Circe

Circe Wines (Circe was a seductress and minor goddess of intoxicants in Homers Odyssey) is the partnership of winemaker Dan Buckle and marketer Aaron Drummond, very much a weekend and holiday venture, inspired by their mutual love of Pinot Noir. They have a long-term lease of a vineyard in Hillcrest Road, not far from Paringa Estate, Tucks Ridge and Montalto. Indeed, says Dan, it is not far from the Lieu-dit Buckle Vineyard my dad planted in the 1980s. Circe has 1.2ha of vines, half chardonnay and half MV6 pinot noir. They have also planted 1.7ha of pinot noir (MV6, Abel, 777, D2V5 and Bests Old Clone) at a vineyard in William Road, Red Hill. Dan Buckles real job is chief winemaker at Chandon Australia. JAMES HALLIDAY