Punch

James Lance has good pedigree for making wine in the Yarra Valley; having learned his trade alongside his father David at Diamond Valley Estate; one of the pioneering properties of the region for pinot noir and chardonnay.

In recent times the Diamond Valley brand has been sold and is no longer under the control of the Lance family, however they have retained the vineyards at St Andrews (including the small plot responsible for the famous Close Planted pinot) and all the wines are now bottled under the Punch label which is controlled by James and his wife Claire.

The initial releases have built upon what Diamond Valley had already achieved and James has evolved the style to reflect a tighter focus on structure allied to ripe, restrained fruit. They are beutifully crafted wines reflecting the strength of the site and the thoughtful influence of the winemaker. PWS

Friends of Punch was born following the loss of our 2009 vintage fruit at Lance's Vineyard, St Andrews during the Victorian Bushfires. It has been produced with help from other vineyards who generously lent their support by asking, how can we help? Our answer was simple - sell us some grapes!  And they did.  In each case they shared with us significant portions of their scant, wonderful 2009 crop.  PUNCH