Medhurst wines

The wheel has come full circle for Ross and Robyn Wilson. In the course of a very distinguished corporate career, Ross was CEO of Southcorp when it brought the Penfolds, Lindemans and Wynns businesses under the Southcorp banner. Robyn spent her childhood in the Yarra Valley, her parents living less than a kilometre away from Medhurst. The vineyard is planted to sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, pinot noir, cabernet sauvignon and shiraz, all running on a low-yield basis. A large winery was built in 2011; it focuses on small batch production, and also provides contract winemaking services. The visual impact of the winery has been minimised by recessing the building into the slope of land and locating the barrel room underground. The winery was recognised for its architectural excellence at the Victorian Architecture Awards 2012. JAMES HALLIDAY

Simon Steele of Medhurst is making waves at the Vic100 and the Halliday top 100, taking out the Rose category. His extensive winemaking experience kicked off in the Langudeoc region, moving back home to work with the greats such as Shaw and Smith, and Shadowfax. Having just left as chief winemaker of Brokenwood after 3 super vintages, Simon is now settled at Medhurst Estate and has improved the range across the board. PWS