Charles Melton

Charlie Melton needs no introduction. Since his first vintage in 1984 and on to his first vintage of Nine Popes in 1988 and beyond he has been a leader of the Barossa Valley. Importantly, he was one of the first to recognise the value of the Barossa’s old plantings of Grenache, Shiraz and Mataro, at a time when the S.A. Government launched the infamous Vine-Pull Scheme, paying growers to remove these so unproductive vines!

And thank goodness he did! Since those early days, the range of Charles Melton Wines has expanded, with total plantings today of just over 34 hectares, the majority being old vine plantings in Krondorf, Lyndoch and Rowland Flat. Indeed, the very oldest of these (at Rowland Flat) will be celebrating their centenary in 2027.

As if this pedigree needed any endorsement, the 2014 Nine Popes was awarded the trophy for Best Australian Red at the 2017 International Wine Challenge in London. Today, Charlie has been joined by daughter Sophie as winemaker, further underwriting the future of this much admired and celebrated family business.

WINE NOTES AND REVIEWS

2023 DSC (Domaine Sophie Claire) Riesling
Riesling from Mt Pleasant in the Adelaide Hills and Eden Valley. All hand picked fruit. Whole bunch pressed with only the free run taken for this wine. A 3 week fermentation at relatively cool temperatures of 12-14 degrees. Just over a month on lees to help increase the mouthfeel. A classic style of Riesling that will age gracefully.

‘Those who spent endless hours in the vineyards were rewarded with synergistic, highly expressive, and healthy fruit. The result is that classic mix of citrus and Granny Smith apple on a deliriously long palate. Drink 2024-2033.’ 96 points, Red Star For Value, James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion, August 2024.

2023 Rose of Virginia
Grenache, Shiraz and Cabernet from the Barossa and Eden Valleys. All hand-picked fruits are de-stemmed and given a 48-72 hour cold soak before the juice is enzyme settled to brilliant clarity. Two different aromatic yeast strains are used to give both perfume and mouthfeel in the ferment. The wine is bottled immediately post ferment to retain the superb aromatic characters of guava and Turkish delight, with some added vinous complexity. Finely structured, but with a touch of red fruit richness.

Review for the 2022 vintage
‘Destemmed (not crushed), 3-day cold soak, free run juice drained and settled; 4-6 week cool fermentation. The vivid magenta hue (in a clear glass bottle) is, to put it mildly, jaw-dropping. But it's far more than show; it's wondrously fruity, yet bone dry, its rainbow of small red berries enough to stop those who 'don't like rosés' in their tracks.’ 97 points, Red Star For Value, James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion, November 2022.

2022 DSC (Domaine Sophie Claire) GSR
Grenache, Shiraz and Riesling from Krondorf and the Eden Valley. A small percentage of Riesling (4%) was co-fermented with the Grenache and Shiraz for this wine. Whole berry maceration has given this blend a vibrant purple hue and elegant, sweetly aromatic perfume. The wine spent 18 months in French and American oak, of which 10% were new. The wine was unfined and unfiltered prior to bottling.

‘Here, 4% riesling was co-fermented with grenache and shiraz; matured for 18 months in French and American oak, 10% new. I like the freshness of this wine. Look. I think I might be going bonkers, but I'm sure I can see some lime in that bright acid profile. Which would make sense. Outside of that, the fruit – all red cherry, cranberry and red, plummy stuff – is gorgeous. Dotted with spice and citrus blossom tones, some nice space and detail within, with gentle tannins and that fresh acidity livening this up and providing velocity. Great medium-bodied drinking.’ Drink 2023-2030.’ 95 points, Red Star For Value, Dave Brooks, Halliday Wine Companion, July 2024.

NV Sparkling Red (2023 Disgorgement)
Made using the traditional Australian technique for sparkling red, as pioneered by Seppelts at Great Western. The base wine is aged for around two years or so in oak and then tirage bottled and left on lees for up to five years. This gives a complex aromatic of fruit sweetness and classic autolysis character and fine bubble. An important factor is the liquering dosage as this degree of sweetness has helped some of the classic examples age for decades.

‘Lovely deepish burgundy colour. Beautifully clean and sweet lift on the nose. A mix of fragrant red fruits and sweet spices. A very fine tongue coating mousse with some apparent sweetness (necessary for a long ageing traditional sparkling burgundy style) that is finely balanced by some just evident tannins. The complexity and fine bubble is evidence of the almost 60 months lees ageing. Best drunk just chilled.’ Winemaker's Note.

2022 La Belle Mère
Grenache, Shiraz, Riesling and Mataro from the Barossa and Eden Valleys. Almost exclusively estate grown vines from Krondorf, Rowland Flat and Lyndoch contribute the grapes for the 2022 La Belle Mere. A small percentage of the ferment underwent whole bunch fermentation with the wine being pressed into 5% new and 95% second fill barriques post ferment to mature on lees with regular battonage for 28 months. The wine was naturally settled prior to bottling without finings.         

Review for the 2021 vintage
‘A delicious rendition of juicy Barossa grenache/shiraz/mataro, a style that has blossomed over the past 10 to 20 years, here gaining an extra degree in an excellent vintage. Winemaker Charlie Melton has been a leader of the pack from the start.’ 96 points, Red Star For Value, James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion, December 2023.

2021 The Father In Law
Shiraz from Krondorf, Lyndoch and the Clare Valley. Generally a small amount of whole bunch (10-15%) used. A frequent but gentle degree of capmanagement via both rack and return and pumpovers. After a coolish ferment over 10-14 days. The 2021 was pressed into a blend of French and American Oak with 12% New. After 26 months the wine was settled naturally and bottled.

2021 The Kirche
100% estate grown Shiraz and Cabernet, principally from the Kirche vineyard in Krondorf Village, gives the 2021 Kirche its distinctive aromatics and flavour. Both varieties from this block perform consistently at the top end of the quality spectrum. The blend is a mix of co-fermented Shiraz and Cabernet and single varietal ferments that are blended post oak maturation. As always, a mix of French oak (81%) and American oak (19%) is used to mature the wine. A touch (31%) of new oak adds a fine cedar element to the bouquet, and the 30 month sur-lies maturation gives a natural richness to the structure. A cool (18-23°) ferment has helped give an elegance to the fruit perfumes.

‘A blend of 62% shiraz and 38% cabernet sauvignon with a little higher percentage of new oak this year (31% new; 81% French, 19% American). It's a good-looking wine, this one. Pristine blackberry, black cherry, dark plum and blackcurrant fruits … Not a hair out of place, with pure black fruits, layers of spice, beautifully judged oak use and a velvety transit across the palate, fine in tannin and looking wonderfully composed. Drink to 2038.’ 96 points, Dave Brookes, Halliday Wine Companion, June 2024.

2021 Cabernet
100 % Cabernet fro Krondorf. Almost traditional practice. Very little or no whole bunch. A mix of crushed and destemmed fruit and fully destemmed but uncrushed berries. A cooler longer ferment on skins (up to 15 days) but no post ferment soak. Run into a mix of new French barriques (60%) and seasoned American (40%). A 30 month sur-lies maturation follows, with regular battonage.

‘Charlie Melton does Barossa cabernet well … real well. Not much in the way of edgy herbaceous notes here. It's all about purity of fruit – blackberry, blackcurrant and black cherry at the core, with an array of spice, cedar, licorice, crème de cassis and earth. It's 100% new oak for 20 months, and the fruit just sucks it up like a hungry labrador. The tannin has some grunt too, and there is a freshness that is bang on. Drink to 2038.’ 94 points, Dave Brookes, Halliday Wine Companion, May 2024.

2021 Voices of Angels
From a single vineyard at Mt Pleasant in the Adelaide Hills and includes 5 % co-fermented Riesling. 100% hand-picked fruit, upon arrival at the winery is split into two parts. 85% (including the 5% Riesling component) is destemmed but not crushed, and the other 15% is left as whole bunches, including stems. The ferment is kept cool for a 10 - 14 day maceration before being pressed off directly into 100% new French oak barriques to finish its primary and malolactic fermentations. The wine is left on its lees with regular battonage, for its full 30 month barrel ageing. It is then settled naturally and bottled, without finings.

2019 Grains of Paradise
Shiraz from Krondorf and Rowland Flat. Fully destemmed but uncrushed fruit is given a cool 10-14 day maceration prior to a gentle membrane pressing. The pressings and free run are combined prior to transfer to 100% American oak of which 40% is new. The oak is seasoned in France for 3 years before being coopered using the immersion (water) bending technique rather than fire bending. The 2019 Grains spent around 28 months on its lees in barrique prior to a natural settling and bottling.

‘Featuring shiraz from three of the Charles Melton estate vineyards; matured in American oak (40% new) for 28 months. No shortage of plush blackberry, black cherry and dark plum fruits on a base of fine spice, licorice, earth, dark chocolate and roasting meats. Superfine, tightly packed tannins and bright acidity provide the frame and the is a nice sense of composure to the wine as it slowly fades away. Drink to 2033.’ 94 points, Dave Brookes, Halliday Wine Companion, August 2023.

2013 Grains of Paradise                

‘One of the great wines of the Barossa Valley, not just because of its quality, but also its individuality of style. It is traditionally destemmed, plunged and pumped over, the oak providing the X-factor (plus high quality fruit). American oak is sent to France for 3 years air drying, then coopered using the boiling water method to soften the staves for bending, and only once half-made does it receive any fire toasting. Dargaud and Jaegle are the masters. Just relax and let the glorious black fruits sweep you away. Drink to 2048.’ 97 points, James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion, July 2021.

2018 Nine Popes - SOLD OUT
Grenache, Shiraz and Mataro from Krondorf, Eden Valley and Rowland Flat, typically a 50/40/10 blend. Dry farmed, old vine bush Grenache, forms the core of the 2018 Nine Popes. The fruit is co-fermented with Shiraz mostly, but with some single varietal tanks a s well. A mix of whole-bunch, destemmed and uncrushed fruit along with a small batch of carbonic maceration Grenache, is fermented cool and given gentle cap management, including hand plunging before being pressed to barrique (mostly French) and undergoing malolactic in oak. The wine spends its customary 24-27 months on lees before settling and bottling.

‘Predominantly a blend ex bush vine Grenache and Shiraz; matured for 30 months on lees in 70 % French/30 % American barriques, 25 % new. An extraordinarily complex bouquet of saddle leather, spice, glace cherry and plum, the palate following closely behind with a meaty (healthy) caste.’ 96 points, James Halliday, Weekend Australian, November 2022.

2019 Nine Popes

‘Charlie Melton's Nine Popes was one of the first wines that make me fall in love with Barossa wines, and it still makes me go all gooey-eyed. It's old-vine grenache and shiraz aged for 27 months in French oak (50% new). Wonderfully fragrant red and dark plum fruits with high tones of raspberry coulis and orange blossom. Under the fruit lies layered spice and hints of red licorice, redcurrant jelly, roasting meats and earth. The fruit on the palate is pure and true, the tannins tight, powdery and fine and there is a lovely cadence to the acidity as it propels the wine forward. It's still, and always has been, a joy to drink. Drink 2023-2035.’ 97 points, Dave Brooks, Halliday Wine Companion, July 2023.