Winery & Vintage Info
The aim and philosophy was simple – to grow the finest grapes possible, luscious, ripe and with excellent varietal character, and to handcraft these grapes into elegant and distinctive wines of the highest quality.
Since the first release in 1982, Diamond Valley Vineyards has enjoyed outstanding success with its wines, yet has through choice remained one of Australia's smaller wineries. By adhering to the founding philosophy, the wines have been consistently excellent, amassing a tally of awards quite out of proportion to the size of the winery and justifying Diamond Valley's insistence on quality before quantity.
Carefully selected sites give warm growing conditions in a cool climate. Low grape yields, a carefully managed canopy and few disease problems complete the parameters for growing the finest grapes and to ensure this high quality, the vines are tended and harvested by hand.
The modern on-site winery is designed to allow vinification to the highest standards. Whilst based firmly on traditional methods, it is at the same time technically advanced, with features such as inert gas protection at all stages of production. All wines are bottled in the winery's own high quality bottling facility.
The White Label wines express the terroir of the site. Excellent sun exposure over consistently long, clear ripening periods together with careful canopy management produces low yielding fruit of superb quality. The resulting White Label range of wines consists of Chardonnay, Cabernets, Merlot, Shiraz and the famous Pinot Noir. The deeply flavoured, marvellously complex wines consistently delight with concentrated fruit, beautiful balance and lingering full flavours. The Blue Label wines are produced from selected parcels of fruit purchased from premium Yarra Valley growers. Released earlier than the White Label, these are affordable, high quality wines made to the exacting Diamond Valley Vineyards' standards.
The Blue Label range includes Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Cabernet-Merlot, Shiraz-Viognier and the Pinot Noir which is widely acclaimed as one of Australia's best value for money Pinots.
Today, Diamond Valley Vineyards continues as a family owned and operated winery under the ownership of Graeme Rathbone. James Lance is the full-time winemaker further enhancing the founding philosophy with his commitment to quality, consistency and emphasis on complexity. – Winemaker Notes
