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About Flynn's Wines

Greg and Natala searched for 18 months looking at 45 properties before deciding on the current Flynns Wines vineyard site which is located 13kms north of the Heathcote township on a strip of the red cambrian period soil that is sort after for vineyard establishment. We started establishing the vineyard from scratch in 1998. Undertaking all the work ourselves we put in 2000 trellising posts, strained 50kms of trellis wire and built a barn that would eventually be the winery. We have now been here 11 years! We have now gained a grass roots following for our wines particularly from the many visitors we have welcomed through cellar door and by consistently providing our customers with quality wines that reflect individuality and Heathcote regional characteristics. Its also very encouraging to receive some recognition by industry leaders like James Halliday in his 2008 Wine Companion (5 out of 5 stars for the winery and one of the ten best new wineries). We are a little unusual in the current wine industry because we grow grapes, make the wine and sell the wine ourselves through Cellar Door and good independent restaurants retailers across Australia. The majority of vineyards will only undertake one or two of these areas. But we think this gives us better control of the process from start to finish. Three years ago we built the Heathcotean Bistro which is attached to the winery, so that we could offer visitors to the Cellar Door a great wine, food, and Heathcote experience. Have a tasting at cellar door with the winemaker before enjoying the gourmet menu using quality fresh ingredients sourced from our own kitchen garden, orchard and local producers which is matched to wines that compliment the food. The wine list also includes our own wines, both current and back vintages and other domestic and international wines.

Flynn's Wines Current Vintages

JAMES HALLIDAY WINE COMPANION 2010 MC Heathcote Shiraz 2007 - 5 glasses and 94/100 Has more briary/savoury elements than prior releases, giving it a certain gravitas; the palate is medium- to full-bodied, balancing blackberry, licorice, spice and pepper against savoury, lingering tannins. 14.2% RATING 94 DRINK 2027 Heathcote Sangiovese 2006 - 94/100 This wine has interesting aromas of spice and leather alongside more traditional sour cherry/red cherry; the fruit flavours have similar nuances, the tannins nicely balanced and intergrated. Australian Sangiovese doesn't come much better than this. 13.7% RATING 94 DRINK 2015 MC Heathcote Shiraz 2006 - 4.5 glasses and 91/100 Fragrant red and black fruit aromas are followed by an unexpectedly vociferous palate, tangy and quiet tanic. MC stands for multi clone, not maceration carbonique 15.3% RATING 91 DRINK 2020 BOUTIQUE WINE AWARDS 2009 MC Heathcote Shiraz 2006 Bronze Medal 48.5 points FLYNNS WINES 2006 SANGIOVESE HALLIDAY'S 5 EMBLEMATIC AUSTRALIAN WINES "This wine has interesting aromas of spice and leather alongside more traditional sour cherry/red cherry; the fruit flavours have similar nuances, the tannins nicely balanced and intergrated. Australian sangiovese doesn't come much better than this." RATING: 94 DRINK: 2015 James Halliday, The Weekend Australian Magazine, Saturday 18th April 2009 Ten of the best new wineries "Greg Flynn and his wife Natala are relative newcomers to Heathcote, planting vines on the vivid red Cambrian soil, and letting that soil do its magic on shiraz (principally), plus sangiovese, cabernet merlot and viognier. For good measure, the wines are moderately priced as well." James Halliday, James Halliday Wine Companion 2008 Edition The new vintage 2006 reds are now available and 2008 whites. The 2006 vintage has produced some good quality, intense wines with plenty of cellaring potential.

View Flynn's Wines current vintages below:

	Flynns Wines 2008 Verdelho : $25 Aroma: Tropical fruit, citrus and honeysuckle Palate: Mouth filling, medium dry, lingering finish Wine Making: This wine was made from a small parcel of hand picked fruit. To increase the complexity and texture of this vibrant and driven wine, we fermented and aged the wine for a short time in new French oak barriques. 'Get ready to be floored by a Heathcote Verdelho. What the?! Fragrant, fresh and aromatic. Flynns is built around the core of tight citrus fruit with tropical overtones. Partial barrel fermentation draws out a delightful mineral structure, and if you're not already completely bamboozled - it will age well!' 93 out of 100 Tyson Stelzer, WBM 100 November 2007 Edition
	Flynns Wines 2008 Viognier - SOLD OUT : $ Aroma: Spiceness, dried apricot, butter and a touch of pineapple Palate: Fruit characters carry to the palate, savoury, lingering finish Wine Making: This wine is made form a small batch of hand picked fruit which has been partially fermented in new French oak.
	Flynns Wines 2007 Sangiovese - SOLD OUT : $33 Aroma: Cherry, mineral and violets Palate: Sour cherry and red fruit Wine Making: Aged for 14 months in French oak barriques. The subtle aroma and palate make this an excellent accompaniment to food. This wine was made using traditional wine making methods of hand picked fruit, hand plunged caps and basket pressed.
	Flynns Wines 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot : $30 Aroma: Herbaceous, aroma of wild berries, mulberry and blackcurrant Palate: Generous with plenty of fruit flavour, firm tannins, and a long finish Wine Making: The cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot were basket pressed and aged seperately for 14 months in French oak barriques till blending. This is a limited release wine, which displays the unique qualities of the Heathcote region.
	Flynns Wines 2007 MC Shiraz : $34 Aroma: Slight mint, cherry, oak and pepper Palate: Mild tannin, spice and pepper with lingering finish Wine Making: MC Stands for Multi Clone. When establishing our vineyard we planted a number of different clones with the aim to increase the complexity of the final blend. This wine was made using traditional wine making methods of hand picked fruit, hand plunged caps and basket pressed. It was aged for 14 months in a combination of 40% new American and French oak barriques
	Flynns Wines Lewis Road 2007 Shiraz Viognier : $20 Aroma: Ripe cherry, subtle oak and floral notes Palate: Berry fruits, subtle oak with lingering finish Winemaking: Traditional wine making methods were employed in producing this wine, including small open fermenters, hand basket pressed and 12 months in new and older French and American oak. This shiraz has 5% Viognier added, which adds lifted floral aromatics.

Flynn's Wines Bistro

The bistro has a seasonal menu created by Natala and chef Jamie Clarke, using fresh produce from our kitchen garden, orchard and local producers. Each dish is matched to a selected wine list of Flynns Wines and local, domestic and international wines.The bistro and courtyard has great views looking over the vines, Mt Ida and Mt Camel in the distance. A couple in for lunch recently live in France and said "our place was like being in Provence!" Family friendly, childrens menu available. " A comfy little place serving food with big city flair, using local produce, and home- grown fruits and veggies" Ralph-Kyte Powell FUNCTIONS - We cater for functions e.g. wine groups including vineyard tours and tastings with the winemaker, engagement parties, small weddings, corporate days, family get togethers, cocktail style or seated dining. Please contact Natala and Helen for any of your function requirements or special arrangements. Functions 7 days a week. SPECIALS this weekend 13th and 14th February VALENTINES DAY Roast kifler with Istra pancetta spicy chilli napoli and crusty bread $9 Housemade Pizza: Roast capsicum and tomato napoli, Istra pancetta, meredith goats cheese, Johns local olives and roquette $15 A very special VALENTINES dessert share plate this weekend by chef Jamie Clarke Chocolate truffles, white chocolate and strawberry mousse, strawberry consomme with anglaise foam, dark chocolate coated strawberry profiteroles and strawberry macaroon with cream $19.50 for 2 DESSERTS:$10.50 Rhubarb compote and custard fool with almond crumble and star anise sponge fingers $10.50 Other sweet treats: Natala's Plum jam tarts with cream $7.50. Dad and I made 6kg of plum jam from our own plum trees (3 varieties) last Monday, so we are sharing some with you, very tasty. KITCHEN GARDEN 8.2.10 Our Summer vegetables are planted and thriving in the warm weather. Harvesting blackjack and greykini zucchini,yellow squash (by the bucket loads), rhubarb, herbs, silverbeet, lebanese cucumbers, capsicum, strawberries and lettuce and our tomatoes, tomatoes and more tomatoes. The bruscetta on the Summer menu is made with our tommy toe tomatoes and basil, a real flavour sensation. Nothing beats a home grown tomato for flavour and aroma! Our hens are having to lay like crazy to keep up with all the desserts Jaime is making! I bought 2 new brown hens today from Carolyn our friend, they are gorgeous and friendly. Our daughter Zoe has called them Annabel and Daisy. We hope you enjoy our great fresh food, I love growing it and sharing it with our customers who enjoy real food flavour! I love teh fact alot of the food you will eat will have been harvested the morning you visit and the eggs laid also. Our chef Jamie had never worked with such fresh eggs before!

Flynn's Wines Events

VALENTINES DAY Sunday 14th February Get in the mood for some lovin' this Valentines Day by enjoying lunch in our bistro. Open for Lunch Saturday the 13th and Sunday the 14th Open for dinner Saturday the 13th Try our decadent dessert plate to share, Jamie our Chef makes really great desserts! For booking please call (03) 54336297 or 0407 800 047 ONCE A MONTH SATURDAY NIGHT DINNERS 6.30pm onwards Bookings recommended as these are popular nights February 13th Valentines Day Dinner March 6th Harvest Feasting Dinner, celebrate vintage 2010 with us Labour Day Long Weekend April 24th French Kiss Dinner! Chefs Jamies favourite food to cook... French Cuisine ANZAC Day Long Weekend May 29th Curry Night, to warm the soul June 26th Lamb Shank and Shiraz Dinner (back by popular demand, maple syrup glazed sticky and delicious shanks) PLEASE READ ON FOR FURTHER EVENT INFORMATION....................... WORLD'S LONGEST LUNCH FRIDAY 12th March 2010 for bookings please call Cellar and Store on 5433 2044 EASTER WEEKEND 2-5th April 2010 Cellar Door Open Friday - Monday Bistro Open Saturday - Monday For booking please call (03) 54336297 or 0407 800 047 MOTHER'S DAY LUNCH SUNDAY 9th May 2010 For booking please call (03) 54336297 or 0407 800 047 HEATHCOTE ON SHOW WEEKEND Queen's Birthday Weekend 12th-14th June 2010

Flynn's Wines Reviews

2009 ROYAL MELBOURNE WINE SHOW - November 2009 Our Flynns MC Shiraz 2007 has been awarded a Silver Medal in the category of Single Vineyard 2007 with 52 points. This year there were around 3,500 entries from over 500 different exhibitors. "The Royal Melbourne Wine Show has a long tradition of excellence and it is always a great achievement to win an award at this prestigious show." Hon John Brumby MP JAMES HALLIDAY WINE COMPANION 2010 MC Heathcote Shiraz 2007 - 5 glasses and 94/100 Has more briary/savoury elements than prior releases, giving it a certain gravitas; the palate is medium- to full-bodied, balancing blackberry, licorice, spice and pepper against savoury, lingering tannins. 14.2% RATING 94 DRINK 2027 Heathcote Sangiovese 2006 - 94/100 This wine has interesting aromas of spice and leather alongside more traditional sour cherry/red cherry; the fruit flavours have similar nuances, the tannins nicely balanced and intergrated. Australian Sangiovese doesn't come much better than this. 13.7% RATING 94 DRINK 2015 MC Heathcote Shiraz 2006 - 4.5 glasses and 91/100 Fragrant red and black fruit aromas are followed by an unexpectedly vociferous palate, tangy and quiet tanic. MC stands for multi clone, not maceration carbonique 15.3% RATING 91 DRINK 2020 BOUTIQUE WINE AWARDS 2009 MC Heathcote Shiraz 2006 Bronze Medal 48.5 points FLYNNS WINES 2006 SANGIOVESE HALLIDAY'S 5 EMBLEMATIC AUSTRALIAN WINES "This wine has interesting aromas of spice and leather alongside more traditional sour cherry/red cherry; the fruit flavours have similar nuances, the tannins nicely balanced and intergrated. Australian sangiovese doesn't come much better than this." RATING: 94 DRINK: 2015 James Halliday, The Weekend Australian Magazine, Saturday 18th April 2009 FLYNNS VERDELHO 2008 Another great varietal produced by Greg and Natala Flynn from their Heathcote vineyard. More structured and with more finesse than most verdelhos, this vintage still displays delicious tropical fruit and hints of green apple and citrus flavours. with a perfect amount of acidity and luscious, mouth filling finish, this wine is ideally paired with some spicy Asian or Indian food" Ashley Raeburn, The Bendigo Avdertiser, Saturday 4th April 2009 FLYNNS MC SHIRAZ 2005 "A vibrantly fresh bouquet of black fruits and gentle oak leads into a supple, medium bodied palate finishing with fine tannins." 5 GLASSES RATING: 95 TO 2025 James Halliday, James Halliday Australian Wine Companion 2009 Edition FLYNNS SANGIOVESE 2005 "Shows clear varietal character with spicy red cherry/sour cherry aromas and flavours; light to medium bodied, best sooner than later." 4 1/2 GLASSES RATING: 90 TO 2012 James Halliday, James Halliday Australian Wine Companion 2009 Edition FLYNNS CABERNET MERLOT 2005 "Light to medium bodied, showing the more elegant side of Heathcote; cassis and blackcurrant fruit, with a gentle finish" 4 1/2 GLASSES RATING: 90 TO 2012 James Halliday, James Halliday Australian Wine Companion 2009 Edition FLYNNS (IRENA'S) VERDELHO 2007 "Has plenty of movement and impact thanks to lemon acidity surrounding the core of tropical fruit; a hint of oak, too. 4 1/2 GLASSES RATING: 90 TO 2012 James Halliday, James Halliday Australian Wine Companion 2009 Edition FLYNNS WINES 2007 VERDELHO: "Get ready to be floored by a Heathcote Verdelho. What the?! Fragrant, fresh and aromatic. Flynns is built around the core of tight citrus fruit with tropical overtones. Partial barrel fermentation draws out a delightful mineral structure, and if you're not already completely bamboozled - it will age well!" Tyson Stelzer, WBM 100 November 2007 Edition FLYNNS WINES 2007 VERDELHO: "Verdelho may just be the future..... it's refreshing to see such a high quality local example. Careful use of French oak has added some much needed complexity and some depth to the wine, already showing fresh tropical fruit and citrus" Bendigo Advertiser FLYNNS WINES 2005 SANGIOVESE: "The Flynn family has certainly got it just right with this wine, which is full of flower blossom and red fruit aromas. Lovely soft and savory on the palate with mellow tannins, this is a hugely enjoyable wine" REX Outhere in Flight Magazine April 2008 FLYNNS WINES 2004 CABERNET SAUVIGNON MERLOT: (94 POINTS) "I can not recollect a better cabernet merlot form a region best known for its shiraz" 94 points and 5 glasses James Halliday, The Weekend Australian 16th and 17th June 2007 FLYNNS WINES LEWIS ROAD 2005 SHIRAZ: (93 POINTS) "In 2005, they also made a Lewis Road shiraz with similar weight to the shiraz viognier, the fruit slightly more savory and spicy. Long fine tannins give the wine outstanding structure, firm but but without hardness or bitterness" 93 points James Halliday, The Weekend Australian 16th and 17th June 2007 FLYNNS WINES 2004 MC SHIRAZ: (94 POINTS) " At this moderate alcohol level (for Heathcote) it is not surpising to find a fragrant, medium bodied wine with blackberry and black cherry fruit sustained by fine tannins; a long and harmonious finish" James Halliday, James Halliday Australian Wine Companion 2008 Edition FLYNNS WINES 2005 MC SHIRAZ (95 POINTS) James Halliday, James Halliday Australian Wine Companion 2009 Edition

Flynn's Wines Vineyard

8.2.10 We were very nervous when the rain came down in torrents on Thursday, 28 ml in 24 hours, but luckily it did not cause any grape berry damage. The vines look happy after a good drink. We picked our Verdelho today. All went well, apart from the forklift breaking down for awhile and a few minor injuries. 970L of Verdelho is now sitting in tank chilling down. Be 12.82 and pH 3.33, fruit looked really good. You can almost feel the vines sigh with relief as the fruit is picked off them for another year and they can have a rest now. We will look at racking it off gross lees before fermentation later in the week. Fluffy home baked scones with plum jam and cream went down a treat for the pickers and us. We will start testing the reds this week also to see how they are travelling for ripeness. Natala 2.2.10 Vintage starts this Thursday with our first lot of contract fruit coming in. All the equipment is in working order (just got the new bearing for the crusher replaced today) and everything clean, clean clean. Our Verdelho is testing at 11.85Be, ph3.1, flavour good, crisp, we will test again on the weekend, but it is looking like we will pick next week... any volunteers?? We had 18ml of rain on Monday which was heavenly, some rain forecast this week, which is always a bit nerve racking at vintage for too much can split berries or just fill the berries so much you have to wait for them to dry out a bit, or it can be just a perfect drop to keep things ticking along. Natala 28.1.10 Warm days but lovely cool nights. The vines are looking good with a little drink once a week. Verdelho is not far away from harvest, we will start serious testing next week. The cockatoos and crows have started to pick on the vineyard reds at 6.30am (my shift) and in the evenings (Gregs shift). We had to get out the shot gun today for the first time this vintage to scare the birds off. A hundred cockatoos in the vineyard for 5mins can do allot of damage playing around with dropping fruit and stripping leaves. Lara the dog is doing her bit with chasing the birds off too, she loves it! The winery is clean and ready to go. Last minute maintenance issues with equipment is being attended to, like a new bearing for the destemmer. Natala 13.1.10 We had a 5ml sprinkle of rain to freshen things up overnight, but boy has it been hot and horrible for the last 3 days. Greg and I have just returned from Qld and Northern NSW where Temps were high 20s to low 30s what a cool change, lovely! The vines are looking good , we have been keeping the water up to them over the hot spell, canopies are green and healthy, no disease, weeds under control. We are starting to monitor the Verdelho visually for signs of veraison. Starting to get the winery ready for vintage, everything to be cleaned with caustic, lots of organising. Sending off samples to check to completion of Malolactic fermentation. Natala 11.12.09 More rain this week, 16ml which the vines are really enjoying. Fruit is slowly filling out, defeathering of the vines and wire lifting complete. Natala 2.12.09 Fruit set is now complete. The extreme heat late spring wiped out the fruit on one of our Sangiovese clones which is a first. The rest of the vineyard looks good. Spraying with Sulphur today to reduce the chance of powdery with all of the humidity we have had and an undervine weed spray will go on also for the wire weed has taken off with all of the rain. Natala 18.11.09 The Vineyard looks great at the moment. Green vigorous cane growth and flowering is underway. We are giving the vines their first irrigated drink this season for we have had 2 weeks of fairly hot weather and we do not want the vines to stress out at this important fruit set stage. Weed management is under control and the vineyard is slashed and fire ready, heaven forbid! The second sulphur spray had been applied to prevent powdery mildew, which is very unlikely in this weather but you have to be careful. We are keeping our fingers crossed we have some good rains leading into Christmas. Natala 11.8.09 Seventy percent of the vineyard has been pruned, theirs still a few weeks work in rapping down the retained canes to the trellis wire for next vintages crop. And all the prunings then need to be removed from the vineyard because its time for grass cutting and weed management. The buds on the canes look to be swelling already so it could be an early bud burst which is a bit scary at the moment as we are still getting some heavy frosts on a regular basis. And frost early on the new growth can cause alot of damage. Early in the 2007 vintage, which is the current release wines we had a huge frost across Victoria which caused substantial losses of fruit though no loss of quantity. More rain is always needed, but has been reasonable this winter. Some good consistent rains to build ground water and probably enough in storage to get us through another vintage (as long as we don't have the unbelievable heat like last vintage). 24.5.09 All the grapes have been picked, fermented and in barrel, phew! Always a relief to get all the fruit in off the vineyard. Now the weather can do what it likes. We very much hope we receive some rain over winter otherwise next vintage is going to be a tough one. 2009 was one of those vintages that was all over the place. Hard to put a blanket over it and say that it was good or bad. The extreme heat over January and February made things very difficult but if you had enough water to maintain the leaf on vines to reduce sunburn of the grapes and keep enough canopy for ripening the crop, that was the biggest trick early on. Then we had 22mm of rain in February which was welcome but caused the fruit to expand and dilute. The following cooler weather was great to resume rippening, if you were able to keep enough leaf and balance in the grapes up till that point. So over all there was a range of fruit qualities that arrived in the winery and certainly kept us on our toes. Good old mother nature never allows us to become complacent. Greg 24.3.09 Vintage is well underway at a nice pace due to the cooler Autumn days. If you visit us over the next few weeks you can see the winery in action and try some really young new wines out of the fermenters or just pressed out. The last of our fruit will be picked tomorrow, the wonderful Sangiovese. After mother nature throwing everything at this vintage somehow the Sangiovese is coming in again the best balanced. Its just so well suited to the area. Any way got to go I have a very early morning start. Greg Cheers Greg and Natala Flynn

Contact Flynn's Wines

Come and meet the winemakers Greg and Natala, stay for lunch and get to know Flynn's Wines...... *CELEBRATE VALENTINES DAY WITH US AT FLYNNS WINES* DINNER this Saturday night 13th from 6.30 onward LUNCH Saturday 13th and Sunday the 14th from 12pm A very special VALENTINES dessert share plate this weekend by chef Jamie Clarke Chocolate truffles, white chocolate and strawberry mousse, strawberry consomme with anglaise foam, dark chocolate coated strawberry profiteroles and strawberry macaroon with cream $19.50 for 2 See our bistro section for further specials this weekend. Great housemade pizza's. Last 2 cases of 2004 MC Shiraz available for purchase from Cellar Door!! Don't miss out, this is a great wine that is drinking beautifully at the moment but will also cellar for many years to come. Operating hours: Cellar Door Friday to Sunday 11.30am -5pm Heathcotean Bistro Saturday and Sunday lunch 12.00 - 3.30pm Other times by appointment FLYNN'S WINES 29 LEWIS ROAD HEATHCOTE 3523 VICTORIA AUSTRALIA Phone: (03) 5433 6297 Mobile: 0407 800 047 Email: flynnswines@bigpond.com How To Find Us: We are situated 13kms North of the Heathcote Township on the Northern Highway to Echuca, Lewis Road is on the left (coming from Melbourne) with signage on the corner of Lewis Road and Northern Highway. Staying in the region? We recommend Hut on the Hill. Click here to visit their site.