Mitchell Harris / Pyrenees And Ballarat, Vic

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Cool Climate Stylings From One Of The Most Passionate Advocates For Victorian Wine

Famed for an excellent wine bar and cellar door venue in Ballarat, Mitchell Harris is a multi-faced wine business of two families. The affable John Harris earned his winemaking stripes as chief sparkling winemaker of Domaine Chandon before the families launched their own operation in 2008, becoming Ballarat’s first true food and wine destination, underpinned by a smart, small batch wine label.

Long standing relationships with good growers have been maintained, most notably with the Peerick vineyard in the gorgeous Victorian Pyrenees. Winemaking ethos is of contemporary minimal handling, with a leaning to wild ferments, considered use of French oak, and gentle extraction. The wines are stylistically clean and pure, with John Harris a renowned tireless campaigner in the promotion of Victoria’s wines and regions.

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  • Mitchell Harris Pyrenees Sauvignon Blanc Fumé 2023

     $ 30.00 incl. GST

    Fermented with wild yeast in French oak hogsheads on full juice solids, approximately 10% fermented on skins for 2 weeks. A beautifully enunciated fumé style, the oak giving length and complexity without dominating the delicate Sauvignon fruit.

    “Pyrenees sauvignon blanc is one of Australia’s wine secrets, and this is a fabulous example. Restrained fruitiness with ripe gooseberry aromas and a touch of passionfruit. The palate is beautifully long and lemony, with excellent weight and a silky flow. And although it is oak fermented, the impact is on the texture, structure and length of the wine rather than the aromas and flavours. The palate is based around citrus rather than tropical fruit, so it is a distinctly different offering from many other locally available sauvignon blancs. A perfect showcase of high-quality fruit and astute winemaking.”

    96 points, Toni Paterson, Halliday Wine Companion

  • Mitchell Harris Sangiovese 2021

     $ 30.00 incl. GST

    Grown on the undulating slopes around Moonambel in the Pyrenees, the Sangiovese fruit undergoes simple open top fermentation with light tannin extraction to maximise vibrant fruit characters. Matured in old French oak hogsheads for 6 months, the 2021 Sangiovese displays fresh and spicy black cherry fruit and savoury dark chocolate for which the variety is famous. Great drinking now & over the next 5 years.

  • Mitchell Harris Pyrenees Cabernet Sauvignon 2021

     $ 36.00 incl. GST

    The gentle west facing exposure and red/brown, rocky, free-draining soils, provides ideal ripening conditions for Cabernet Sauvignon. Matured in French oak hogsheads (20% new) for 18 months.

    Varietal Cabernet all right – elegant and medium bodied, with a lovely line of cassis, a drop of mint, a savoury edge of capsicum, and ultra dark chocolate/Blackforest cake.  Tannins are fine and long, a complex and grown-up iteration of the most noble of grapes.

  • Mitchell Harris Pyrenees Shiraz 2022

     $ 36.00 incl. GST

    The inclusion of 25% whole bunches, 3% Viognier and wild yeast fermentation, brings floral notes and bright crunchy stem and black spice complexity to the nose and palate. 18 months maturation in 2 to 5 year old French oak provides a fine savoury edge in harmony with the vibrant and concentrated red and blue fruit notes from the vineyard. Enjoy now to 10+ years.

  • Mitchell Harris Pinot Noir 2021

     $ 46.00 incl. GST
    From the Wightwick vineyard at Invermay in Ballarat. Ripe and bright bouquet of dark red cherry and blood plum fruits. A hint of stemmy spice and crunch, medium bodied with lingering earthy mushroom and sweet spices. Gently handled with 25% whole bunches and wild yeast fermentation. Matured in new and old French oak hogsheads and barriques. Full of bright and juicy dark red fruit notes and flavours, pretty and lithe Pinot.

  • Mitchell Harris

    Sabre By Mitchell Harris Sparkling Vintage 2021

     $ 50.00 incl. GST

    54% Chardonnay and 46% Pinot Meunier, 95% Pyrenees & 5% Macedon. Tiraged January 2022, disgorged December 2024 with 34 months yeast age and 4 g/L dosage. Fermented in seasoned French oak hogsheads, base wines are matured on yeast in barrel for six months before assemblage with 5% reserve wine added for further complexity.

    As always, a classic and generous aperitif style. The barrel work has softened and rounded out the generous pallet, and a fine natural acidity offers great line and length and structure to support the brioche, roasted hazelnuts and nougat complexity developed over three years aging on yeast. Drink now in its vibrant youth or cellar to build toast and nutty complexity over the next 5 to 10 years.