Manon Farm (9pk)

Explore the exquisite wines of Mon and Tim at Manon Farm – a biodynamic wonderland in the Adelaide Hills, South Australia, on beautiful Peramangk Country.

Tim Webber and Monique Milton started Manon Farm in 2016 and have slowly been investing in the process of change in the land since then. The farm is located on a beautiful ridge in the Forest Range, at an altitude of about 600m with glimpses down through to the Southern Ocean. The farm is located on a complex mix of clay, quartz, and schist, which give Manon wines their recognisable compact minerality. 

Mon and Tim are meticulous in their attention to the land. All farming is biodynamic and a true diversity of life is to be found there. Only six of their 10 hectares are planted to vines, with the remainder hosting fruit trees, vegetable gardens, native forests, flora and animals. No chemicals – Mon and Tim make infusions of seaweed, herbs and minerals to help the plants flourish – and no irrigation. Mon and Tim trusted in nature finding its balance, and after seven years of commitment to this change, the vines are responding in abundance. 

Their wines have found recognition around the world for the outstanding quality they represent. In the cellar, patience, maturity and close observation inform their vinification. Each year they respond to the grapes, working with them to find their best expression. They release a different collection each year and bide their time, releasing wines only when they are ripe for drinking. 

2021 APQ

A super thirst-quenching and delightfully fruity blend of apple, pear and quince. Apples are sourced from friends nearby and pears and wild quince are collected from around the farm. Everything is pulped, macerated for a day, then pressed through cut summer meadow hay. Partly fermented in clay amphora, as well as old French oak barrels – bottled as a Pet Nat with a further year and half of slow fermentation in bottle. 

2021 Forest White
Sauvignon Blanc

Minerality abounds in this exceptional expression of Sauvignon Blanc from a beautiful, steep 30-plus-year-old vineyard offering mighty views and underlaid by a rich seam of gold and pyrite-bearing quartz on a bedrock of slate. This block has been uncultivated for more than three decades; to walk through it is to be amazed by its native perennial pasture of wallaby and spear grasses in perfect regenerative harmony.

2022 Juno
Sauvignon Blanc/Chardonnay

A soft and pretty but vibrant wine that evolves with puckering floral acidity with time in the glass. It comes from 31-year-old vines in red clay over schist and iron stone quartz that cascade down a slope at the back of Mon and Tim’s cellar. Grapes are brought 20 steps back to the cellar after picking, foot stomped and macerated on stems and skins overnight, and slowly pressed to clay amphora in the morning. 

2021 Geoponika
Chardonnay/Savagnin

This wine is only made in seasons with true delicacy. Both the Chardonnay and Savagnin come from the most electric, mineral and expressive sections of their vineyards. Best enjoyed over a long sitting – allow to open and evolve to enjoy its true complexity and elegance.

2021 Selene
Sauvignon Blanc

A wine of the moon maiden – a symbol of purity and pleasure, independence and unbridled energy. Coming from a 30-plus-year-old vineyard with giving soils, grapes are hand-destemmed and macerated on their skins for 4–6 months in large handmade terracotta vessels, which amplify flavours and tannin. This gives a generous feel in the mouth, but the wine retains great poise. Elevage in amphora to finish.

2022 Peaches
Sauvignon Blanc/Pinot Gris/Chardonnay/Savagnin

Velvety and succulent like a peach, this wine is a true field blend: a collective ferment of most of the white grapes Mon and Tim grow. Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Sauvignon Blanc with a little dash of Savagnin macerated together for about 10 days before being pressed off to old barrels and clay eggs. 

2022 Farm Rosato
Pinot Noir/Cabernet Sauvignon/Cabernet Franc/Merlot

No vintage is ever the same for this bright, fruitful expression of the glorious Manon Farm. It blends all the Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot that Mon and Tim can gather, all held in balance by Pinot Noir juice – a big round fruity hug to the more austere, delicate and perfumed notes of the others. The 2022 Rosato speaks of the year’s fantastic growing season with a pleasant alpine structure.

2022 Forest Red
Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris

A 50/50 blend that typifies Manon’s high, cool elevation. They take an equal portion of whole bunch, destemmed fruit and juice then ferment it all together for just long enough. It’s a youthful, energetic expression from Mon and Tim, the grapes and the land that makes a wonderful year-round table red – enjoyed at room temperature in the cooler months, and chilled in summer.

2020 Table Red
Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris

Made for a good time, not a long time – a wine for the table and the people. A cosmic combo of bright cherry, sweet fruits and savoury texture.