Originally from Wurttemberg in Germany, Timo Mayer settled in Australia in the mid 90's and has not looked back. Originally at De Bortoli with Steve Webber and Ian and June Marks at Gembrook Hill. Timo has plotted a course towards his own small farm with his wife Rhonda at the back of Healesville with its infamous Bloody Hill.

Single site wines from Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Cabernet for the core of the label with some later additions of Gamay and Nebbiolo. Timo was an early adopter of whole bunch fermentation, which has re-popularised as a result, and has really blazed a trail pushing the boundaries of what wine from the Yarra could be.

There is never a dull moment when Timo is around nor when one of his wines are opened, nuanced and full of finesse yet with a savoury rustic charm from a good dose of whole bunch and almost everything relatively closely planted.

Bright, refined and a little bit saline are the words I keep coming back to. Lithe fruit weight that is both pithy and pomaceous tinged with that salinity, some oxidative handling that is judicious and compelling as this is understated and finely composed, nothing showy here, but gee is it delicious.

A lighter touch with this than the whole bunches of the reds that have a lot of front and verve weaved into their make up.