Tim Minim is a fantastic winemaker calling Castlemaine his home, also a very dear friend to the Mr West crew. He’s worked with and learned from some of our other favourite Victorian wine makers, the likes of Xavier Goodridge, Pat Underwood and Lucy Kendall. With his own signature style emerging of local fruit, grown well and handled simply. He let’s the season and place of the wines shine through and we love his wines for that.

Tim has a couple of his own vineyards and purchases grapes from other Central Victorian wine makers that hold similar values and practices to his. The Colbinabbin Nero D’Avola is made from fruit purchased from the Chalmers family, from one of their Heathcote vineyards. The vineyard was planted in deep red Cambrian clay loam by the Chalmers family in 2011. Historically, this has been Shiraz country, but the increasing impacts of climate change has yielded hotter, drier summers and a move to more Mediterranean varieties. From the most elevated site in the vineyard right on top of the range, exposed to most of the days sun and cooler evening temps. A short 14 day maceration of destemmed berries in an open fermenter. Protected and partially carbonic for the first 5 days. Aged in seasoned puncheons and barriques on fine lees for 9 months.

Dark and spiced, lifted with vivid blue berry, boysenberry and black berry with a gentle earthiness. The palate is dry and dark fruited with soft powdery tannins giving persistent length buoyed by amazingly bright natural acid. This is ripe Nero, handled gently; structured and fruit driven while still having a gentle softness that brings the wine together. The natural high acidity gives length and balance