Winery & Vintage Info
The Graeme’s is the foundational wine of Passing Clouds. First made in 1980, this wine perfectly captures Bendigo as a region as well as speaking to Passing Clouds’ almost 50 year stewardship of the region. It is well known for its longevity, cellaring up to 30 years, although we prefer it in the region of 10 years old. The Graeme’s is an embodiment of a wine greater than the sum of its parts.
The fruit is 100% de-stemmed and hand sorted before being traditionally vinified in open stainless-steel fermenters, which are hand plunged twice a day. A portion of batches saw post ferment maceration. All batches are matured in 100% French oak for 11 months. The Cabernet and Shiraz parcels are then assessed, and the optimum blend identified. The wine received a coarse filtration prior to bottling.
The Serpentine Vineyard (350mm, 124m) established in 1999, lies next to the Loddon River 42 km northwest of the township of Bendigo. Shoot and bunch thinning help to deliver high quality. Balgownie (500mm, 210m) planted from 1969 overlooking the Myers Creek, we are particularly fortunate to have access to this iconic Bendigo vineyard. Bridgewater (450mm, 140m) is an organic vineyard located just north of the township of Bridgewater. It sits on the banks of the Loddon River. All three vineyards sit on sandy clay loam soils alongside bodies of water. This combined with the low rainfall and warm growing season allow for minimal, fungicide use and canopy intervention and results in compatible ripening. 2020 was a challenging year viticulturally. Later harvest in Bendigo allowed for a longer growing season resulting in deeper character development and increased complexity.
