Some solids left in the ferment to add texture. Bottled early with minimal fuss.
Pinot Gris
Variety
Pinot Gris
Terroir
Varied: mostly granite based with more shale in higher vineyards.
Vineyard
Long Rail Gully, Murrumbateman, Johansen Tumbarumba, Hilltops
Viticulture
Conventional
Winemaking
A mix of carbonic and on-skins fermentation (3-5 days), and whole-bunch pressed fruit. Fermention in oak, concrete ceramic, and inox.
Hilltops Nebbiolo
Variety
Nebbiolo
Terroir
Mostly granite in origin, regional duplex, red loamy clay to shale.
Vineyard
Hilltops, Freeman and Mullany
Viticulture
Conventional
Winemaking
Whole-berry ferments in 1000L oak vats. Left on skins for six months post ferment. Matured in 200-litre Stockinger. Bottled unfiltered.
Sangiovese
Variety
Sangiovese
Terroir
Mostly granite in origin, regional duplex, red loamy clay to shale
Vineyard
Multi-vineyard source from Canberra and Hilltops
Viticulture
Conventional
Winemaking
Processed as whole berries, with a natural ferment, left on skins for 3 weeks. Matured in small, five-year-old French oak for 10 months.
Gamay
Variety
Gamay
Terroir
Very shaley, steep terrain, some granite
Vineyard
Johansen Tumbarumba, Murrumbateman
Viticulture
Conventional
Winemaking
Whole clusters held on skins under carbonic with daily pump-overs. Processed after 10 days with more vigourous pump-overs until dry. Skin contact maintained for one more week then pressed to tank. No fining or filtration.
Tempranillo Graciano Garnacha
Variety
Grenache, Tempranillo, Graciano
Terroir
Soils vary across the sites, but there’s a common thread of granite with seams of windblown clay sediments and a similar elevation of 500-600 metres.
Vineyard
Freeman in Hilltops, Quarry Hill in Canberra district, Locke Family Vineyard in Gundagai
Viticulture
Conventional
Winemaking
The fruit fermented as whole berries in small one-tonne fermenters. After four weeks, the wine was pressed to puncheons and barriques for a 15-month maturation.
Fiano
Variety
Fiano, Riesling and Pinot Gris
Terroir
Mostly granite in origin, regional duplex, red loamy clay to shale
Vineyard
Multi-vineyard source from Canberra and Hilltops
Viticulture
Conventional
Winemaking
A mixture of skin maceration, skin ferments and whole fruit processing to ceramic, concrete and old puncheons. Six months to bottle.
Tumbarumba Chardonnay
Variety
Chardonnay
Terroir
The Glenburnie site sits at 710 metres and has soils rich in basalt and iron minerals, while Mountain View lies at 760 metres on granite and quartz.
Vineyard
Mountain View and Glenburnie
Winemaking
The fruit was kept on skins for eight to 24 hours before being pressed to demi-muids and foudre for fermentation. The demi-muids were not topped, contributing an alluring nutty/saline note to the finished wine. After 12 months’ maturation, the wine was blended and bottled. Not your average Chardonnay, but something so much more.
Barbera & Nebbiolo
Variety
Barbera
Terroir
Comprises 85% Barbera and 15% Nebbiolo from vines rooted in duplex soils of clay and shale.
Vineyard
Bit of Heaven and Grove vineyards in Hilltops
Winemaking
Both parcels fermented as whole berries for 3 to 4 weeks in small, open-top fermenters before being racked to old barriques for 11 months’ maturation.
Montepulciano
Variety
Montepulciano
Vineyard
Grove Estate
Winemaking
The fruit was destemmed and left as whole berries in open-top fermenters for four weeks with daily plunging. The first year’s maturation occurred in 1– to 3-year-old puncheons, followed by a second year in 2000-litre Stockinger foudres.
Orders
For all order enquiries please get in touch.