Dominique Portet

Australia

About

Dominique Portet Wines represents the culmination of ten generations of French winemaking heritage translated to the Yarra Valley's exceptional cool-climate terroir. Founded in 2000 by Dominique Portet, the winery embodies a philosophy shaped by illustrious Bordeaux estates, Champagne houses, and decades of pioneering Australian viticulture. Dominique's journey began at Château Lafite-Rothschild in Pauillac, where his father André served as régisseur, before formal training at Montpellier University of Oenology and vintages across the Médoc, Rhône Valley, Provence, and with Moët et Chandon. Since 1976, he has been instrumental in Australia's cool-climate wine renaissance, founding Taltarni in the Pyrenees and Clover Hill in Tasmania before establishing his eponymous Yarra Valley estate. Today, his son Ben Portet continues this extraordinary lineage, bringing international experience from Château Beychevelle, Louis Roederer, M. Chapoutier in Hermitage, and acclaimed New World estates. The winery's elegant arabesque label, designed by celebrated Greek jeweller Ilias Lalaounis—the only jeweller welcomed as an associate of the Académie des Beaux-Arts—symbolises the close bonds between generations, families, and continents. Each wine reflects Dominique's vision of the Yarra Valley: "I found fragrance and structure—most of all the structure reminds me of Bordeaux. The Yarra has a charm, a beauty that engulfs you."

Regions

Yarra Valley

History

Dominique Portet's winemaking story is one of extraordinary heritage meeting visionary ambition. Born into winemaking royalty at Château Lafite-Rothschild, where his father André Portet managed one of the world's most illustrious properties, Dominique absorbed the principles of classical French viticulture from childhood. After earning his credentials at Montpellier and working across France's greatest wine regions and with Champagne giant Moët et Chandon, he arrived in Australia in 1976 with a pioneering spirit that would reshape the nation's cool-climate wine industry. His founding of Taltarni and Clover Hill established him as a visionary, but it was the Yarra Valley that captured his heart. In 2000, he embarked on his greatest adventure: the Dominique Portet winery, where he found the fragrance, structure, and worldly character reminiscent of his beloved Bordeaux. Since 2008, his son Ben—a tenth-generation winemaker trained at Adelaide University under Brian Croser and Con Moshos, with international experience spanning Bordeaux, Champagne, Hermitage, South Africa, and California—has continued forty years of family wine craftsmanship whilst earning recognition as a leading industry judge and Len Evans Tutorial scholar. Together, they craft wines that honour their French heritage whilst celebrating the unique charm and beauty of the Yarra Valley, symbolised by the arabesque design that graces every label—a testament to enduring bonds across generations and continents.
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