While vibrant and juicy up front, the finish rolls into chew and pucker, tension and freshness.
Mike Bennie (The Wine Front)
About The Wine
Whole-bunch ferments with Syrah and Pinot Noir, are very in vogue at the moment, but whole-bunch with Cabernet? Are you crazy?! Well, don't knock it 'til you've tried it...
Timo Mayer's Cabernet is 100% whole-bunch, the man does not do things by halves. The benefit here is that the tannins and textural elements of the wine can be derived from the stalks and seeds, as well as the skins, and it drastically reduces your need for a heavy oak influence to impart structure. Of course, this also means that the wine is fresher, more 'alive' in its youth, and doesn't require decades in the cellar to look the goods.
If this wine could talk, it would spruik you a Ginsburg poem, a little left of centre yet undeniably beautiful and thought-provoking all at once. Just try it, you might just fall in love with Cabernet in a way you never have before.
About Timo Mayer
German-born, enigmatic winemaker Timo Mayer is one of the great characters of the Yarra Valley. The words bombastic, charismatic and wild are as much applicable to the man as his wines.
From his close-planted Yarra Valley vineyard, evocatively named 'Bloody Hill', Timo carves out some astounding wines made with low levels of new oak and minimal additions.
The signature of Timo's winemaking style is his penchant for whole-bunch ferment. His wines have an ethereal quality, firm tannins and impeccable structure.
These are compelling and extremely limited wines that tell a unique story of the Yarra Valley.
The Bloody Hill range is now the responsibility of Timo's talented son Rivar Mayer Ferguson, and has dropped the Mayer on the label from the 2021 releases. They continue to be superb value wines.

Yarra Valley, VIC