Cobaw Ridge
Macedon Rangers, Victoria
Alan and Nelly Cooper were perhaps the original low intervention vignerons and winemakers in Australia, planting the first vines for Cobaw Ridge in Macedon in 1985 and always tending towards organic viticulture though they were not fully certified until (the vines were mature enough) way later in 2009. The next evolution was full biodynamic certification which was achieved shortly after in 2011.
The true embodiment of the adage that ’wine is made in the vineyard’, the Coopers are first and foremost viticulturalists (Alan a fifth generation farmer) and work in the winery is limited to the manual processes of crushing, pressing and racking.
Subjectivity is inherent to wine. So, when wines of the Cobaw Ridge range’s calibre get so unanimously endorsed and treasured, we can’t help but feel a sense of validation in our long-time journey with these wines. Indeed, we found true definition and detailed structure, extreme purity and a vivid sense of place that was only ever witnessed in the greatest Australian icons.
What’s in a name? Everything
The region was named Cobaw, from the aboriginal word Cobar meaning the Earth, and Cobbra meaning Head (the highest point behind the property marks the start of the granite incursion in this area and extends northwest to Harcourt and to the northeast, to just south of Heathcote).
The vineyards are situated on the northern cusp of the Great Dividing Range of the Macedon Ranges GI. The acute northern aspect gives Cobaw Ridge some margin of success in most years; the sweetness and flavour aren’t forced out of the fruit, but instead gently coaxed out in this a warm, natural amphitheatre within a cool area.
A deep-rooted sense of place
Cobaw Ridge encompasses a total of 12 acres of vines, with roughly 3.5 acres each dedicated to Chardonnay, Syrah, Pinot Noir, and the balance to Lagrein. The first vines were planted between 1985 (when Nelly and Alan Cooper first planted their Cobaw Ridge vineyard) and 1986. Lagrein was added in 1992. The altitude ranges from 610m to 635m above sea-level.
The vines grow deep in the granitic mountain soil. They strive to produce grapes of superb balance. The marginality of this special site and the Cooper’s commitment to sustainable and natural practices (first organic, then, in 2011, biodynamic) have a lot to do with the strong sense of place and time the wines convey; they do not resort to any additions, fining, filtration, or stabilisation. Minimal sulphites are used prior to bottling.
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Vaite Teriierooiterai – Master of Wine Business, AWAC and WSET Diploma candidate
2023 Chardonnay
Perhaps the most integral wine in the range, it transcends basic concepts of great Australian Chardonnay, by offering more reductive mineral characters and plenty of flesh on the finely structured bones. This is a marvellous achievement considering the altitude and climate of this biodynamic vineyard. This wine gives real insight into the complex nature of Chardonnay crafted without the pretence of superfluous winemaking.
Winemaking:
The organically and biodynamically grown fruit was picked at the beginning of April, then whole bunch pressed to tank. The juice was left to settle overnight and transferred to a mixture of small and large French oak barrels, of which 25% were new. It was naturally fermented and went through malolactic fermentation in barrel. The wine was finally aged in oak for 12 months and in tank on gross lees for 3 months. It was not filtered nor fined.
Tasting Note:
”Well, here’s a live one. A flintier, perhaps more saline launching pad this year. Tighter and leaner. Fresh. It’s unreal. Unnerving consistency. Lemon zest, grapefruit juice, flint and sea spray. Scents and flavours high-fiving. It’s just so darn good to drink! Frisky and cool, licked at with alpine herbs and that saline minerally twang, but concentrated too, long, luxuriously so and gently palate staining despite its racier frame. And in that, still stacks of proper chardonnay flavour – razor sliced, just ripe stone fruits, green apple and its tart crunch, faint cashew nut savouriness, a lick of parmesan rind and all that glorious coolness through its epic, mouth-watering, lingering delight. Sheesh. This is outstanding.” 96+pts. Mike Bennie, The Wine Front
2022 Syrah Rosé ‘Il Pinko’
The il Pinko is probably the most revered of the Cobaw Ridge wines. It’s produced using a combination of qvevri and old barrels. The estate Syrah, which was specifically harvested for rosé, makes a singular rosé with an impeccable track record. It’s full of flavour, yet it has an elegant restraint and promises to constantly evolve on the palate with finely framed tannins, flavours that are savoury, spicy and lip-smackingly generous in fruit all at once.
Winemaking:
The organically and biodynamically grown fruit was picked by the end of April. It was kept intact without the use of sulphur so as to retain colour and allow full malolactic conversion. The wine was left to settle overnight in tank, then rough racked. Then, it was transferred to a mixture of qvevri and large old French oak barrels, where it matured for 12 months. It was gently racked to tank, where it settled on extra fine lees. Once malolactic conversion was complete, sulphur was added. The wine was finally racked off its light lees and bottled in July. It was not filtered nor fined.
”Il Pinko is the wine built around the most interesting and distinct expressions of wine made from that vintage – a moving feast. This year we get a syrah rose, and while rose has featured before in the Il Pinko livery, I don’t believe it was produced as this one, in both qvevri and old oak. *Alan Cooper has informed me this IS the methodology since 2016, albeit in 2021 Spanish clay vessels were introduced.
Tasted even at room temperature this is a delight. Succulent, layered with exotic spice and brambly, peppery green herbs, sloshes of pomegranate juice and pickled cherries, a slip of hazelnut and something akin to the botanicals from alpine amaros. This is stunning; released in technicolour and 4D. Silky texture that fines perk from minerally acidity, a faint sheath of tannin, extraordinary length and a sense of the palate being saturated in all and sundry flavours and textures. In essence, world class rose. Don’t drink too cold – or cold at all!” 96pts. Mike Bennie, The Wine Front
2022 Syrah Pinot Rosé ‘L'Altra’
Once Hunter’s own, the Shiraz Pinot blend is now taking Australia by storm. Judging by its increased appearance at the country’s best furnished tables, it has an undeniable charm. With the L’altra, Cobaw Ridge executed this blend to a T. They infused their already cult Syrah rosé with Pinot Noir’s delicate and alluring character, resulting in a silky rich yet light savoury red, or a full-bodied rosé. At its core, it has flawless fruit nicely complemented by aromatic spices, dried herbs, and the mouth-watering salty tang of cured meat. It has an early-picking acid freshness that sends jolts down your spine and intricacy
Winemaking:
Estate blend of 90% Syrah Rose and 8% Pinot pressing with a dash of 2% Lagrein, juicy and bright, delicious and designed to take a little bit of a chill.
Tasting Notes:
"For the technocrats, this is 90% Syrah made as rosé and 8% Pinot pressings with the rest, Lagrein. A lighter, fresher red emerges, but geez, not without seriousness… Succulent lighter red of sappy, red cherry, cranberry, faint Aussie bush floral notes. Crisp texture, so damn refreshing, fine, lithe weave of lacy-silty tannins, some pink grapefruit tang and a wash of red fruits and pretty spice through the finish. We drink l’Anglore and such and think the world of it, but here’s that kind of lighter red in spades, in our backyard. Wonderful, complex, compelling lighter red, so frisky and vibrant and so much going on. Wonderful." 94 pts. Mike Bennie, The Wine Front
2023 Pinot Noir
The Cobaw Ridge Pinot Noir is the result of fine and thoughtful vineyard management, channelled beautifully by low impact winemaking. It shows both Nelly and Alan’s expertise and the region’s character so effortlessly. It’s built for the long-haul with tannin, acid, and fruit to boot. It’s all there.
Winemaking:
The organically and biodynamically grown fruit was picked over 3 days to separate the different clones (29th March, 7th April and 11th of April). About 1/3 of the fruit was from their multi clonal, high-density planting (7,000 vines per hectare). 10% of the bunches were kept whole and placed at the base of small open fermenters, while the balance, fully destemmed, was placed on top. It was gently pumped over for a few days then plunged once natural fermentation had kicked in. It was basket pressed after 3 weeks on skins. The juice was settled in tank, then transferred to small oak, 25% of which were new. It was naturally fermented and went through malolactic fermentation in barrel for 12 months. It was not filtered nor fined and minimally sulphured before bottling in July 2022.
Tasting Notes:
"From the 1995 plantings on the Cobaw Ridge, biodynamic farmed estate. Sees 25% new oak in seasoning. An amazing place for vineyards, way up there at Cobaw. Serious pinot noir here. Has a strong currency in perfume of rich, cherry fruit characters, cinnamon spice, a bit of eucalyptus, pleasingly so, caraway seed in there, some maraschino. Good sniffs. Serious structure in the palate, ribbons of really lacy, fine, grainy tannin, superb and long here. More sour/black cherry fruit character to taste, some minty/sage leaf herbal notes too, faintly barnyard and forest floor notes in there too. Brooding in a way too. Delights."
94 + pts. Mike Bennie, The Wine Front
2023 Pinot Noir ‘High Density’
This is the second release of the Cobaw Ridge High Density Pinot Noir as a standalone wine from this now mature planting.
Winemaking:
The organically and biodynamically grown fruit was picked over 3 days to separate the different clones. Matured in a 30% new French oak.
Tasting Notes:
A more intense and darker fruited Pinot Noir than the Original Block’s. Walking a delicate line of power and subtlety, but still oh so fine.
2019 Syrah
As the founders of the only certified organic and biodynamic estate in Macedon Ranges, Alan and Nelly Cooper are proud of their minimalist approach, where sulphur is the only addition in the winery and qvevris, these ancient Georgian fermentation vessels, are the fermenters of choice. The slender, cool climate wines of Cobaw Ridge are deceivingly complex and balanced, and they exude the sort of gravitas that has propelled them into the Australian icons’ stratosphere.
Winemaking:
The estate-grown, organic, and biodynamic fruit was hand-picked early April 2019. 10% of whole bunches was added to the base of the fermenter while the rest was destemmed and thrown on top for a natural fermentation. The must was hand plunged and macerated on skins for 15 days before it was basket pressed to tank. The wine was racked to small French oak barrels (30% new), where it also went through full malolactic fermentation. The wine was aged in oak for 2 years, and finally bottled unfined and unfiltered mid-July 2021 with minimal sulphur. It was matured in bottle for 10 months before release. 72 dozen were produced.
Tasting Notes:
“Here is a wine of idiosyncratic stature, for its biodynamic origins and especially the unique rendition of cool climate Syrah it offers – plush, energetic with slick sour cherry, graphite minerality, dried herbs, and a touch of freshly ground pepper for extra varietal authenticity.” 94pts. Mike Bennie, The Wine Front
2022 Lagrein
What do Macedon Ranges and Südtirol have in common? Dense alpine forests, high-perched, undulating vineyards and Lagrein. Cobaw Ridge has been leading the Australian conversation about this sought-after variety since first producing it in 1997. Alan and Nelly have been doing so by committing to quality in all aspects of vineyard management and winemaking, leveraging the natural harmony between their 17 to 25-year-old vines and the natural amphitheatre they find themselves in.
Winemaking:
The estate-grown, organic, and biodynamic fruit was hand-picked early April 2019, then destemmed and transferred to small open vats for natural primary and secondary fermentations. The must was hand plunged for 15 days before it was basket pressed to tank, then racked to a single second fill small French oak barrel. The wine was aged in oak for 2 years, and finally bottled unfined and unfiltered in mid-July 2021 with minimal sulphur. 22 dozen were produced.
Tasting Notes:
Here is a varietally expressive wine showing abundant savoury and mineral characters intertwined with floral aromas, and intense notes of dark cherries, sweet spice, and liquorice. It has supple tannins and a juicy acidity, hallmarks of excellence and longevity.
"This historical tasting here was instructive for this wine. Biodynamic farmed to nth degree. Visionary stuff. From a cool year, there was only 400 kg harvested and it was picked mid May. A portion was bleeded off and the rest spent three weeks on skins. My tasting companion just said 'lock the door, close the blinds, turn off your phone and just enjoy this bottle of wine. A perfect recipe for that'. Amen.
Lots of cassis and black jellybean, alpine herbs, a bit of higher toned violet floral notes, Chinese five spice too. Beautiful perfume. Sink in deep. The palate is sinewy and refreshing, succulent and fine boned, superb tannin flex that’s so Italianate, and shows so much detail in dark fruits, that pretty, floral herbal lift, maraschino cherry, blood orange and amaro. Wow. This is bloody fantastic. So much character, so much deliciousness, so much drinkability, so much to savour. Got better and better with air. A twenty minute wine, if you get my drift, but resist if you can. Stellar."
96 pts. Mike Bennie, The Wine Front
2022 Pyrenees Syrah Rosé
The second release of Cobaw Ridge's "Negociant Wines" is sourced from M. Chapoutier's certified organic vineyards in the Pyrenees. These vineyards are cultivated with skill and care, fitting seamlessly with Cobaw Ridge's vision and objectives of honest wines produced from Organic Fruit. The Syrah Rosé is obtained from the renowned "Shays Flat" vineyard, where the soil is rich in shale, mudstone, quartz, and iron-rich loam topsoil, and these characteristics are distinctly evident in the wine it produces.
Winemaking:
The fruit was 100% whole bunch pressed to tank, with a “pressing cut “made at 85% extraction to keep the free run juice fresher and more focused. It was rough racked to a mix of large old oak and Tinajas terracotta amphora for natural fermentation, followed by full natural malolactic fermentation. It spent a year maturing in vessel, then clear racked to tank and only had a small sulphite addition prior to bottling on site via their gentle gravity filled bottling line.
Tasting Note:
"The journey further afield from the Cobaw estate continues and the well-loved, oft-plundered Chapoutier organic vineyard in Pyrenees is the quarry here. This is whole bunch pressed and sent to oak and terracotta amphora for its pre-bottle life. It relaxed for a year and then got sent to its glass prison. Unleashed, a special pink wine. It’s very fine, lightweight but glossy, raspberry and cherry juice, rose hip tea, sour-sweet in a way with some green almond, light sugared almond characters, subtle curry spice notes, some alpine herbs in the mix. Cool, restrained yet flavoursome and with exceptional length and persistence of fresh, briny minerality. It’s straight up delicious and wildly drinkable stuff." - 94 pts, Mike Bennie, The Wine Front
2022 Pyrenees Grenache
A solo expression of Grenache from the (certified) organic Shay's Flat vineyard in the Pyrenees. Super small crop in 2023!
Winemaking:
90 % was destemmed and 10% whole bunch fermented in a small open vat, including gentle pump overs. The juice was then hand plunged for extraction till the end of fermentation. It was pressed via basket press then transferred to one old large barrel for 12 months maturation and full natural malolactic fermentation. The wine had a small sulphite addition prior to bottling on site.
Tasting Note:
“From the Landsborough Vineyard which feels somewhat put in lights by Owen Latta of Latta wines but of course there’s others who have been there before and around and done well. Just my compass. Now, Cobaw Ridge has a crack, and it’s exciting to see the family extending their reach and interpreting sites that a reel of others do now, to see their take on things. This has around 15% whole bunches in wild ferment, with the wine pressed off and then chills out in larger format oak after.
It’s a sweeter, riper fruit profile but not rich, indeed, just a few rungs up the ladder from fuller, bold rose wines and frisky as all get out. That being said, lots of flavour, sense of sweet fruit, raspberry, red cherry, sweet cranberry, blood orange and a swirl of sweet spices and minty, herbal elements. A touch of chocolate in there too. It flows well, it feels smooth with just a faint grip. That ripeness perhaps gets away a little in the wine, but charm here for sure. Some malt and gentle grip of tannin comes in late but appreciated. Easy.” - 92 pts, Mike Bennie, The Wine Front
2022 Pyrenees Syrah
The Syrah comes from a totally separate block than the rosé, and was picked 3 weeks later.
Winemaking:
90 % was destemmed and 10% whole bunch fermented in a small open vat, including gentle pump overs. The juice was then hand plunged for extraction till the end of fermentation. It was pressed via basket press then transferred to one old large barrel for 12 months maturation and full natural malolactic fermentation. The wine had a small sulphite addition prior to bottling on site.
Tasting Note:
“From the Chapoutier organic vineyard in Pyrenees. This off-site exploration for Cobaw Ridge a worthy project diversifying the interest in that wonderful estate and winery. It sort of suggests that things are good for sales of the estate wines and that this is interesting gravy – a good thing in an industry where woe is often a byword. The wines of course made with same care, attention, vessels and concern as per the estate wines. There is 25% new French oak employed here, though you couldn’t tell.
It’s one of those somewhat lighter weight wines yet distinguished by savoury, game meat characters and distinct crushed-rock minerality. It soars with perfume, dark fruited, stony, herbal, meaty, the palate an echo of this with streaks of pulverised pumice tannin and gently sweet fruit tempered by alpine herb and lavish black pepper. It’s a serious syrah, yet has refreshment factor and lift too. It has an edge, a cockeye and hip thrust, it is the wink of Alan Cooper and the laugh of Nelly Cooper and wholly Cobaw in derring-do and distinction. It invokes difference and charisma and charm. I’m so in” - 95 pts, Mike Bennie, The Wine Front