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

Log in for prices and ordering

Denton


Denton View Hill is a truly unique vineyard in the heart of the Yarra Valley on the border of Coldstream and Tarrawarra. Its conical shape—with slopes that rise to 150 metres and cover all aspects—facilitates a lengthy growing season and means a range of varieties and clones can succeed here. The first vines were planted in 1997, and today, the 60-hectare estate is home to 32 hectares of plantings, including a couple of close-planted blocks of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Alongside those classic Yarra varieties are Cabernet Sauvignon and significant plantings of eight clones of Nebbiolo—a speciality of this Estate.

The soils are key to understanding the magic of this site. Denton sits atop a 300-million-year-old granite plug, and as a result, its soils are granite-rich with rocky sands that lie above hulking boulders. The ancient evidence is everywhere among the vines, with boulder tips cresting the surface of the soil wherever you turn. This special terroir was formed millions of years ago by an active volcano, and the prevalence of granite is critical to the site’s expression—a huge contributing factor to the singular character and quality of its wines.

Scott Bishop and his wife Suz live on-site with their three children and two dogs and are fully committed to building the next exciting chapter at Denton Wines. Ably assisting them are the vini-viti dream team of Kirilly Gordon and Julian Parrott. Winemaker Gordon brings vast experience from Victoria, France and Italy, including stints at Bindi and cult producer Vie di Romans, while Parrott cut his viticultural teeth with a couple of notable Yarra players.

Recent innovation and investment in the vineyard have focused on enriching and reinvigorating soil health using organic management, under-vine cultivation and a move towards zero herbicide use. The fruit is reaping the rewards under Parrott’s watchful eye. Then, with Gordon’s intuition and skill across a swathe of varieties, the Denton wines have never looked so good.

The Estate range represents the pinnacle of production and includes Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Nebbiolo. The Shed range—from Estate fruit only—comprises delicate, perfumed wines that are immediately expressive, gratifying and representative of unbeatable value for money.

Available Wines

Denton Shed Chardonnay 2024

Denton Shed Chardonnay 2024

The Shed Chardonnay vines sit in the bottom section of the northeastern slope of the hillside Denton site. This year, a small plot of close-planted Gingin clone at the top of the hill was included in the P58 mix. The fruit was pressed to tank for cool, natural fermentation followed by 11 months’ maturation on lees and full malolactic conversion. Single-site Yarra Valley Chardonnay this good at these prices doesn’t come along very often.

"Bright and lively in the glass, with aromas of melon skin, stone fruit, grapefruit pith and white flowers. Fine and focused on the palate, with a drive of citrus, just-ripe peach and some crunchy, textured acidity. Long and with some grip and presence. Drink 2025-2030."
91 points, Aaron Brasher, The Real Review
Denton Shed Chardonnay 2024
Denton Estate Pinot Noir 2024

Denton Estate Pinot Noir 2024

Fruit for this wine comes from the close-planted Pinot Noir block perched at the top of the northeast-facing slope. The deep-rooted MV6 vines are planted at 1.5 x 0.8 metres, producing Denton’s most powerful and concentrated Pinot Noir. The fruit was picked a touch later than the previous year, on February 29th, and fermented with 10% bunches. After two weeks on skins with gentle pump overs, the wine was pressed to French oak (33% new) for 11 months’ maturation.

“All the right moves. Thoroughly modern pinot, all bright and pristine, fine, fresh, red fruited, sleek tannins, shiny texture, sweet spice, a little peanut brittle, a little bitter orange. It’s easy going, it feels like the pinosity rides high. No one will be upset by what this wine proposes, and it carries its price point well with sense of restraint but pristine fruit. Fine and dandy.”
93 points, Mike Bennie, The Wine Front
“From a single block, planted with MV6 in 2004. Significantly better than the '24 Shed Pinot Noir and for not a whole lot more in price. A bright ruby-red colour precedes a well-defined bouquet of redcurrant and cranberry together with summer flowers. The palate is elegant, with gently crunchy tannins rounding out a very well-put-together wine to drink now and over the next three to five years at least.”
95+ points, Philip Rich, Wine Companion
“Bright ruby in colour with herbal, savoury aromas of leaf and stem over raspberry jam, fresh cranberry and dried orange peel. Light on its feet, it's soft and supple on entry, with juicy fruit intensity and then with bright acidity and chalky tannin the structure builds momentum, finishing on a crescendo of savoury, chewy grippiness. Pinot for pinot lovers.”
95 points, Melissa Moore, The Real Review
Denton Estate Pinot Noir 2024
Denton View Hill Rosé 2025

Denton View Hill Rosé 2025

Equal parts Nebbiolo, Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon. The Nebbiolo is particularly noteworthy, with Julian Parrott selecting clones known for their strong aromatics and delicate tannins. All the fruit was hand-harvested and pressed to tank overnight. The wine was then racked, and fermented with ambient yeasts. The varieties fermented separately in eggs or old oak, with occasional lees stirring to build texture and complexity. The wines were blended just before bottling to create a silky, mouth-watering rosé packed with flavour.

“Made from equal parts nebbiolo/syrah/cabernet. A deep-ish, bright salmon. Richly fruited aromas of red fruits, poached pears, blood orange and spice. The gently textured palate is jam packed with fruit. Finishes with a touch of grip on the long, flavoursome finish.”
93 points, Philip Rich, Wine Companion
"Medium salmon pink in the glass. Cherry compote and cinnamon sugar on the nose. The palate shows ripe cherry fruit then moves to a more savoury experience, capocollo and cinnamon bark with a hint of truffle leaning into pinot noir characters. Good length, acidity works early, then a subtle tannin frame drives and dries the finish."
92 points, Stuart Knox, The Real Review
Denton View Hill Rosé 2025
Denton Estate Chardonnay 2024

Denton Estate Chardonnay 2024

The 2024 Estate Chardonnay shows just how dialled-in the Denton team are to their land. Their fruit was hand-picked from the close-planted Gingin and B95 blocks on February 20 under clear skies and mild conditions. The Gingin brings texture and mid-palate weight whilst the 95 block gives drive, purity and line.In the winery, the bunches were foot-stomped and whole-bunch pressed into barrels (15% new) for fermentation. A touch of malo gives this wine a glossy sheen.

"A full, bright green gold. Aromas of ripe stone fruits and zest mingle with attractive, light sea spray notes. Medium bodied, fresh on entry and flavoursome through the mid-palate, with enough balanced acidity for this to age nicely over the next three to four years."
95 points, Philip Rich, Halliday Wine Companion
"Lifted and complex aromas of red apple, stone fruit, grapefruit, white lily, honey and nougat. Mid-weight, textured and with layers of flavour. Nectarine, citrus and pithy acidity are at the core. Grippy, drying and with decent length."
91 points, Aaron Brasher, The Real Review
Denton Estate Chardonnay 2024
Denton Shed Nebbiolo 2024

Denton Shed Nebbiolo 2024

Nebbiolo is Denton’s thing. Eight of their 80 acres are planted to six different clones of Nebbiolo, with plans for expansion in the works. The Nebbiolo block sits halfway up the northwestern slope, catching all the available sunshine and ensuring a long, slow ripening. The fruit was destemmed, wild yeast fermented and held on skins for 10 days with daily hand plunging. 

“Light, fresh, slippery texture with a pleasing grip. Very rosy, rose water, rose hip tea, rose petal, Turkish Delight, though tart cranberry, blood orange and some pleasing, bitter herbs and white pepper elevate things nicely. Good energy, good length, high drinkability and general pizzazz.”
91 points, Mike Bennie, The Wine Front
“A very light ruby colour. Light, fragrant aromas of red cherry, pink grapefruit and Mediterranean herbs. It's light but flavoursome on the palate, too, driven as much by the subtle tannins as its bright acidity. Designed to be drunk lightly chilled on a warm evening.”
92 points, Philip Rich, Wine Companion
Denton Shed Nebbiolo 2024
Denton Shed Pinot Noir 2024

Denton Shed Pinot Noir 2024

Most of the fruit for Denton’s Shed Pinot Noir comes from Block 6, situated on the vineyard’s cooler northeastern slope. This year, a healthy dose of fruit was included from the estate’s close-planted Block 4 perched at the top of Denton Hill. The vines are predominantly MV6 with smatterings of 115 and Pommard clones from the southwest side of the vineyard. The fruit was fermented spontaneously with 10% bunches and gentle plunging or pumpovers twice daily. After two weeks on skins, the wine was pressed to a combination of tank (10%) and old French oak puncheons (90%) for nine months’ maturation. The wine was bottled without fining or filtration.

“Made with 10% whole bunches. A light ruby garnet. Lifted with aromas of crushed strawberries, rose petals and sandalwood incense. This is light to medium bodied, juicy and soft on entry, with just a touch of grip on the finish. Ready to go.”
91 points, Philip Rich, Wine Companion
“A bright ruby in the glass, this has appealing aromas of strawberry coulis, ripe red cherry and dried orange peel spice savouried up with a light whole-bunch stemmy note. It has lovely weight and a fine balance of ripe fruit concentration with dusty tannins and a line of acidity that drives through to the finish. Does exactly what it says on the tin, and then some!”
92 points, Melissa Moore, The Real Review
Denton Shed Pinot Noir 2024
Show All

IN THE PRESS:



“Leading Melbourne architect John Denton and son Simon established their View Hill Vineyard between ’97–04. The name View Hill derives from the fact that a granite plug ‘was created 370 million years ago, sitting above the surrounding softer sandstones and silt of the valley’. This granite base is most unusual in the Yarra Valley, and, together with the natural amphitheatre that the plug created, has consistently produced exceptional grapes. The principal varieties planted are pinot noir, chardonnay and nebbiolo, plus make an orange wine from ribolla gialla.”



★★★★★ Halliday Wine Companion

Country

Australia

Primary Region

Yarra Valley, Victoria

People

Owners: Scott and Sue Bishop

Winemakers: Kirilly Gordon and Julian Parrott

Availability

National

While you're here