Dappled

Yarra Valley, Victoria

Shaun Crinion brings a tonne of diverse wine making experience to his own Dappled label, which, since its inception in 2009 has been headed in only one direction.

A combination of enviable fruit sources in and around the Yarra as well as astute yet minimal interventionist wine making has seen his wines fly.

He aims to express the sub-regionality of the Yarra Valley and Mornington Peninsula, with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir the main focus. His whites are driving, chiseled iterations with his Pinot expressing structure and complexity oft reserved for the top cru of Burgundy.

Dappled ‘Appellation’ Chardonnay 2023

  • Region: Steels Creek, Seville and Macclesfield, Yarra Valley, Victoria

    Grape: Chardonnay

    ABV: 13%

    Farming: A blend of upper and lower Yarra Vineyards - Clones P58, I10V1 and Dijon clones 76 and 95 - from vineyards in St Andrews, Steels Creek, Seville and Macclesfield. All fruit is hand-picked and cooled overnight.

  • Whole bunches are lightly crushed by foot before a long pressing when the un-sulphured juice is transferred straight to oak. The oak is a combination of 80% old and 20% new French Barriques, Puncheons and Demi-Muids. Ferments are allowed to start naturally (wild) and complete with no temperature control. The wine is not battonaged and left on lees for 10 months where some MLF may have occurred, but not encouraged, and SO2 is added when the wine is ready for it. The wine is lightly filtered before being bottled un-fined.

It’s always baffling how Shaun Crinion manages to produce such an incredible ‘entry level’ Chardonnay at such an approachable price. Year in, year out he makes a wine of remarkable purity, energy and definition and it is no different in vintage 2023. The flavour profile is along the lines of white cut stone fruit, with a red apple crunch and a hint of bees wax. Ripples of supportive acidity pulse through the wine with a hum of energy that carries flavour long into the distance. Modern Australian Chardonnay at its best. – Ches Cook, LC Selections. 

 

“One of my best Appellation Chardonnays to-date.” – Shaun Crinion, winemaker. 

Dappled ‘Les Verges’ Chardonnay 2023

  • Region Steels Creek, Seville and Macclesfield, Yarra Valley, Victoria

    Grape: Chardonnay

  • Sourced from John and Josie D’Aloisio’s vineyard located high up on the hill above the township of Seville and is grown on the stunningly rich red volcanic soils this subregion of the Yarra Valley is famous for. The fruit is hand-picked and cooled overnight. Whole bunches are lightly crushed by foot before a long pressing when the un-sulphured juice is transferred straight to oak. The oak is a combination of old (75%) and new (25%) French barriques and puncheons. Ferments are allowed to start naturally (wild) and complete with no temperature control. The wine is not battonaged and left on lees for 10 months in oak and a further 5 months on lees in stainless steel. Some MLF may have occurred but not encouraged and SO2 is added when the wine is ready for it. The wine is lightly filtered before being bottled un-fined by hand via gravity. 

With an impressive CV of international winemaking experience, assisting at producers including Williams Selyem (California) and Domaine de Montille (Burgundy), Shaun has learnt from the best when it comes to making Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. And it shows. This wine is a continuation of style coming from his 'Appellation' release, where flavours are taut and nicely drawn out in a long and linear fashion, yet with ample fruit weight in the middle palate. This wine, the single vineyard release, comes from a site called Les Verges in the Yarra and really champions transparency and purity. Red and green apple, white stone fruit, sherbet, lime peel and citrus oil all make an appearance. There's a real zing to the acid, like touching an electric fence, but the perfectly weighted ripeness of fruit provides support as the wine drives on and on. Serious, modern, fantastic Australian Chardonnay. - Chesterton Cook, LC Selections.

Sourced from John and Josie D’Aloisio’s vineyard located high up on the hill above the township of Seville and is grown on the stunningly rich red volcanic soils this subregion of the Yarra Valley is famous for. The fruit is hand-picked and cooled overnight. Whole bunches are lightly crushed by foot before a long pressing when the un-sulphured juice is transferred straight to oak. The oak is a combination of old (75%) and new (25%) French barriques and puncheons. Ferments are allowed to start naturally (wild) and complete with no temperature control. The wine is not battonaged and left on lees for 10 months in oak and a further 5 months on lees in stainless steel. Some MLF may have occurred but not encouraged and SO2 is added when the wine is ready for it. The wine is lightly filtered before being bottled un-fined by hand via gravity. 

Dappled ‘Champs de Cerises’ Pinot Noir 2022

  • Region Macclesfield, Yarra Valley, Victoria

    Grape: Pionot Noir

    ABV: 13%

  • From Macclesfield at approximately 250m above sea level, all MV6 clone, 25% new oak (large format) and 30% whole bunch.

A delightful, medium-bodied and seamless Pinot Noir from Shaun with a perfect balance of ripe fruit (blood plum, dark cherry, wild strawberry) amongst savoury elements of brown earth, twig and rhubarb. The use of whole bunch is totally effortless and adds freshness and savoury tones all at once. It’s got elegance and approachability all bundled up in one. Fantastic. - Chesterton Cook, LC Selections.

Dappled ‘Appellation’ Pinot Noir 2023

  • Region A blend of two fantastic Upper Yarra Valley Pinot sites in Gladysdale, Macclesfield and Steels Creek.

    Grape: Pionot Noir

  • All natural ferments with 25% whole bunch plus an average of 15-20 days on skins. Aged for 10 months in French oak Barrique’s and Puncheons (10% new). Bottled by gravity, un-fined and unfiltered.

Another huge success in vintage 2023. A seamless amalgamation of black cherry/cherry pip flavours, gently tossed among flavours of moss, forest floor and wet autumn leaf. The 25% whole bunch inclusion brings brown twig complexity and a savoury edge that perfectly balances the core of fruit and brings a tannin profile that is gentle yet persistent. There’s an overall feel of effortlessness to this, as there typically is across all of Shaun’s wines. – Ches Cook, LC Selections. 

Dappled ‘Sur le Crete’ Pinot Noir 2023

  • Region Mornington Peninsula, Victoria

    Grape: Pionot Noir

  • Wild fermented, 30% whole bunch, minimal SO2 added with no other additions. Bottled unfined and unfiltered.

‘Sur le Crête’ means on the ridge and the vineyard is located at 179m above sea level in the rich red volcanic soils of Red Hill on the Mornington Peninsula. Wild fermented, 30% whole bunch, minimal SO2 added with no other additions. Bottled unfined and unfiltered.

Dappled ‘Tradition’ Cabernets 2022

  • Region: Steels Creek, Seville and Macclesfield oin the Yarra Valley, Victoria

    Grape: 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc

    ABV: 13%

From vines planted in 1981. Of all the regions making Cabernet and Cabernet blends in Australia, I have a real soft spot for the Yarra. Generally the wines are much more gentle in approach than those from Coonawarra, for example. This shows only moderate alcohol and moderate tannin, all within a medium bodied frame. It’s open-knit and somewhat old-school in its delivery of cassis, brown leaf and crumbly brown earth flavours. As always with Shaun’s wines, this doesn’t look for extraction, weight or power, but excels in its delivery of a seamless, delicious and particularly drinkable claret. - Chesterton Cook, LC Selections.

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