Bibendum Wine Co.
Bibendum Wine Co.
Bibendum Wine Co.
Bibendum Wine Co.

Log in for prices and ordering

Place of Changing Winds

“Super Star”: The New Grower Releases from Harcourt and Heathcote
Place of Changing Winds

It’s no secret that the team behind Place of Changing Winds are a tough bunch to please. Rob and Remi do not agree on everything, so it speaks volumes that both are particularly excited with their 2023 Grower wines. And it’s easy to see why. The latest releases have a gorgeous level of purity and vibrancy, kicking up the pleasure factor without losing the quality and sophistication that is a constant under this label. 

 

Actually, the style this year is not wildly different from 2022. Both were fresh, slow-ripening vintages, perfect for Rhône varieties in these Victorian regions as well as for the ‘digeste’ style of wine the cellar loves to make and drink under the Grower banner. What is different is that the Syrah wines have even more finesse and drinkability, while the white, which also has a little more Roussanne in the blend, is a more vibrant, racier expression than last year’s.

 

Just touching 13%, the Harcourt Syrah is the prettiest and most floral Syrah POCW has made from the granite Lome vineyard. The long hang time and slow ripening in 2023 allowed the team to pick exactly when they wanted, and it shows in the superb balance of the wine. The same goes for the Marsanne/Roussanne, with the higher acidity of 2023 bringing terrific balance to Marsanne’s natural generosity. 

 

The Syrah No. 2 is arguably the best release of this blend so far. Rob and Remi certainly believe so. Don’t be misled by the price (or the name)! In terms of quality, a second wine it is not. Rather, it is the product of two single-vineyards, blended to create a wine that can be drunk on release and is perfect to pour by the glass. This year also sees the release of the 2022 Heathcote Syrah, which is released with an extra year of aging. The new vintage is perhaps the most balanced, and even Rhône-like, that the team has bottled from the Cambrian soils of the Mount Camel Range.

 

There is no white Tradition this year, but the red is back and better than ever. The wine’s label (pictured above) was inspired by the magical way Pinot and Syrah fuse together in the cellar. Remi tells us the whole team comes together to create this blend, and it is a lot of fun to make; we can tell you, it is just as much fun to drink. Overall, it’s a brilliant, eye-catching release (if we can say that on the team’s behalf!). Contact your rep and taste for yourself. 

The Wines

Place of Changing Winds Syrah No.2 2023

Place of Changing Winds Syrah No.2 2023

The Syrah No.2 is a blend of the two blocks in Heathcote and Harcourt. Although it’s the most accessibly priced wine, it’s important to stress that it gets the same attention to detail in the vineyard and the winery as all POCW’s other wines. The 2023 was fermented with mostly whole-bunches and matured in a range of casks (mostly large, neutral Stockinger) and a concrete egg. It was bottled in February 2025, almost two years after harvest. Rob’s belief that the 2023 is the most exciting release to date is well founded.

“If you judged by colour you’d be at ten out of ten – ruby and purple with shimmering edges. Hello. The wine feels similar, red crunch, purple depth, mulberry and pomegranate with tart cherry and sweet spices with some distinct slate-like mineral quality in there too. Fine, very fine actually, grippy, granitic tannins ripple through the wine, tightening on a sluice of joyous fruit character with some brown spices speckled through. From the lighter year, this works very well, elegant, fine boned, a pinosity almost, though distinctly syrah of course too. Super star.”
94 points, Mike Bennie, The Wine Front
“The 2023 Syrah No 2 is a blend of both the Heathcote and Harcourt vineyards. The cooler season has given the fruit definition here, and the large proportion of whole bunches has similarly left its mark. It was matured in a range of oak, much of it large-format Stockinger, and a concrete egg. This is spicy and fresh, with a splay of gritty tannin in the mouth that fills every nook and cranny of perception. 13.5% alcohol, sealed under Diam.”
92 points, Erin Larkin, The Wine Advocate
Place of Changing Winds Syrah No.2 2023
Place of Changing Winds Harcourt Marsanne Roussanne 2023

Place of Changing Winds Harcourt Marsanne Roussanne 2023

This Marsanne/Roussanne comes from Harcourt North in Victoria’s Bendigo G.I., about an hours’ drive north of the Macedon cellars. With its pure, sandy, granitic soils, and mild climate, this is one of Australia’s most exciting places for Rhône varieties. The grapes were picked fully ripe, pressed firmly and sent straight to barrel (500 and 228 litres), concrete egg and 220-litre glass Wineglobe, for both fermentation and aging with all the fine lees. Malolactic occurred naturally and the wine was bottled in November 2024 without fining or filtration.

It's the polar opposite of the ‘pinot gris’ style of many Australian Marsanne's that are picked early, inoculated, tank reared and filtered. It has the power and richness of previous releases, yet with good vibrancy thanks to Harcourt’s micro-climate and the inclusion of a larger portion of Roussanne.

“This sits at medium weight, slippery and glossy in texture, quietly concentrated with light honeyed elements in just-ripe nectarine, just-ripe peach, a tangerine element, faint vanilla cream notes and a sprinkle of cinnamon spice. It feels like the bandwidth delivers complexity, layers to flavour, appeal in the fog of sweeter fruit spectrum characters, a bit of pawpaw bitter-sweet in the mix overall too. Captures attention, delivers depth, feels composed. Class act.”
94 points, Mike Bennie, The Wine Front
“The 2023 Harcourt Marsanne has a little of Roussanne as well and leads with a delicately perfumed nose of rose oil, pineapple, green apple, camphor, lemon oil, apricot flowers and green almonds. In the mouth, the acidity provides elegant slice and dice. This is all about nuts and pastry, baking spices and crushed rocks. It's really good. We have come to expect a lot from this producer, and they do not disappoint. 14% alcohol, sealed under Diam.”
95 points, Erin Larkin, The Wine Advocate
Place of Changing Winds Harcourt Marsanne Roussanne 2023
Place of Changing Winds Harcourt Syrah 2023

Place of Changing Winds Harcourt Syrah 2023

This is the third Syrah release from Harcourt North (from the same site as the white above). Just touching 13%, it is the prettiest and most floral Syrah POCW has made from the exciting, granite-rich Lome vineyard. The long hang time and slow ripening in 2023 allowed the team to pick exactly when they wanted, and it shows in the superb balance of the wine. Fermented with 60% whole-bunches, the wine underwent almost two years’ maturation in large-format Stockinger (500, 1,500- and 2,000-litre casks) and was bottled in late February 2025. From a cooler vintage, it’s another example that combines perfume and finesse with excellent depth and fine structure.

“The 2023 Harcourt Syrah has 60% whole bunches in the ferment and was matured for almost two years in Stockinger barrels: 500-, 1,500- and 2,000-liter casks. Aromatically, the wine is floral and lifted, with lavender and violet, blackberry, blood plum and crushed rocks. The impact of the whole-bunch component is significant; it materially changes the shape of the tannins in the mouth and ups the impression of spiciness and exoticism. This is a lovely wine from a cooler year. 13.5% alcohol, sealed under Diam.”
94 points, Erin Larkin, The Wine Advocate
Place of Changing Winds Harcourt Syrah 2023
Place Of Changing Winds Heathcote Syrah 2022

Place Of Changing Winds Heathcote Syrah 2022

This Heathcote Syrah comes from an east-facing plot of 20-plus-year-old vines rooted in the red Cambrian soils of the Mount Camel Range. Although this northerly subregion produces some of Heathcote’s most refined wines, the area still produces rather powerful wines, so it gets an additional year in cask. The 2022 spent its first year in a range of neutral barrels before being blended to a 2,000-litre Stockinger cask for the remainder of its maturation. It was bottled at the end of February 2025 after three years of aging in wood. Although a refined, savoury and perfumed expression of Heathcote (and only just over 13%), it remains a deep Syrah that might just live forever.

Place Of Changing Winds Heathcote Syrah 2022
Place of Changing Winds Tradition Red 2023

Place of Changing Winds Tradition Red 2023

Inspired by the great reds of Hunter legend Maurice O’Shea in the 1940s and ’50s, Tradition is a ‘cellar blend’ of estate Pinot and grower Syrah. This release is a blend of 50% Pinot from Estate vines in Macedon, and 50% Syrah from Heathcote and Harcourt.  It was raised in a mix of mostly neutral large and small oak and was bottled in December 2024. Made with 80% whole bunches, it’s a bright, perfumed, juicy wine packed with brambly fruit and all sorts of spice. Where many producers of this blend make simple, lighter reds, this wine sits at the more serious end of the spectrum with good structure and loads of spice to go with the bright, juicy fruit. Think of it as Victoria’s answer to a good Morgon, and you’ll be in the ballpark! Less than 3,000 bottles were made this year.

“Fine, sleek and slick red, more pinot than syrah, if you get my drift, or read on and find out. Red cherry, white mushroom, tarragon and lemon verbena, white pepper, crunch of green capsicum, a touch of resinous pipe tobacco shot through. It’s a fine, light weight, zesty red wine with some slightly jangly characters between fruit, spice and mineral elements.”
93+ points, Mike Bennie, The Wine Front
Place of Changing Winds Tradition Red 2023

“We’re onto something special here. The wines are wonderful, complex and considered, mostly made with chardonnay and pinot noir but also with (Heathcote) shiraz. And while they are made in such limited quantity that finding them is difficult, the hunt is worth it, the crusade.” Campbell Mattinson, Halliday Wine Companion Top 100 Wineries

Other Recent Releases

  • A Filght of Crozes
    A Filght of Crozes
    Given that Domaine Alain Graillot has stood at the summit of the Crozes-Hermitage appel...
    Given that Domaine Alain Graillot has stood at the summit of the Crozes-Hermitage appellation for over 40 years—with Maxime Graillot present for ha...

    Read more

  • Pyramid Valley Botanicals
    Pyramid Valley Botanicals
    The combination of exceptional terroir, a marginal climate and progressive vineyard man...
    The combination of exceptional terroir, a marginal climate and progressive vineyard management—not to mention quietly understated winemaking—produc...

    Read more

  • Dureuil-Janthial
    Dureuil-Janthial
    I wonder if there is a smarter buy in Burgundy these days than Dureuil-Janthial? Vincen...
    I wonder if there is a smarter buy in Burgundy these days than Dureuil-Janthial? Vincent Dureuil is a superstar, albeit a very quiet one; he works ...

    Read more

  • Cavallotto
    Cavallotto
    For a traditional, old-school grower keen to avoid the limelight, Cavallotto are not do...
    For a traditional, old-school grower keen to avoid the limelight, Cavallotto are not doing a great job staying out of the headlines. Off the back o...

    Read more

  • The Bibendum Bulletin I
    The Bibendum Bulletin I
    Our first tranche of 2024 white Burgundies are starting to arrive. The headline news is...
    Our first tranche of 2024 white Burgundies are starting to arrive. The headline news is that 2024 heralds a return to a more classic model of white...

    Read more

  • Croix & Courbet
    Croix & Courbet
    This exciting Jura collaboration between Beaune star David Croix and his friend (and lo...
    This exciting Jura collaboration between Beaune star David Croix and his friend (and local) Damien Courbet is certainly coming to the boil. In toda...

    Read more

  • Tesseron
    Tesseron
    As one of our insightful clients put it at a recent event in Melbourne with Tesseron’s ...
    As one of our insightful clients put it at a recent event in Melbourne with Tesseron’s Matthieu Chapoutier, “You can buy more famous names in Cogna...

    Read more

  • Château Des Tourettes
    Château Des Tourettes
    Jean-Marie Guffens is one of France’s most revered wine makers. Though best known for h...
    Jean-Marie Guffens is one of France’s most revered wine makers. Though best known for his brilliant wines from the Mâcon, the wines from his southe...

    Read more

  • La Soufrandière
    La Soufrandière
    “The key to these wines’ success is that they don’t hammer you over the head with the p...
    “The key to these wines’ success is that they don’t hammer you over the head with the philosophy behind them, expressing their variety of lieux-dit...

    Read more

View All Offers

More Content

Read more about this producer