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About Flynn's Wines
Greg and Natala searched for 18 months, looking at 45 properties before purchasing the current Flynns Wines vineyard site in 1998 which is located 13kms north of the Heathcote township on a strip of the red cambrian period soil that is sought after for vineyard establishment.
We established the vineyard from scratch in 1999. Undertaking all the work ourselves we put in 2000 trellising posts, strained 50kms of trellis wire and built a barn that would eventually become the winery/cellar door. We have now been here 13 years and are about to make our 10th vintage! We make the wines ourselves onsite.
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 majority of it ourselves through Cellar Door and good independent restaurants and retailers across Australia. We have Ryan Fine Wines distribute our wines in Melbourne CBD. The majority of vineyards will only undertake one or two of these areas. We think this gives us better control of the process from start to finish.
We also do Contract Winemaking for other growers in our region which is very interesting working with small parcels of fruit all varied due to terroir of the Heathcote sites.
Five years ago we built the Heathcotean Bistro which is attached to the Cellar Door and Winery. Our family 'love food' it is a very big part of our life and we want to share great flavoursome bistro style food with our customers. Our seasonal menu is created by Natala and our chef Kath using great ingredients sourced from our kitchen garden, orchard and local producers which is matched to wines that compliment the food.
Our wine list includes our own wines, both current and back vintages and other local wines.
Flynn's Wines Current Vintages
Introducing our James Flynn Wine Club........
A fter 12 years of dedicated work developing our vineyard, winemaking and wine styles we decided in 2008 to pursue our first Super Premium wine which became our James Flynn Shiraz 2008, our pinacle of winemaking.
With the passing of Gregs father James Flynn, we have decided to name our Super Premium Shiraz and Wine Club "James Flynn", in tribute to the man who had such a positive infl uence on our lives and the beginnings of the vineyard. James Flynn the man, like the James Flynn Shiraz 2009 was strong, complex, ambitious and eternally optimistic.
Having experienced continued strong demand for our wine varieties and with the the small quantities of our Super Premium James Flynn Shiraz produced each year, we decided to establish a Wine Club! Only invited members are o ered the opportunity to purchase our Super Premium James Flynn Shiraz, alongside other exclusive member benefi ts.
To receive your members information pack please contact our Cellar Door direct on (03) 5433 6297 or email: jamesflynnclub@bigpond.com
View Flynn's Wines current vintages below:
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Flynns Wines 2010 Verdelho - NEW RELEASE : $25
Aroma: A fresh aroma of honeysuckle and tropical fruit
Palate: Mouth filling, medium dry, creamy texture from partial oak ferment and 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 fruit driven wine, we barrel fermented approximately 20% of the wine and aged it for a short time in new French oak barriques. A variety not known for ageing, this Verdelho's aroma and depth of palate develops very well with up to 4 years cellaring.
Alc: 13.8% Cellaring approx up to 4 years.
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Flynns Wines 2010 Viognier - SOLD OUT : $
Aroma: Spiceness, dried apricot, honey, pineapple and orange blossom
Palate: Fruit characters carry to the palate, savoury, lingering finish
Wine Making: This wine is made form a small batch of hand picked fruit with approx. 45% barrel fermented aged in new French Oak for 4 months.
90/100 in James halliday 2012 Wine Companion |
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Flynns Wines 2010 Sangiovese : $35
Aroma: Savoury morello cherry and violets
Palate: Medium bodied with sour cherry and red fruit
Wine Making: A favourite and Flynns Wines, this medium bodied and moorish wine was 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.
Alc 14% Cellaring approx 6 years |
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2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot - NEW RELEASE : $30
Aroma: Subtle elegant lifted fruit, blackberry and wild fruits
Palate: Mouth filling, ripe berry fruit, soft tannin and lingering finish
This Cabernet Merlot blend is made from a small quantity of fruit from our vineyard, only 3 barrels were made it has great drinkability from the subtle fruit aroma to the soft mouthfilling wild berry palate and relatively low alcohol at 13.2%
Alc 13,2% Cellaring approx. 9 years |
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Flynns Wines 2009 MC Shiraz : $35
Aroma: Ripe cherry, mint, oak and a hint of pepper
Palate: Full bodied yet elegant, generous fruit, soft rounded tannins, long 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. Aged 14 months in a combination of 40% new American and French oak barriques sourced from 5 different coopers. This is a well balanced and elegant wine with Heathcote regionality.
Alc 14.5% Cellaring approx. 9 years |
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Flynns Wines Lewisroad 2010 Shiraz - NEW RELEASE : $22
Aroma: Ripe cherry, subtle oak and mild floral notes
Palate: Ripe cherry, spiciness, full bodied, firm tanninas
Only a small quantity of 100 dozen of this wine was made using open fermenters, basket press and maturing in older oak for 12 months. Our Lewisroad shiraz has the addition of a few % viognier (the white grape) this gives a more lifted floral aromatics of cherry and spiciness. The mouth filling palate is full bodied with medium tannins and a long lingering finish.
Alc 14.5% Cellaring approx. 5 years |
Flynn's Wines Bistro
The bistro has a seasonal menu created by Natala and our chef Kath, inspired by fresh produce from our kitchen garden, orchard and local producers. Each dish is matched to a selected Flynns Wine. 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, wheelchair access.
" 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 winery and vineyard tours and tastings with the winemaker, engagement parties, corporate days, family get togethers, cocktail style or seated dining. Please contact Natala for any of your function requirements or special arrangements.
KITCHEN GARDEN and BISTRO
3.1.12
The garden is in full Summer production with zuchinni, tomatoes, cucumbers, rhubarb, silverbeet, stone fruits and herbs in abundance.We have been making cucumber pickles and nectarine and rhubarb chutney today for the bisto. Natala
8.11.11
We have been very busy today making our second batch of Strawberry sauce for the season, I am picking 1kg of strawberries a day from a very little patch, they are happy plants. We have just tried a sample on fresh baked scones from Carmel (Gregs Mum) oh, I am in heaven. It is made from our organically grown little strawberries and sugar. It is on tasting in the bistro this weekend. We also have a new batch of the Rhubarb and plum chutney available, this is on the Winemakers plates this weekend. The rhubarb has been beautiful this season. I harvested 3kg off four plants recently, I was amazed.
We have been busy in the garden planting Tommy toe, Ky1 and yellow pear tomatoes along with cucumbers and zucchini. The garlic was dug up yesterday and is now in the garden shed drying. Lettuces of all shapes and sizes are in abundance. The only things not doing well is the cavolo nero and radishes which has been attacked by aphids. The herbs are great especially the dill, which everyday as I brush past it in the garden stirs a memory of my Mum, Irena and my childhood in the kitchen. Mum was Polish and used dill in pickling and in lots of other dishes.
The orchard looks great with luscious foliage and good fruit set. Bring on those gorgeous peaches, nectarines, apples, plums and cherries.
See you soon at the Bistro and Cellar Door!
Natala
6.9.11
A nice drop of rain today to keep the vege garden happy. It is growing well, with all of the lovely sunshine we have had. We are harvesting endive, roquette and other lettuces, kale, silverbeet, rhubarb and herbs galore. The citrus trees are still heavily laden with lovely ripe fruit which will be featured on our Spring menu. Yes the Spring menu starts this weekend, all of the recipe development and tasting have finished (we love that part) and we are ready to go. Come along to the bistro and try our new dishes.
26.7.11
The bistro and cellar door continues to be busy most weekends despite the cold weather. The orchard is in the process of being pruned. The vegetable garden is a little sparse, providing herbs, rhubarb, cavolo nero, silverbeet, baby radish, roquette and all of the citrus. The children and I planted out lots of lettuce seedlings yesterday, the soil was great to work with after the rain. Bonnie was covered in mud within 15 minutes and ate lots of the chooks wheat to nana's horror!
The chooks are slowly coming back on the lay with gorgeous orange yolks.
I have ordered cavolo nero, endive and broccoli seedlings to plant next week, along with more radishes. Don't be scared to eat them off the wineplates they are great and grown especially for you! See you soon.
Natala
14.6.11
What a busy weekend we had with "Heathcote on Show" on the Queens Birthday weekend. I even had to make a dash up to the vegetable garden during service to pick extra lettuce and oranges for we ran out! It was great to catch up with some of our Mail List customers and meet lots of new people.
The Bistro this weekend will be featuring quinces, apples and morrello cherries from our orchard in some beautiful desserts that chef Kath is making.
The slow cooked maple syrup glazed lamb shanks with a glass of MC Shiraz is proving to be very popular once again, we had people on the weekend reserving a serve when they booked their tables.
I have been out in the vegetable garden doing soil prep and planting last week. In went lettuces, radish, turnips and chard, hopefully we have lots of sunny Winter days to help the seeds get going.
The chooks have gone on strike with the cold weather, no eggs now for a week. Oh I miss those golden flavoursome yolks already.
Natala
24.5.11
I was busy pruning the vege patch eating grapes today, oh so cold and windy, you know you are alive on days like today, also pruning some of the citrus trees to open up the canopies to reduce disease issues. What a bumper crop of limes, oranges and grapefruit, not too many lemons and mandarines though! go figure? Rhubarb is still plentiful along with the last of the tomatoes. Lots to plan and plant in the garden over the next month, I just need to clean it all up first and dig in some chook poo.
Harvesting olives also for the first time and experimenting with a semi dried greek recipe from our neighbour John which seems to be working, look out for these on our winemakers plates.
Natala
2.5.11
We harvested 30 pumpkins from the garden this week and so many beautiful quinces from the orchard. The quinces are huge this year due to all of the rain and very aromatic, you could smell them 15m away from the tree. Dad and I are busy making all sorts of things out of the quinces this week, paste, puree, pickling and baking, oh and yes quince and apple pie! We will feature this produce on the bistro menu in the next few weeks.
Winemakers plates are proving to be very popular for lunch in the bistro. A customer last weekend described it as a "cornucopia of delights!" Come along soon and sample our lovely food and wines.
Natala
19.4.11
The kitchen garden is producing beautiful tomatoes, rhubarb, herbs, roquette. The citrus are starting to ripening now, lemons and limes in abundance, these are in our lemon and lime delicious puddings this weekend. Our Adriatic Figs are tasting beautiful and we will be harvesting quinces after Easter. We are using all these ingredients on our menu which is very tasty! Dad and I made some fig and Shiraz paste last fortnight which is very yummy, using our MC Shiraz 08 of course, this is available for purchase in our Bistro shop for $8.95.
See you at the Bistro over Easter for a great food and wine experience.
Natala
28.3.11
The Art of Food, Wine and Song was a great success last Friday night. We had Kath Carrol exhibiting her beautiful artworks and Brenda Kinsella, Opera singer sang 4 beautiful songs which brought tears to many peoples eyes on the night. Finger food and a glass of Flynns Wines capped off a perfect evening, having a great artistic night in Heathcote.
I have counted 30 pumpkins in the garden this season, how wonderful, look out for pumpkin creations on the menu soon. Our Adriatic figs are ready, Dad and I are harvesting them every three days, they are the sweetest, tastiest little figs you have ever tried! If you don't believe me try them on our winemakers plate this weekend. We have also been harvesting our Golden Delicious apples by the bucket load, the little tree is so laden down with fruit the branches are on the ground. Kath is making the most delicious Apple toffee cake each Saturday morning, she picks the apples after parking her car and then creates a really wonderful cake out of them. I do not think you could get a fresher apple cake than that!
We are also making fig and apple chutney which is really addictive. Our family ate a whole jar the other night with roast pork, yum yum. This is available for purchase through the bistro and is on our Winemakers plate this weekend.
The baby tomatoes are still in abundance along with the really tasty basil, try these on our bruscetta with our neighbours olive oil.
See you at Cellar Door and in our bistro soon, take advantage of the great Autumn weather, sunny, warm, no wind, just perfect!
Natala
1.3.10 Autumn is here already! You an definitely feel the change in the weather with the nights getting really cool. The vege patch is full of the most fragrant and tasty tomatoes and basil. The rhubarb is growing profusely and we have pumpkins everywhere.
The nashi pears are harvested and we are starting on the real pears now! I will have to get inspiration on what to do with all of them, my mind is starting to race already. The bistro menu will see some of this inspiration shortly.
15.2.11
We are harvesting the last of our lovely plums for the season. I am totally plum jammed out, I am moving onto plum chutney now. Next come the apples, pears and figs. The tomatoes, basil and squash out of the garden are magnificent. Tonight we are having a risotto for dinner with these 3 ingredients, with a splash of our neighbours olive oil and some good parmesan, can't wait! We have some really peppery roquette and beautiful rhubarb also, which will be on the bistro menu this weekend.
Natala
21.1.11
We are back after a break at the beach. The orchard is magnificent due to all of the rain! Zoe, Dad and I harvested 20kg of the most aromatic peaches this morning and proceeded to be inspired to make a peach chutney for the first time. It is really good, I can't stop eating it as a dip. We will feature it on our winemakers plate on the 29th of January and it is also available for purchase for $8 a jar in our bistro shop. It is made with garlic, onions, peaches and apples from our place plus spices and currants. We are also picking nectarines and all varieties of plums. We have planted lots of lettuce and more zucchini, yesterday in the vege patch. We are harvesting sweet squash, which makes the most delicate amazing soup that both my girls are eating with excitement. The zucchini are plentiful and finally the tomatoes are here! Zoe loves to eat the baby Tommy toe tomatoes sandwiched between 2 basil leaves, "mmm, mmm, delicious" is what she says. I am really looking forward to getting back to the bistro with Kath our cook, to create some tasty food for you all to enjoy. See you soon.
Natala
30.12.10
We had a lovely family Christmas at my sisters place in Daylesford this year at her newly renovated Tuscan/Moroccan style home, it's amazing and will be a BandB in the future. Our place is travelling along really well. The garden is still in full production despite the locusts which are moving on now. We are harvesting lots of zucchinni, squash, shallots, basil, baby potatoes and the strawberries keep coming. The orchard is now supplying us with a great selection of plums which I am keen to turn into something yummy. We are harvesting the last of our apricots and morello cherries. Yet to come: mulberries, figs, nashi pears, pears, apples and quinces. Look out for our new jams, jellies and sauces made by us, available through our cellar door. Our new product this week is our morello cherry jam which is so wild and intense in flavour, only 18 jars made so get in quick!
14.12.10
We have been busy in the garden again this week, pulling out the old broad beans and snow peas. We have planted chocolate mint, coriander and 3 new rhubarb plants. The tomatoes are doing really well, we have started staking these. We are still harvesting strawberries daily and the morello cherries are in absolute abundance this year. I have made a trial batch of morello cherry jam which is quite unique and wild tasting. We will be making a batch for sale for our bistro shop tomorrow with Dad who helps me remove the hundreds of cherry pips (not my favourite job I must admit).The baby zuchinni and squash are really tasty raw or chargrilled and we are using our zuchinni flowers in our salads which are great! Our weekend customers liked the look and flavour of our Russian garlic flowers that garnished a few dishes, they were planted by my mother many years ago and flower each year.
Natala
7.12.10
Zoe, Dad and I have been harvesting gorgeous cherries yesterday, so we have been busy poaching them today with a splash of Rutherglen port to be enjoyed on the menu this weekend with our chocolate truffle tart.! Jam making starts this week also, when my hundreds of jars arrive. We will be making cherry jam, strawberry jam and loquat jelly for now until the next wave of fruit which will be mulberries, plums and figs.
The vegetable patch is producing the cutest baby squash and zuchinni, which we will chargrill for the winemakers plate this weekend. The lettuce is great, basil, shallots and bok choy going crazy. Come and share our wonderful chemical free, fresh produce when you next visit.
24.11.10
The bistro courtyard garden is looking spectacular with the roses, geraniums and lavender in full bloom. My girls Zoe, Bonnie and I sat out there last Sunday afternoon, under the umbrellas, munching on a slice of chocolate swirl cheesecake, thinking this is really nice! The courtyard looks out to the vineyard which looks exceptionally happy with the regular rains we are having. Take time out from the busy Christmas rush and re-energise by having a great lunch and a glass of wine at our place this weekend!
16.11.10
The vegetable garden looks and tastes fantastic! We are harvesting broad beans, lettuce, herbs, snow peas, broccolli, strawberries, bokchoy, silverbeet and rhubarb.
Mr fox took our rooster, duck and 2 chooks last week, which was very sad, but we still have 9 hens who are happy and laying lots of eggs. We are using all of our produce on our bistro menu to give you a great fresh taste of here.
2.11.10
Cup day is here so we can now plant our tomatoes, Heathcoteans say you cannot plant them until after cup day for fear of frosts! Yellow squash and some other mystery seedlings have popped up, I will have to wait to see what they are. The baby broad beans are excellent, you will see them on the menu next weekend. Fresh lettuce, shallots, rhubarb, snow peas, roquette flowers and herbs will be used in the bistro this weekend.The rhubarb fool is really nice, made with our rhubarb, creme patisserie and meringues made with our eggs.
SUMMER menu is on this weekend, some great food and Flynns wine matches for a relaxed lunch overlooking the garden and vines.
Natala
20.10.10
The kids, grandparents and myself are out in the garden every afternoon now that the weather is gorgeous. Zoe sits on a bucket with her feet up amongst her snow peas "having a feast" she says, then eats her way around the edible flowers in the garden.
We planted bok choy, squash and more lettuce yesterday.
Natala
15.10.10
What a wet week it is, great timing for the vines and the kitchen garden. We are now harvesting snow peas (Zoe is eating heaps of them before we leave the garden each day!), lettuce, spring onions, silver beet, beetroot and glorious herbs. The broad beans and broccoli are not far away, I have been researching some great recipes for the bistro. We planted some alpine strawberries last week which have a longer harvest time than our usual sweet little strawberries, they are doing well so far. New season limes are on the way and grapefruit ate still in abundance (4 for $2 at cellar door, what a bargain for organic sweet grapefruit). See you for lunch sometime soon.
Natala
24.9.10
What gorgeous weather we are having, so sunny and warm every day now. The garden is looking great. I fertilised the veges with some goat poo and fish emulsion this morning, they growing so quickly each day. The lettuces are so crunchy, the silverbeet has really great flavour and the herbs are so aromatic.
The bistro courtyard is a great place to have lunch with this weather, we sat out there yesterday with some friends and their kids on school holidays, so relaxing especially with a glass of 09 Verdelho.
7.9.10
What a wet week! The weather did clear up for Fathers Day and the spring sunshine was great for all of our customers visiting the winery and bistro. We visited Lake Eppalock yesterday for a family picnic and it is looking wonderful! There was even a keen boater on the lake already and lots of sightseers, just to think it was not long ago we were able to drive through the middle of the lake!
Got out weeding in the vege patch yesterday, everything has started growing so quickly with the warm sun. The lettuces which were self sown are looking gorgeous, shallots, roquette and silverbeet also. Our hens are loving the sun, grazing in the vege patch and laying lots of eggs which is going into our goats cheese tarts, meringues and bread and butter pudding this weekend. Zoe had 2 omelettes for breakfast this morning, which means the eggs are very tasty!
23.8.10
We bought 2 new chooks last week, one of them lasted a day before she did a disappearing act, very sad! Still harvesting citrus and more citrus, making cordial, cakes, marmalade with the harvest. The broad beans are finally growing well with the warm sun and spring just around the corner. Our snow peas which Zoe planted weeks ago are 1m high now and almost flowering.
10.8.10
Rain, rain and more rain, we have not seen this sort of weather for years. The vege patch is not doing much as the soils are too wet and cold with exception the herbs, citrus, silverbeet and roquette are thriving. The poor chooks had a scare with Mr fox earlier in the week but lucky our Kelpie Lara was on the job and scared him away for now, needless to say the girls did not lay any eggs that day!
Wendy is baking our French lemon and lime zesty tart again this weekend which sells out very quickly for it is so yummy!
27.7.10
So many citrus coming out of the garden, what a nice problem to have. Dad brings me over a bag of grapefruit each morning off the tree outside his window. We have them for sale in the bistro 3 for $2, very sweet, chemical free and super fresh. The new seeds and seedlings recently planted are very slow growing for despite the lovely sunny days it is really cold, especially the nights. Wendy our chef is baking our popular rhubarb and coconut cake this weekend, it is very yummy and made with the tender baby rhubarb stalks from our vege patch. She is also baking old fashioned jam drops using our own cherry plum jam, Zoe and I will have to sneak a few .
23.6.10
The citrus is sooo.. lovely. Baby Bonnie and I made a French lemon and lime tart for the bistro today, really zingy from the fresh produce. Planting brocolli and broad beans this week. Still weeding and weeding, our garden is very big! Need to buy some more chooks, need more eggs. Wendy our chef is gearing up for a busy weekend with lots and lots of lamb shanks to cook into the tender sweet meat for our lamb shank and shiraz special. Book now as we are pretty busy!
Natala
5.6.10
We now have baby Bonnie Flynn in our family, a beautiful baby girl born on the 15.5.10. She is fitting into vineyard life well. We harvested the rest of our quinces today, they were collected in the bottom of her pram on our walk. I have started working on the vegetable garden again, planting lettuce and snow peas and tidying weeds and more weeds. The oranges, lemons and grapefruit are all ripening well and you will see some of these items on our menu in creative forms. Made a great orange cake today!
Chooks are laying beautiful eggs for our baking.
5.5.10
Lots of weeding in the garden after the recent rains. Our herbs and citrus continue to flourish. Self sown sunflowers from Zoe's summer plantings our now blooming and look so beautiful. The cool weather is now affecting the basil, so we have been picking it madly and making pesto. Harvested our pomegranites today, what gorgeous colourful fruit. Picked some chestnuts and quinces also, yet to think of what to create with them yet. I am planning a day at a time with baby Flynn due next week!
Natala
28.4.10
Beautiful peppers, limes, rhubarb and herbs coming out of the garden this week. It won't be long before our oranges and grapefruit is ready also. Home grown citrus is so aromatic and flavoursome. The chooks continue to clean up the garden for me of bugs.
Natala
19.4.10
While Greg and Natala have had a mini break before the arrival of baby Flynn.... what a weekend we have had tasting some of the dishes that Jamie is preparing for the Winter Menu. We got to taste a lime tart with double thick cream. Yum Yum!!! especially with lime zest off the limes from the kitchen garden. Also he made a lovely lamb and onion marmalade ravioli with a carrot puree, the only thing that was missing was a glass of matching MC shiraz!!
Helen
6.4.10
What a busy Easter! Great to see so many of our mail list customers again and new visitors to the Heathcote Region. The garden is ripening some beautiful citrus at the moment, limes, oranges, lemons and the sweetest grapefruit you will ever taste. The herbs look great and baby long red peppers are in abundance. The rest of the garden is winding down, the chooks have been grazing the garden eating up the bad bugs, before we start planting a winter garden.
Natala
24.3.10
It is so nice sitting in the bistro courtyard at this time of year, watching the autumn tones come into the vines and trees, the warm days and gentle breeze caressing you as you sip away at a glass of Flynns Shiraz, oh I forgot myself! It is a lovely time of year to visit Heathcote so come on up and see us and indulge in tasting some great wines and have a long yummy lunch.
Natala
16.3.10
Sadly the tomatoes are all but finished, hence we are changing some things on the Autumn menu. New lettuce is self seeding everywhere including the garden paths so when the weather cools off I will transplant them into the garden. Zoe, Pa and I cleaned out the chook pen this am before the heat of the day, wow what beautiful chook poo to put in the garden to compost down over winter.
Natala
9.3.10
At cellar door this weekend we had a vegetable and fruit display from our garden fresh harvested Saturday morning. It was interesting how many people commented on the how they thought it was fake for it looked too fresh, shiny and perfect! not like at the supermarkets. This is the produce that goes into our bistro meals to make them so nice. Hail a week ago has impacted on the garden, taking leaves off the pumpkin, squash and zucchinni, lucky it is late in the season and these veg are in their last weeks of production anyway. Peppers are still being picked for pickling. Harvesting the most beautiful butternut pumpkins that were self sown and they are in our pumpkin and pinenut arancini. Herbs are all looking good and the limes are starting to ripen, they smell amazing. Starting to plan the Autumn garden before our new baby arrives in MAY!
Natala
29.2.10
The large hail we had on Saturday put holes in the leaves of many of the plants, but the produce was not affected, phew! Dad is out picking more tomatoes, zuchinni and cucumbers this morning, limes will be harvested this weekend also.
23.2.10
The rewards of the garden keep coming. I am busy making zuchinni pickles, pickled peppers, sun dried tomatoes with basil (does not take long to dry in the Heathcote sun)
jam, napoli sauce and more napoli sauce and more, some of which will be used at our yummy harvest feast on Saturday night March the 6th.
I love letting mystery vege plants that come up in the garden grow into something. Due to this I have a beautiful crop of baby watermelon, canteloupe and heaps of butternut pumpkin which will be on the autumn menu soon.
16.2.10
What a big harvest from the garden today, zuchinni, peppers, tomatoes, basil, plums...
Busy day cooking up all this produce. We made zuchinni soup, napoli sauce, plum cordial, chargrilled capsicums, mulberry and nectarine jam. And to reward ourselves some really nice scones fresh out of the oven for afternoon tea with lashings of the warm jam with thick cream!
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
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Flynns Food and Wine Experience Gift Voucher
The gift of the flynns Wines experience, a voucher to the value of your choice for redemption in our Cellar Door or Bistro.
Call Cellar Door on (03) 5433 6297 or email: flynnswines@bigpond.com
Our SUPER PREMIUM SHIRAZ "James Flynn" 2009 is available through our James Flynn Wine Club in April. For further details on how to become a member of this exclusive club please see our Wines Page.
Staying in the region? Try one of the following:
Hut on the Hill.
Click here to visit their site.
Kurrajong Gardens
Click here to visit their site.
Mimosa Glen
Click here to visit their site.
If you would like a tour of the region? Here are some of the Tour Operators:
Bottled Beetle
Click here to visit their site.
Flynn's Wines Reviews
21st November 2011
Visy Shiraz Challenge 2011
MC Shiraz 2009 awarded a Bronze Medal
2012 James Halliday Wine Companion ratings:
Flynns Wines - Awarded 5 Stars in the 2012 edition.
Flynns Wines Super Premium James Flynn Shiraz 2008
Obvious colour development; effectlivey double-oaked, the second year in new French and American oak. Happily the intensity and concentration of the fruit is sufficient to carry the oak, and the wine has great energy and drive on the long palate.
Rating 96/100 and 5 glasses (value for money)
Flynns MC Heathcote Shiraz 2008
Bright hue of moderate depth; a fragrant bouquet of red and black fruits, then a delicious, silky palate with lively fruit flavours and well integrated and balanced (40% new) oak. MC stands for multi clone, not maceration carbonique.
Rating 95/100
Flynns Lewis Road Heathcote Shiraz 2008
Good colour; has 5% viognier 'added', strange wording if in fact co-fermented; whatever the answer is, the wine has most attractive, juicy red fruits on the supple and silky medium-bodied palate.
Rating 94/100
Flynns Heathcote Viognier 2010
Bright green-straw; the complexity comes from part of the wine ageing in new French barriques; the outcome is good.
Rating 90/100
Flynns Heathcote Sangiovese 2009
Light, clear red; in Mar ‚2011, the wine was a war zone as the cherry fruit fought to release itself from the stranglehold of grippy fruit tannins, 14 months in French oak having done little to pacify the combatants. The battle is worth fighting.
Rating 89/100
Boutique Wine Award 2011
Results have just been received and our Flynns 2010 Viognier received a Bronze Medal with a score of 46.5.
Federation Square July 2011
BENDIGO, HEATHCOTE, SUNBURY, MURRAY DARLING AND SWAN HILL REGIONS 2010-11 SERIES
Our Flynns MC Shiraz 2008 received a Bronze Medal in Class 13.
The Australian , November 13-14 2010
James Halliday Top 100
A very near miss for our 2008 Lewisroad Shiraz from making the top 100 in the Reds under $20 category. James Halliday has given the Lewisroad Shiraz 94/100.
2011 James Halliday Wine Companion ratings:
MC Heathcote Shiraz 2008 - 5 Glasses and 95/100
Bright hue of moderate depth; a fragrant bouquet of red and black fruits, then a delicious, silky palate with lively fruit favours and well integrated and balanced (40% new) oak. MC stands for multi clone, not maceration carbonique. Screwcap.
14.3% alc. Rating 95 Drink 2023 $35 Date Tasted Dec 09
Heathcote Sangiovese 2007 - 4.5 Glasses and 92/100
Typically developed colour; leather, spice and cherry aromas on the bouquet, then a well balanced and long palate with clear varietal character, the cherry flavours not overtly sour. Good wine.
13.4% Rating 92 Drink 2012 $33 Date Tasted Dec09
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
23.1.12
It looks like we will be having an early vintage this year. We have had lovely Summer days with consistent temperatures in the high 20's and low 30's. No significant rain for the last 8 weeks is seeing the vineyard and orchard drying out and needing watering.
Greg and Tyrell are in the winery cleaning everything and checking that all of the equipment is working. Greg is also adding another concreted area out the front of the winery to make life easier with a bigger work area.
Natala
8.11.11
The vineyard looks great! We have a very strict spray regime underway this year as the rain and humidity we are having this Spring is conducive to Powdery and Downey mildew again. The canes are approx. 30cm long and some of the varieties are flowering.
Greg is busy in the winery blending up our 2011 Verdelho and changing around some oak barrels in the red wines. Vintage is not far away so we are making some plans for that also with equipment, staffing and wines to make.
The James Flynn Super Premium Shiraz 2010 looks great in barrel. Our new reds are now available at Cellar Door 09 MC Shiraz, 09 Lewisroad Shiraz and 2010 Sangiovese. Visit us at Cellar Door soon to try these new wines, which I am sure you will like.
Natala
6.9.11
Pruning is finished, Yeh! Greg has slashed the grass, killed the first crop of undervine weeds and dropped the foliage wires. We are now just watching for budburst, then we will put on a spray of Sulphur and Copper to keep the diseases of last vintage at bay if they raise their ugly spores.
The Winery is very busy today bottling wines. Our 09 Super Premium Shiraz, 2010 Lewisroad Shiraz, 09 Cabernet Merlot and 2010 Sangiovese will all be safely in bottle by the end of the day, ready to do some aging.
Natala
26.7.11
Pruning is happening this weekend with a team of staff, a big job. The 2010 reds are blended up in tank and barrel waiting for bottling on the 10th of August. The MC shiraz and the Sangiovese look fantastic! Come along to Cellar Door before in the next few weeks and we can give you a try of these wines before they are locked away in bottle for at least a year before release.
Natala
14.6.11
2011 Vintage racking is complete. We have tried all of the 2010 barrels and decided what to try with our blending trials. The stand out wine for me was the 2010 Sangiovese, fruit driven and balanced. Greg will start assembling wines for bottling soon.
The vineyard is dormant now and having a well deserved rest after a difficult season. The next stage is pruning, a big job.
Natala
24.5.11
All the wines are now safely pressed out and in tank or barrel. There is a lot of racking to do now and we are starting to work on the white wines again which have been sitting quietly in tank and barrel for the last few months while the reds were underway.
We are going to start our 2010 blending trial this week also. This is one of my favourite parts of winemaking where you assess each barrel and grade it, then make up the blends of all our portfolio wines and see what they are going to be like. Once we have blended up these wines in tank ready for bottling, you are quite welcome to come along to cellar door. See you soon.
Natala
2.5.11
The last of the Sangiovese was harvested on Thursday. A sigh of relief from us and the vines now that all of the fruit is in. Just in time too, for the weather has changed again and is cold and rainy. Greg is still very busy in the winery pressing out ferments, racking wine to barrel and starting the big cleanup post vintage.
Natala
19.4.11
We have been very busy in the winery over the last 3 weeks. Most of our fruit is harvested now, just waiting on an acre of Sangiovese to ripen a little more before picking. This year is quite different to most in the viticulture and winemaking due to the cool and wet season. We have had a long ripening period and fruit coming in with great flavour and colour and lower than usual sugar levels as a result.
Greg and Will (our cellar hand) are racking wines to barrels today, making some tank room to press out some Upper and Lower Hill Shiraz and Sangiovese tomorrow.
Come along this Easter to visit us at Cellar Door and try some interesting young wines out of fermenters and tanks!
Natala
28.3.11
The Verdelho and Viognier are harvested, fermented, racked, sulphured and sitting safely in tank and barrel until after vintage. Greg and I have picked a tiny portion of Sangiovese and are experimenting with hand de-stemming, foot crushing, wild ferment, no acid addition and barrel fermentation. Greg cut the top off a older French barrel and the fruit is fermenting along happily in it!
Our first lot of Shiraz will be picked on Thursday, finally. It is such a late season due to the cooler weather we have had over Summer. The birds are getting stuck into the fruit unfortunately, we usually do not have many bird issues but because so many vineyards in the area have lost all of their fruit due to downy mildew and botrytis this year the birds are targeting the ones that do have fruit!!
James Flynn Wine Club members can now come along and be a Winemaker for a day with Greg, to experience the real behind the scenes winemaking!
1.3.11
Well vintage is underway! All of the winery equipment has been cleaned and tested. Greg is processing clients Verdelho as I type. I tested our Verdelho last Friday, Beaume was 11.5, pH 3.2, flavour profile lovely. I will get out amongst the vines and the millions of spiders (so many this year it is scary) tomorrow and test how the ripeness is progressing. We are aiming to pick the fruit at 13 Beaume.
The Shiraz has fully veraised, Sangiovese and the Cabernets are still changing colour.
We will look at our first test on the shiraz late next week.
Natala
15.2.11
The grapes are ripening slowly. We always know when they are ripening, apart from the colour change the crows and cockatoos love to visit at about 6pm each night to try to get a feed. So we are out chasing them in the car with the dog! Very annoying at that time of night when all you want to do is sit with a glass of Flynns wine in hand and enjoy the view over the vineyard while playing with the kids.
We bottled our 2009 MC shiraz, 2009 Lewisroad Shiraz and 2010 Verdelho on Friday, all went well despite the heavy rain and a pump braking down. The wines look really good and are now stored safely in the warehouse ageing slowly till release later in the year.
The next step is a big clean up of the winery and all of the winemaking equipment in preparation for vintage. Barrels and additions are ordered, cellar hands are ready to start when the fruit comes in. Now we wait and see how the weather unfolds, hopefully mother nature will be kind over the next 8 weeks!
Natala
21.1.11
We have kept up our spray regime to combat downy mildew, powdery mildew and also botrytis. Despite this our vintage is looking like it will be down by approx. 25%. Quite a few vineyards in the area have lost all of their fruit due to the humid weather conditions and disease that accompanies that. We had 150ml of rain this week on Friday which was incredible with the local flooding. Thank god we live on a hill! The warm and windy weather this week has been great to dry everything off again. Vintage is going to be late this year, usually our Verdelho which is first to be harvested is veraising by now but there is no sign of it as yet.
Natala
30.12.10
Spraying continues this week to control powdery mildew. We are whipper snipping the weeds under vine and fertilising the vines also with some nitrogen.
Another bottling is coming up in February so Greg is busy organising, dry goods, staff, blending and tasting. The bistro, winery garden has had a revamp this week, it was totally out of control after all of the rain, looking good now.
Natala
14.12.10
Spraying the vineyard again today for powdery mildew. The weather has finally warmed up and the rain has eased, so disease pressure should reduce. Topping up barrels in the winery this week again, we did not get it finished last week. Cutting grass on the property again, it is growing constantly!
7.12.10
We finally had an opportunity to spray the vines for downy mildew on Sunday. The rain held off and Greg did not get the tractor bogged which was a bonus, not like me,
I bogged the car twice yesterday on the property while harvesting cherries.
Greg is topping up the barrels in the winery today and adding some Sulphur to our 2009 James Flynn shiraz barrels.
24.11.10
Weed spraying under vine this morning, Greg was up a the crack of dawn getting the job underway while it is cool and no wind. The vineyard wires have been lifted and a second defeathering has been completed. Slashing undervine has been done and some major fire break areas also. Not much happening in hte winery this week mainly vineyard work and sales.
16.11.10
We are lifting foliage wires in the vineyard this week. Flowering is not too far off so we are hoping for nice warm still days. Slashing the grass on the property has begun which in some places is almost 2m tall. Another weed spray is needed but the spray unit is out of action, the clutch is broken from riding it too much.
2.10.10
The vines are growing so fast, canes are approx. 20cm in length, flowering will occur soon. Good timely rains and lots of sunshine are creating viticultural conditions similar to 2005, which was a really good vintage! Weed spraying and a lime sulphur spray for powdery suppressant is on the agenda along with more grass cutting and general maintenance! Tiny bit of frost has affected 1/2 an acre of Verdelho, the rest of the vineyard is fine. Prepping for vintage has begun already!
20.10.10
A perfect day here today, 20 degrees, no wind and sunny, so Greg is out in the vineyard spraying the vines with sulphur, oh he will smell pretty bad tonight when he gets home. Vine canes are now approx. 5cm long and inflourescence is visible.
Racked the 2009 MC Shiraz yesterday in preparation for bottling, it's looking really good!
15.10.10
Bottling is all done for now, all went well.
What a great weekend it was for the Heathcote Wine and Food Festival a fortnight ago, very busy despite the repeat of the grand final on the same weekend. It was really great catching up with some of our mail list customers and meeting lots of new Flynns Wines fans. Both Rob Hicks and Paddy Kendlar wine writers tasted our wines a the festival and really liked our new Viognier, it is a standout, so arromatic that you just want to smell it all day long, well maybe have a drink also. The new 2009 Sangiovese is looking really good with typical varietal characteristics, we recommend you purchase this wine now, it sells out very quickly each vintage (6 bottle limit per customer).
Our New Vintage Release was held last weekend and it was a great success!
Great weather, people, food and wine. We launched our new wines and our James Flynn Wine Club. Our Mail list customers attending the function had a sneak peak of our long awaited 2008 Super Premium Heathcote James Flynn Shiraz, wow what a big, bold and luscious wine. It is another wine that smells so beautiful that you can't wait to drink it. But wait we must for just a little longer, April is the official release. To get access to this wine and have great member benefits join our James Flynn Wine Club at Cellar Door, phone or email.
The vineyard looks beautiful. Budburst throughout and growing at a rapid rate.
Natala
24.9.10
Final preparations are happening for bottling of our 2009 Sangiovese and 2010 Viognier over the next few days. It is always a bit of a nervous time ensuring everything is here and ready for the day. The labels have arrived,, picking up the forklift today, still awaiting bottles, boxes, dividers.... the wine is ready to go! just need final sulphur tests and adjustments and then to bottle next Wednesday.
We are also gearing up for the Heathcote Wine and Food festival on the 2nd and 3rd of October, hope to see you there!
7.9.10
The vineyard is looking lovely and green from all the rain. Buds on the vines are starting to swell, bud burst is not far away. Some of our plum trees in the orchard are already in blossom, so we do not want any more frosts. Bottling of our 09 MC Shiraz, 09 Sangiovese, 2010 Viognier is booked for the end of the month which is exciting!
Our wines are now also available at Annie Smithers Bistro, Ciccolinas, Barbarinos, Armadale Cellars, Cellabrations at St Kilda and Gibsons Wine Store.
23.8.10
Just a few more rows of vines to wrap down, then pruning is finished for this season, yeh! Waiting for the vineyard to dry out so that we can slash the grass. We may have to wait weeks for it is sooo.. wet out there. It has been such a cold winter our Viognier 2010 has cold stabilised itself in tank in the winery. The locust threat is a concern for this year, we will have to see what happens.
10.8.10
Pruning is almost finished and just in time for the sap in the sangiovese vines is starting to flow already. Some of our almond trees are in blossom so Spring is just around the corner. The vineyard is so wet! Yeh, what a good start for the vines this spring. All our dams are now full, wonderful. White wine making still happening and gearing up for a bottling of our 09 Sangiovese and 09 MC Shiraz soon.
20.7.10
Pruning is now well under way and the dams are full from all the recent rains, so the vineyard will be happy. Winery work continues with racking and still working on the white wines.
Natala
23.6.10
Greg has blended up our white wines and sent off check pH and free sulphur tests. Fining begins when the results are back. The Viognier is looking really interesting. We tried some different oak on it this year, more new oak ratio and for longer, we really like it! Blending up the 2009 MC Shiraz today also and moving around some 2010 reds to freed up barrels.
Natala
5.6.10
Greg is busy spraying weeds and slashing the grass in the vineyard.
Pruning is about to start. More winemaking happening with wine from 2010 being racked to different barrels and starting to blend up our 2009 Premium Sangiovese and MC Shiraz for bottling in the next few months. We will start working on our 2010 Viognier and Verdelho this week also, looking at oak integration and doing some blending trials to see how the whites are developing. When ready we will start the fining process with them and cold stabilisation which should not be too hard for the Winter nights here are freezing, lots of frosts.
Natala
5.5.10
Bottling 08 Flynn Super Premium Shiraz this Friday, very exciting. This wine will hopefully be released at the end of this year if it is ready. Lots of racking to do of 2010 wines and we need to start tasting oak barrels of our 2010 Verdelho and Viognier to see if we need to change oak around or start blending up some wines.
Natala
22.4.10
Back from leave. Greg is busy refining some of the 2008 Reds for bottling early May.
We have had lots of rain while we are away and the property is looking very green and lovely. With Autumn well and truly here the vines are loosing leaf and will be dormant come June ready for pruning already. The whole cycle comes around very quickly.
Natala
6.4.10
All the wines are pressed out now, sitting in tanks or barrel ageing away nicely. We have started blending up our 2009 wines including the much awaited super premium shiraz blend! Greg is exhausted +++, we are taking a small break at the beach before new baby Flynn arrives in 5 weeks.
Natala
16.3.10
It is still full on in the winery. We picked our Sangiovese on Saturday, harvested 30% of our initial fruit estimation mainly due to the weather conditions this year with the hail and the rain. What we did harvest looks and tastes very intense Be 13.5, pH 3.65, color intense purply with dusty pink tones. We have a new crusher which we have put the Sang through trying some whole berry fermentation. The Viognier is ageing away in new oak and looking really nice, we did some barrel sampling Saturday. More contract fruit coming in today and tomorrow, then we have the last of our Cabernet to pick probably at the end of the week.
Natala
9.3.10
Really busy in the winery. Greg and Ritchie are putting in 14 hour days and just surviving the manual labour. We have about 20 ferments going at he moment (mainly shiraz), pressing out and racking this week. The rain will be interesting to see how it affects the last of our fruit on the vine which is Cabernet Sauvignon and our loved Sangiovese, we will test these later in the week to see how they are travelling. It was a week of frustrating breakdowns - the all important coffee machine that keeps everyone going, the destemmer, the pallet jack, the stove, a power failure during a night time function (very romantic, good old Powercorp) ahh!!. Helen reckons we need to sacrifice a goat to get it all back on track, but no we wont do that.
Natala
29.2.10
Verdelho is through fermentation, sulphured and safely tucked away in tank. Viognier is fermenting along nicely. The Shiraz and Merlot was picked on Thursday and it looks great - fantastic ripe flavours, colour and pH. Sampling our Sangiovese , remaining shiraz and cabernet today to see when to pick. The 30 minutes of horrid large hail on Saturday did a little bit of damage. We were lucky that the remaining fruit only caught the side of the storm, our olive neighbour and a vineyard down the road got hammered very badly. The risks of agriculture. Visit the winery over this long weekend to see how wine is made, taste very young wines, take in the sights and aromas.
23.2.10
Verdelho is almost through ferment, down to 1.3Be yesterday.
Vintage has hit in full swing this week! 6Tonne of Viognier came in this morning at 7am for processing (really slippery, difficult grape to work with). We are picking our Merlot and 3 acres of Shiraz on Thursday and we have other contract fruit coming in daily. The winery will very busy this weekend, so if you want to see how it all works come along and Greg will show you around and give you a taste of some really young wine.
16.2.10
The Verdelho is fermenting along nicely. Beaume has dropped to 10.8 so Greg is racking some juice to a new Seguin Moreau barrel for barrel fermentation today.When Verdelho is fermenting the winery, cellar door and bistro smells like 'barney banana' ice creams - really weird. We are also doing our first tests on all of the reds today to see where they are at. The 30ml of rain we had last Friday flooded the winery for it came down so quickly only caused berry splitting in a few grapes on the Sangiovese thank goodness, the rest of the vineyard and garden looks happy.
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
Visit us at Cellar Door, meet the winemakers Greg and Natala, try our new release wines
CELLAR DOOR HOURS
Monday - Friday 10.00am-2.30pm, Saturday and Sunday 11.30am-5.00pm
BISTRO HOURS: Saturday and Sunday 12.00pm-3.30pm Bookings recommended
Cellar Door and Bistro OPEN Thursday 26th Australia Day, Fri, Sat and Sun this week.
SPECIALS this Thurday 26th to Sunday the 29th January:
Winemakers plate: Honey and Shiraz glazed chorizo, Istra Ham, Rhubarb and plum chutney, Goats cheese, and cavolo nero, thyme tart, Flynns semi dried olives, Honey roasted walnuts, salad greens, chargrilled vegetablesi, Maffra cheddar, biscuits
Desserts:
Chocolate swirl cheesecake with poached morello cherries and cream
Pear poached in red wine, star anise and cinnamon with french chocolate mousse
Apricot pie, fruit from our orchard
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 on the way to Echuca, Lewis Road is on the left (coming from Melbourne) with signage on the corner of Lewis Road and Northern Highway.
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