Willem Kurt / Beechworth
1742
Established in 2012 with purchased fruit and rented winery space, steady progress saw vigneron Daniel Balzer and wife Marije van Epenhuijsen purchase a paddock a short distance south of Beechworth township in 2017, today home to seven acres of vines, an off grid winery, substantial plantings of trees and native gardens, and a natural reed bed wastewater filtration system.
Daniel saw fit to establish his estate and plantings from scratch – “I didn’t want to take on the mistakes of somebody else,” in his own words, carefully planting an acre at a time. Vines of Chardonnay, Vermentino and Syrah are already yielding some fabulous wines, with first crops of Pinot Noir and Sangiovese due next year.
The undulating site of quartz flecked clay and loam allowed planting to multiple aspects (predominantly South West facing), and the proximity and size of the site permits Daniel to give meticulous attention to the vines and canopy management, in turn allowing low intervention winemaking which is raising some beautifully transparent and unforced expressions.
Quality is redolent here in the finished wines, and with the releases this strong off young vines, we’re immensely excited to see what future years will bring from this address.
The name Willem Kurt comes from the middle names of Daniel and Marije’s two sons, reflective of the couple’s German and Dutch heritage respectively.
All wines are fermented naturally and bottled without fining or filtration, and are hence vegan suitable. Quality is redolent in this whole stable, and with the releases this strong off young vines, we’re immensely excited to see what future years will bring from this address.
