2023 LVDO Mt Torrens Colluvium Amber
WINEMAKER: Marcell Kustos
REGION: Adelaide Hills, SA
VARIETY: Moscato Giallo, Verdicchio, Viognier, Pinot Bianco
VITICULTURE: Organic/Biodynamic
I've been working with this Mt Torrens vineyard for 3 vintages, and as of this month, I embarked on the next step and took the lease to farm half of it. It is tiny (0.6 Ha) but the perfect size to get into farming. This aromatic and delicately textural amber wine is made from the bottom part of the vineyard, where the soils are more alluvial on a dolomite lime mother rock. Mainly Moscato Giallo with small amounts of Verdicchio and Viognier, co-fermented as whole berries and whole clusters and left on skins for 4 months in a single hogshead. Only the slowly 'infused" free-run juice and very gentle pressings were utilised to fill up a single barrique. Aged on fine lees for 7 months before bottling it with 30 ppm SO2.
I'm a winemaker by trade, turned wine scientist turned sommelier (Penfolds Magill Estate, Restaurant Botanic), and now back to winemaking, farming, and studying for my MW exam. LVDO is my creative outlet inspired by some of the great wines and vineyards of the world that have stimulated my passion over the years. The wines are quintessentially Australian with a distinctive European flair. They celebrate historic Aussie styles (Claret, Red Burgundy), popular blends of Central Europe (Chardonnay/Sauvignon; Moscato Giallo et al.), and a blind ambition (Australia's first collectible Shiraz rosé). After all, it is also my reflection as a Hungarian wine scientist turned sommelier pursuing winemaking in Australia’s prime wine regions.
Everything starts with organically/biodynamically farmed vineyards specifically chosen for the style of wine. It's crucial for me to oversee the whole process from growing to harvest to making and bottling. Perhaps my winemaking is best described as natural or minimal interventionist with a focus on purity, precision, and texture. All movements are done by gravity, and all wines are fermented with ambient yeast, unfined and unfiltered. The only additive is SO2 in small quantities (depending on the pH and mainly before bottling).