Vignerons Schmolzer And Brown Thorley Shiraz

Background

Through the 90s and 00s, Tessa Brown studied viticulture and winemaking; she also travelled the world working at some of the best wineries, honing her craft. Eventually, with her partner Jeremy Schmölzer, they set their sites on their own piece of land in North East Victoria to establish their label. In 2012, they took the plunge and purchased Thorley, a 20ha block of cleared land in Beechworth, where they began planting Chardonnay and Shiraz and with that Vigneron Schmölzer and Brown was born. To launch their label, they also purchased fruit from neighbouring property Brunnen and Riesling from a site in the Whitlands. Today, they continue to grow their home vineyard, farm organically and make honest and authentic wines along the way. 

Tasting Note

Cool blue/purple fruit, pepper, spice, and earth, layered and detailed, it's medium-bodied, with fine tannins and great length. This is a very Rhone-esque Syrah from their cool climate, high-altitude vineyard in the northern reaches of Beechworth. 

"I can see why they chose to call it ‘Syrah. Plum, toasted hazelnut and pecans, roast beef and rosemary, a grind of pepper and spice. It’s medium-bodied, silky and nutty, walnut tannin, and a kind of honey and red fruit juiciness, though it’s essence is more stony/mineral, and, of course, nutty, and the finish has some spice and burnt orange, which carries long in the aftertaste. Really like this. It’s so distinctive and good to drink." - Gary Walsh, The Wine Front