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

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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 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
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 Pinot Noir 2023

Denton Pinot Noir 2023

Fruit for this wine is sourced 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 without losing the vineyard’s signature elegance. The exposure means the block sees soft morning light while enjoying shelter from the hot afternoon sun. The fruit was picked a touch later than the previous year, on March 15th, and fermented with 10% bunches. After 12 days with gentle pumpovers, the wine was pressed to French oak (33% new) for 10 months’ maturation.  

“Made with 10% whole bunches and matured in French puncheons (33% new). A medium ruby garnet. A little reduction, which quickly blows off to reveal aromas of wild strawberries, damson plums, a little rose petal and subtle hints of cinnamon and nutmeg. There’s good intensity on the medium-bodied palate together with fine but firm tannins. This will only get better over the next four to six years, if not longer.”
95 points, Philip Rich, The Wine Companion
Denton Pinot Noir 2023
Denton Cabernet Sauvignon 2021

Denton Cabernet Sauvignon 2021

Denton’s Cabernet vines are located on the north-western slope in a warmer area near the top of the Denton View Hill. The fruit for this wine was processed with the aim of producing a bright, fresh, early-drinking style. Fruit was picked at the end of March, and the wine was fermented wild before being pressed to old puncheon where it rested until being bottled in February.

"Destemmed and crushed to flowerpots, plunged by hand and then pressed and racked to 33% new French puncheons. A bright, medium ruby red. A pretty and attractive wine with scents of cherries, damson plums, flowers and a gentle waft of cedar. Lightly framed, it fills out on the palate finishing with very fine-grained tannin. It'll probably cellar well but I gotta say, it's quite delicious right now."
92 points, Phillip Rich, Halliday Wine Companion
Denton Cabernet Sauvignon 2021
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
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IN THE PRESS:

"One of the most spectacular hills in the Yarra Valley, aptly named View Hill, is surrounded by rolling plains of vines. The roots are enmeshed in a myriad of soil types – siltstone, marine sandstone, limestone and volcanic granodiorite – with granite the common denominator across the site. At the heart of the vineyard is Denton’s most important pursuit, nebbiolo, but the 60ha property (of which 30ha is under vine) is planted to other staples of the region, including chardonnay, pinot noir and smaller parcels of cabernet sauvignon, shiraz and, uniquely, ribolla gialla. Kirilly Gordon was appointed winemaker in ’22, and the wines have markedly improved in quality since. A changing of the guard occurred in ’24 when the Bishop family acquired the property and brand from the Denton family, who established the first plantings in ’97. The horizon from View Hill looks brighter than ever." ★★★★★ Halliday Wine Companion

Country

Australia

Primary Region

Yarra Valley, Victoria

People

Owners: Scott and Sue Bishop

Winemakers: Kirilly Gordon and Julian Parrott

Availability

National

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