Tasting Notes
As April 2023 clicked over into May 2023, we looked at the Thorley vineyard, mostly picked and with the leaves now a vibrant gold and beginning to fall. The last sample of the Thorley Nebbiolo had been 11.3 baume.
We've tried a couple of sparkling Italian Nebbioli over the years, namely Erpacrife from a high altitude site in the Langhe, and Rainoldi's sparkling Chiavennasca (Nebbiolo, plus a few friends) from the Valtellina. We thought PER CHE NO, and harvested and put the fruit to sparkling base wine. It was such astonishing fruit too: it had been so cold, so wet, and here were clean dark lavender clusters with nary a puff of disease to be seen anywhere. Nebbiolo is made for humidity.
The juice fermented wild in old barriques and after a year on lees with the help of our friends at Cofield it was put to tirage and then spent 24 months on lees before disgorgement. It's a remarkable wine. Should you wish to surprise a wine pal or dinner friend with an unusual bottle, this will prove a memorable choice. It looks unlike any traditional method sparkling you've ever opened, but it carries all the DNA of Nebbiolo for table wine, refracted through a blanc de noirs lens. You'll see a twist of orange peel, a flounce of dried rose, a little white nectarine, and then plenty of the lovely lees-derived character of two years in bottle. A respectful 2g/ L dosage foils the flavour intensity. The colour, which is simply as it ended up (no fining, and no red wine addition to colour it up either) is pewter with a hint of orange shot through it. Being from fruit cropped to table wine ripeness, the persistence is notable. Enjoy this example of our obeisance to the most challenging of seasons. - Winery note
Vignerons Schmölzer & Brown is the partnership of winemaker/viticulturist Tessa Brown and her husband, architect Jeremy Schmölzer, based in Beechworth, Victoria. They planted their home vineyard, Thorley, in 2014–2015 at the highest part of the Beechworth GI, and farm it with organic practices in all but the most challenging years. The focus is on growing and making wines with precision, balance and drinkability—an ethos that begins in their steep, granitic slopes and carries through every stage of production.
Alongside Thorley, the pair work with select high-altitude sites nearby (including Whitlands in the King Valley and other local parcels) to craft a focused range led by Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Riesling, with small lots of Nebbiolo and Syrah. Their cool-climate releases are noted for fine detail, mineral drive and a distinct alpine line of freshness.
In the cellar, fermentations are largely spontaneous, handling is gentle, and oak is used to frame rather than dominate—choices that preserve site clarity and vintage character. The result is a suite of Beechworth-centric wines that are refined, textural and built for graceful development, reflecting both the region’s altitude and the couple’s thoughtful, hands-on approach.
| Product Type | Wine Sparkling Australasia |
| Volume | 750ml |
| Country | Australia |
| Region | Victoria |
| Sub Region | Beechworth |
| Winemaking Practices | Minimal Intervention |
| Vineyard Practices | Minimal Intervention |