2023 Lucy M Vino Rosso
WINEMAKER: Anton van Klopper
REGION: Adelaide Hills, SA
VARIETY: Merlot, Syrah, Barbera
VITICULTURE: Organic/Biodynamic
The Farms: The Merlot is grown at the Magpie Springs farm in the Hope Valley. It has sandy soils and is at the top of a hill near the ocean with strong ocean breezes. The Syrah is from Brackenwood in Hope Forest with young vines on deep red clay. The Barbera is from Zerella. The vines are 25 years old on average, VSP-trained and spur-pruned. How the wine is made: The wine is an assemblage. Notes: Late spring gives warmth to the soft, dark forest where the redcurrants, raspberries and mulberries stain our shirts with tart, sweet red juice. An honest wine for pirates, sailors, gauchos, bricklayers and princesses.
Anton van Klopper’s commitment to making wines without any additions and his unwavering, unapologetic attitude have made him a pinup boy of natural wine — not just in Australia, but internationally. His craft of natural wine is a straightforward exercise: it involves vinifying grapes, and grapes alone, without any additions whatsoever. Few debates in wine have been so charged or divisive but Anton’s approach remains on course.