Meadowbank’s Chardonnay yields were down considerably in 2023, yet quality and concentration were through the roof—so much so that Peter Dredge puts this year’s release up there with the very best he’s made. This comes off the property’s oldest vines, which are P58 clone and well into their 30s. Peter Dredge describes the vineyard as a “beautiful little spot” with loose sand and sandstone overlaying dark brown coffee rock rich in iron oxides. The fruit was picked over two passes at slightly different ripeness levels, ensuring sufficient acidity to balance the ripe-leaning nature of the clone. The fruit was pressed as whole bunches to French puncheons for fermentation. This year, Pete upped the percentage of new wood (20%) to balance the density of the fruit from this low-yielding year.

In the classical Meadowbank mould, it’s focused and chiselled with a rocky palate layered with citrus, white flowers and crunchy stone fruits, all pulled taut by that mouth-watering, cool-climate acidity. Dredge’s superb winemaking has drawn out a cracker this year, right down the tapered, pulpy finish teeming with slaty drive, Va va voom. 

The lion’s share of fruit for Meadowbank’s lithe, detailed Pinot is drawn from a north-facing parcel of vines planted by Gerald Ellis in 1987 (which Pete thinks is probably a combination of MV6 and D5V12 clones). For the last two years, a small portion (about 20%) of younger-vine fruit grown on the Top Woolshed block has been included in the blend. These vines were planted in 2014 on a lofty outcrop with more volcanic presence in the soils than the sand, sandstone and dark coffee rock in the old-vine block. The fruit from here lends savoury, graphite undertones to the wine, as well as driving power and grunt to the back palate. Last year’s release took out the Australian Pinot Noir Challenge, and this year’s wine (in our humble opinion) is a cut above its predecessor. Once again, Pete’s instinct has paid dividends. “The Top Woolshed block is pretty unique; without doubt, it’s the soil type making the difference”, he told us.

The fruit was picked over two weeks and fermented in two batches. The early pick was fully destemmed, while the later pick fermented with 50% bunches. Maturation took place in a mix of old and new oak (about 10%) for nine months. It shimmies out of the glass with lacy berry purity kissed by floral perfumes. Equally vibrant on the palate, the multi-layered texture deals in gorgeous red fruits flecked with sweet, earthy notes and fine, melting graphite tannins. Wow, delicious. There’s terrific depth throughout, yet the delivery is one of elegance, buoyancy, pretty flesh and subtle mineral-scented length of flavour. Quiet power meets Burgundy-leaning charisma. Killer.

Since its first release, Meadowbank’s Gamay has generated considerable excitement in the trade. With some foresight, Meadowbank’s original Pinot Block was planted to Gamay in 1987. Then, in 2015, a second small Gamay block (evocatively named Top Woolshed) joined the fold. The soils in each block are loose sand over sandstone and dark brown coffee rock. The second block has a component of dolerite. Both sites are farmed sustainably.

2023 was another low-yielding year for Peter Dredge and the Meadowbank team, but, as in 2022, the fruit was excellent. The blocks were picked separately and fermented as whole clusters over 12 days. The wine was foot-stomped over the next few days before being pressed to old French barriques. The wine then matured for three months in barrel before being bottled without fining or filtration. 

Meadowbank’s award-winning past with Syrah dates to the estate’s oldest vines (planted in 1974). In 2011 these vines famously led to the Jimmy Watson winning Glaetzer-Dixon Mon Pere Shiraz. Alongside a portion from those 45-year-old vines, the remainder of the fruit was hand-picked off a new, north-facing block. All the vines are rooted in Meadowbank’s soils of loose sand and sandstone over dark brown, coffee rock (rich in iron oxides and organic matter). Although the vines are technically farmed conventionally, the team has effectively practiced organics on these blocks for two decades.

The 2021 was made with 100% whole bunches, was naturally fermented and spent 12 days on skins before it was pressed to old French oak barrels. It was matured on lees for nine months, before being racked and bottled with no fining and only a minimal sulphur addition. 

Meadowbank’s 2021 is a beautiful expression of Australia’s growing band of graceful, cool-climate Syrah. It draws you into the glass with sweet spice and red and blue fruits kissed by earth and liquorice. The palate has grip and drive, and impressive structure carries pure and silken fruits with underlying spice and a lick of minerality. There is a light, perfume-driven tread here—it’s a Syrah with true flavour, class, and nuance.

Meadowbank started producing its Blanc de Noirs in 2018, so 2020 marks the third release. Peter Dredge tells us that Pinot Noir takes on lees characters quicker than Chardonnay, so his Blanc de Noirs will always be released from a more recent vintage than the Blanc de Blancs. The fruit grows on a northeast-facing block with sandy soils over coffee rock on a rolling, five-degree slope in the Far Horse Vineyard.

This release was vinified in stainless steel, and Pete only extracted the cream of the crop, using just 300 litres of juice per tonne in its production (the norm is 500-550 litres). The wine spent three years on lees before disgorgement with zero dosage. 

The Meadowbank sparkling program is in full swing, and this 2018 Blanc de Blancs―the third release―is some of Peter Dredge’s finest work, and that’s saying something considering this winemaker’s pedigree when it comes to wines of an effervescent nature. The source is the same as for the 2016 and 2017 wines: the Far Horse Vineyard block, located close to the vines used for Meadowbank Chardonnay. While the latter are exposed to the north, the Blanc de Blancs parcel faces south in a slightly cooler mesoclimate. The clone is I10V1.

2018 was a touch warmer than 2017, delivering intensely flavoured Chardonnay with glisteningly fresh natural acidity. The fruit was picked by hand and pressed as whole bunches, with just the first two-thirds of the juice siphoned off to old barriques (just 8 in total) for fermentation over three months. As in 2017, Dredge washed one new barrel with the sparkling base this year. After three months in oak, the wine was bottled and spent the following five years on lees before disgorgement with just 3g/L dosage. It’s another elegant, detailed wine from the sparkling maestro, balancing pure, potent flavour with delicate, creamy texture, zipline acidity and a long lingering finish. Given the price of Champagne at the moment, Pete’s proposition looks like an absolute steal!