2024 Lucy M Cinquante Nuances de Gris

WINEMAKER: Anton van Klopper
REGION: Adelaide Hills, SA
VARIETY: Pinot Gris, Gamay
VITICULTURE: Organic/Biodynamic

The 2024 season was cool, dry and early. “It was a joyful vintage,” Anton told us. “The vines thrived in the cooler weather, and the wines are so much better for it.” The Blanc and provocatively named Cinquante Nuances de Gris are both sourced from Anton’s leased vineyard in Totness, just a 15-minute drive from home. It’s a well-established site, home to 40-year-old vines set on a rolling hill at approximately 400 metres. These plants are deeply rooted in black sand overlying petrified schist—“amazing soil”, says Anton.

12.5% alcohol. This cheekily named wine is 95% Pinot Gris with a kiss of Gamay to add depth and oomph. The fruit was simply pressed as bunches to ceramic egg for fermentation and maturation. Anton’s Notes: Eyes are enchanted, the evening light envelops pink over clouds. The tension as day becomes night as the exiting to the two worlds collide. This moment bottled for your pleasure.

Anton van Klopper’s commitment to making wines without any additions and his unwavering, unapologetic attitude have made him a pinup boy of natural wine — not just in Australia, but internationally. His craft of natural wine is a straightforward exercise: it involves vinifying grapes, and grapes alone, without any additions whatsoever. Few debates in wine have been so charged or divisive but Anton’s approach remains on course.