Natillie Johnston, also known as Tillie J, developed her passion for wine while working for cellar doors in the Yarra Valley to support her studies in Sports Science. After completing her degree, she transitioned into the wine-making industry, starting with her first harvest at Coldstream Hills Wines in 2012. Her fascination with wine culture blossomed, leading her to pursue postgraduate studies in winemaking and viticulture at the University of Melbourne.

Natillie's dream of starting her own wine label in the Yarra Valley became a reality when she was accepted into the "2019 Young Winemakers" program at No.7 Healesville. This opportunity enabled her to launch Tillie J Wines, with her inaugural release, the 2019 Yarra Valley Pinot Noir, receiving high praise, including a 95 rating in the 2020 Wine Companion.

Her goal is to create wines that authentically reflect their terroir, enjoyable in their youth or after maturation, and she's gaining plenty of traction. As stated in the Halliday Wine Companion... "Mark my words. Tillie Johnston is going to become a great winemaker."

• 2024 Tillie J Pinot Noir
• 2024 Tillie J Chardonnay
• 2024 Tillie J Aligote

2024 Tillie J Pinot Noir

This Pinot comes from two small vineyards in Gruyere, side by side on the valley floor. Same clone, same soils, both north-west facing. One of them Tillie farms herself, using low-intervention methods - no herbicides, minimal sprays, and plenty of thought around how the vines are handled.

In the winery, it’s a mix of whole bunch and de-stemmed fruit, fermented separately before coming together in barrel. A small amount of new oak gives it some frame, but it’s not there to show off. This is more about fruit and feel than gloss.

On the nose, you get ripe plum and raspberry, backed by a touch of cured meat and a little pepper. It’s soft and supple on the palate - red berries, a flicker of black tea, some floral lift, and a little spice from the oak right at the end. There’s shape to the tannin, but it doesn’t get in the way.

This is the best Pinot we've had from Tillie J. She's right on the money here. A terrific intro into her Yarra / cool-climate VIC range.

95 points
"A light, bright ruby red. Gently perfumed with aromas of crushed raspberry, cherry, flowers and spice. On the palate it feels like a tightly coiled spring that I have no doubt will slowly unfurl to become more complex and silkier over the next, say, two to six years. Another thoughtful, well-crafted wine from Tillie J."
- Philip Rich (Halliday Wine Companion)

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2024 Tillie J Chardonnay

Gentle winemaking is the hallmark of Natallie Johnston, one of the most exciting young producers to come out of a place that just keeps on introducing us to exciting talent; the Yarra Valley.

Made from a small Gruyere block at the foot of the valley, this Chardonnay speaks with a steady hand. It’s not chasing big gestures - just clarity, tension, and a bit of shape where it counts. Two clones picked on the same day, co-fermented in mostly seasoned oak, with a dab of new and a fair bit of lees work over nine months to flesh things out.

There’s plenty going on without it ever feeling busy: preserved lemon, just-ripe stone fruit, a flicker of ginger biscuit. A saline snap through the mid-palate pulls everything into line. The acidity’s fine but firm, and the oak’s there if you’re looking - but it never pushes. What lingers is texture, not toast.

It’s a wine built on small, deliberate choices. Nothing overdone, nothing unnecessary. Just a calm, savoury Chardonnay that feels like it knows exactly what it’s meant to be.

95 points
"Nicely poised with its aromas of white peach, flowers, lemon zest and light marine scents. Equally subtle on the well-balanced and very even palate, finishing tensile and long. It's terrific, even now, but will continue to blossom over the short to medium term."
- Philip Rich (Halliday Wine Companion)

94 points
"This is such an enjoyable wine, not least for one that’s so finely-wrought and understated... It’s cool and clean, lightly spiced, crisp with apple and grapefruit, a fine dustiness to texture, a little bit juicy too, with a zesty finish of excellent length. Lovely. Highly recommended." - Gary Walsh (The Wine Front)

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2024 Tillie J Aligote

You don’t see much Aligoté in Australia - almost none, in fact. This fruit comes from a small vineyard in Whitfield, up in the King Valley near the base of the Alps. The clone’s a mystery, but Tillie clearly saw something in it worth chasing.

It’s been treated with care: whole bunch pressed, fermented wild and cultured in a mix of stainless, seasoned oak and a small splash of new. She’s gone full lees here too - nine months on the full stuff, with bâtonnage every month or so to build in that savoury, nutty edge.

What you get is a bright, driven wine with plenty of energy. There’s lemon rind, jasmine, and a touch of toasty oak on the nose. The palate is tightly wound - lemon curd, saline acidity, and a subtle pie crust thing happening on the finish. It’s got weight, but also snap.

Not a wine you see every day, and that’s half the fun.

95 points
"Even better than last year's impressive debut, offering aromas of ripe pear, stone fruits and acacia together with a little struck match. Gently textured, the chalky and nicely structured palate finishes long and pithy. Tops."
- Philip Rich (Halliday Wine Companion)

94 points
"Delightful. What a great drink and a lovely expression of this grape variety too."
- Gary Walsh (The Wine Front)

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