Trapeze Wines / Yea/Yarra Valleys

2334

Many will be familiar with Brian Conway, founder of the seemingly ubiquitous Barossa label Izway.  Prior to Izway’s founding in 2004, Bri made wine between his home base in Western Australia, also covering vintages in Sonoma County, Alsace and Beaujolais at Château Bluizard where he met future Izway business partner Craig Isobel.

During time at Izway, Bri started playing around with Victorian fruit under a new label Trapeze, a hobby project of sorts.  Eventually settling in Coburg in Melbourne’s north, the pressures of travel and family saw him sell his share in Izway in 2018.  Missing the production side, he has kicked Trapeze to his main focus, and with significant efforts to source top grade fruit and polish packaging and presentation, this reimagined project offers some serious and compelling wines.

Yarra Valley delivers the core of things here, principally the Six J’s vineyard in Steel’s Creek, plus a tiny batch of Pinot Gris sourced from Diamond Creek.  The Murrindindi vineyard in Yea Valley provides Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

Brian chuckles when asked of the philosophy of Trapeze, stating a love of wine grown in valleys.  He becomes more serious in outlining being drawn to the underdog; the 6Js vineyard boasts some of the oldest Gamay plantings in Australia, though he could see the site’s full potential wasn’t being realised due to high cropping.  Working closely with the grower to reduce yields, it’s safe to say this revised regimen is paying dividends.  Likewise of the Murrindindi site – Yea Valley isn’t officially a wine GI, but the quartz-rich soils (pictured) raise a Chardonnay easily in the league of many benchmarks.

2023 sees the release of three single site Pinot Noirs made identically, setting up the future of this label as a keen player in quality site-driven expressions.

A long-time friend, we’re stoked to be working with Brian and this project, and can safely say this is a high quality stable meriting serious attention.

 

54321
(0 votes. Average 0 of 5)
← BACK TO PRODUCERS

  • Trapeze Murrindindi Pinot Noir 2023

     $ 43.90 incl. GST

    Fully destemmed, plunges twice daily during peak ferment, 12 days on skins. Aged 11 months in French puncheons and hogsheads (20% new) before bottling in February 2024.  Sealed under screw cap.

    Ruby garnet in the glass, with aromas of strawberries, fresh leather, jamon, cola and a toast note. Palate threads plenty of strawberry fruit (ripe and just-ripe), black cherries and raw cola.  Closes with fine, mineral driven tannins, fantastic poise and length.

  • Trapeze Hickory Downs Pinot Noir 2023

     $ 43.90 incl. GST

    Hickory Downs vineyard was planted in 2000, and sits in the Diamond Creek/Nillumbik sub region.  Soil is dark grey loam at the surface over yellow mottled clays and gravels.  Fully destemmed, 12 days on skins, and raised in French oak puncheons and hogsheads, 20% new, bottled February 2024.  Sealed under screw cap.

    A more cherry-led and lower-toned expression here, dried herbs and a saline quality.  Plenty of berry fruit on the palate, plush and savoury, around cured meat impressions, though what defines this cuvée is its ferrous mineral tail.  Beautifully balanced, a wine that really draws the drinker in.

  • Trapeze Early Gamay 2023

     $ 44.00 incl. GST

    Also from the 6Js vineyard.  Destemmed and a three day cold soak.  Again, raised in stainless, vegan fined and lightly filtered, bottled 15th August.

    Vibrant garnet in the glass and so clearly Gamay.  Lovely perfume of raspberry, cola, cranberry, anise, dried herbs and hints of jamon/prosciutto, primary but fantastic complexity.  The palate shows these characters plus a little dried cinnamon, raspberries, and a nice interplay of red liquorice and a savoury chacuterie lick.  Fine acid and fantastic length, and suits a chill on a sunny day.

  • Trapeze Six Js Vineyard Pinot Noir 2023

     $ 46.00 incl. GST

    The 6Js vineyard (Steels Creek, Yarra Valley) was planted in 1992 over grey sandy loam atop rich yellow clays.  Again fully destemmed, virtually identical winemaking to the Hickory Downs Pinot. Sealed under screw cap.

    A dense and expressive wine.  Ripe cherry, strawberry, rhubarb, chinotto, dried herbs, thyme and rosemary flowers, with a nice lick of fresh leather. The palate is well composed, with more strawberry, cranberry, cola/chinotto and dried herbs. Pops with mid palate freshness, impeccably balanced.  Fine tannins and fresh acid line clean he wine up nicely on the finish. Has excellent length of flavour, indicative of the vintage and low tonnages per acre.

  • Trapeze Murrindindi Chardonnay 2023

     $ 49.00 incl. GST

    From 1998 plantings, this fantastic cool site has a complex geology of pink and white quartz, alluvial gravels, loam, clay and mudstone.  This Chardonnay sees a combination of tank and barrel ferment.  Raised in 25% new French hogsheads, 5% seems malolactic fermentation and lees stirred once.

    Straw colour with a greenish tinge. White flowers , straw, lemon pith, wet quartz/stones, nice oak, a lick of white nectarine and pale red apple. The palate has a real mineral drive and tightness balanced against a creamy lees component, white flowers, more apples, lemon and white nectarine.  Incredible balance and intensity with a lovely mineral grip and acid line that pulls it all together.

  • Trapeze Yarra Valley Gamay 2022

     $ 55.00 incl. GST

    Whole bunches are put into open fermenters, dry iced and locked up for four day carbonic maceration.  Fruit is then fully destemmed to fruit bins, foot stomped and then back into open fermenter.  Plunged gently over six days then sent to seasoned hogsheads for 11 months before bottling.

    Red/garnet in the glass.  Throws aromatics of fresh picked raspberries, cherry, ripe strawberry, fresh aniseed, cured meats/jamon savoury lift and dried thyme and oregano from the whole bunch.  An energetic and great feeling palate, the carbonic gives just enough lift without pushing things too far to primary simplicity.  Layered flavours of raspberry, jamon, cherry and cola, with more dried herbs and a slight kalamata olive savoury note.  Nuanced tannins and amazing length, cleaning up beautifully on the finish with a great acid line.  Sure, premium pricing for an Oz Gamay but holds its own against any comparable benchmark from either hemisphere.