Lambert Wines

Luke Lambert has developed something of a cult following for his single-vineyard Yarra Valley Nebbiolo.

The Brisbane-born winemaker fell in love with the variety on travels around Europe after finishing school in the late 1990s: “I was hooked on Nebbiolo from the first glass. It stood out as the opposite of so many Australian wines at the time.” After returning home and completing his winemaking studies at Charles Sturt university, he landed a job at James Halliday’s Coldstream Hills in the Yarra Valley. Such was his infatuation with Nebbiolo, Luke began making his own wines in his garage in the early hours of the morning while still at Coldstream Hills. He released his first wine in 2005.

Luke sources his grapes from the steep Denton ‘View Hill’ vineyard, near Yarra Glen in the north of the Yarra Valley. He believes the site is ideally suited to Nebbiolo, “the least forgiving and most fickle variety around”. The vines face northwest and the microclimate protects from spring frosts and allows a long growing season, perfect for this early-budding and late-ripening variety. In addition, granite and sandy soils give the wine lifted aromatics and bright acidity. The vineyard is farmed sustainably, without herbicides and with cover crops planted between rows to enrich the soil and encourage biodiversity. In 2017 Luke purchased a 2-hectare plot of land in the Yea Valley just north of the Yarra, and in 2019 planted it with different Nebbiolo clones. Christened ‘Sparkletown’ by his daughter, the vineyard is dry farmed and showing real promise for the future. Luke’s first release from ‘Sparkletown’ is expected to be the 2025 vintage.

In the winery, Luke has been described as a “master of minimalism”. He ferments with indigenous yeasts and no temperature control, uses seasoned French and Slavonian oak foudres for ageing (18 months for the Nebbiolo, 8 months for the Chardonnay), and bottles the wines without fining or filtration for a pure expression of variety and site. Luke destems his Nebbiolo and macerates on the skins for 18 days with frequent plunging and foot treading. He uses a shorter maceration than would be traditional in Piemonte, in search of supple fruit and a very fine tannin structure. Perfumed aromas of red cherry, cranberry and dried rose petal with savoury undertones, the wine is medium bodied with crystalline acidity. His Chardonnay displays tension and a mineral edge.

In short supply and high demand, we are delighted to add Luke’s wines to our portfolio.

Buy Lambert Wines wine below.