Underground Winemakers

Product Description

More than any other variety, Pinot Noir is in a constant state of becoming.  It doesn’t matter if it is fermenting in vat, or maturing in oak or aging in bottle, the wine is constantly moving and changing.  A person who wants to make Pinot Noir must understand this, but most importantly they must remember that they too are in the same fluid state as the wine.  They are also constantly becoming.  Reconciling a dynamic reality with one’s dreams is the profound challenge of Pinot Noir.

Dr Peter Stebbing, Winemaker.
Underground Winemakers.

Underground Winemakers was established in 2006 at Mt Eliza by former T’Gallant employees, Adrian Hennessy, Peter Stebbing, and Jono Stephens. At that time the venture had no resources other than a collective wine industry experience of over 30 years and a resourceful, hands on determination. The vision was simple; grow the right grapes and make quality, approachable wines which are true to style and expressive of variety.

Following this philosophy, Underground manages vineyards and sources grapes from across the Mornington Peninsula and Central Victoria.  The Mornington Peninsula provides Pinot Grigio/Gris, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, while Central Victoria supplies Durif, Shiraz, Cabernet and Brown Muscat.  The approach in both vineyard and winery guides the expression of region, season and grape, experience allows us to minimise intervention and then do so before it becomes imperative.  Underground runs our own vineyards and wines are made and bottled at our Mt Eliza Winery, giving Underground complete control over all inputs. Packaging and presentation of the entire range is contemporary, designed to reflect both the quality of the wine and its individual character.

To matters into the winemaker’s own words “We continue to be inspired by the possibilities of unexplored combinations. Our goal is to allow the fundamental qualities of grape varieties express themselves – unencumbered by convention.”

www.ugwine.com.au

Additional Information

According to Jono, Wine’s most sublime possibility is to be found in the vineyard. If a vigneron, (wine-grower, not winemaker!) has the wit to identify a wonderful site capable of elegantly solving a vine’s environmental imperatives - water, light, heat, fertility, air drainage, etc. in a Three Bears kind of way - neither too much, too little, but rather just right - said wine-grower may be given the opportunity to participate in the creation of a wine of real originality. A vin de terroir is one that has captured the absolute uniqueness of a given grape-growing site and the unique qualities of a vintage year; its singularity and congruity to its place of origin.

Underground winemakers indeed: Adrian Hennessy, Jonathon Stevens and Peter Stebbing started the business seven years ago, but have only now surfaced in the Wine Companion database. Each has made wine in Alsace, Burgundy, Northern Italy and Swan Hill. Each has extensive experience in the vineyards and wineries of the Mornington Peninsula. And each has either been laid off or dismissed by Fosters. Their first step in 2004 was to lease a small winery at Mt Eliza that had closed years earlier, but still had a vineyard with some of the oldest plantings of pinot noir, pinot gris and chardonnay on the Peninsula. A 1 tonne basket press and a tiny crusher processed 100 to 150 tonnes of grapes in each of the first four vintages. Their portfolio is nothing if not eclectic: Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from the Mornington Peninsula, and Durif, Moscato, Cabernet Merlot and Shiraz from Central Victoria.

- James Halliday