Luke Lambert graduated from CSUs wine science course in 2002, aged 23, cramming in winemaking experience at Mount Pleasant, Coldstream Hills, Mount Prior, Poets Corner, Palliser Estate in Martinborough, and Badia di Morrona in Chianti. With this background he has established a virtual winery, purchasing grapes from quality-conscious growers in the Yarra Valley and Heathcote. After several trial vintages, the first wines were released from the 2005 vintage. He has now settled in the Yarra Valley, leasing slightly less than 1ha of Heathcote nebbiolo, and similar amounts of Yarra Valley shiraz and nebbiolo (newly grafted). The wines are wild yeast-fermented and bottled without fining or filtration. JAMES HALLIDAY
Lambert is obviously inspired by his experience making wine in Piemonte and Australia yet firmly believes that "...the shape of a wine should be governed by what soil you’re on, the aspect, the amount of sunshine and rain." In other words, the personality of a wine will be dictated by its “place”. Lambert’s source vineyards (in poor, rocky and elevated pockets of the Yarra Valley) are therefore managed in order to bring out their unique geographic signature in the final wines.
That passion and flare has been a driving force and the almost cult like following of his wines in Victoria speaks volumes of what he has achieved.
