Domaine Tournon

Seeking excellence in the land down under, in 2009, Michel Chapoutier, the great winemaker of the Rhone Valley, bought two vineyards – Shays Flat Estate and Landsborough Valley Estate in the Victorian Pyrenees, to set up the fully owned label, Tournon. Michel recognized two unique terroirs that would allow him to make distinctive wines, utilizing the Syrah/Shiraz grape that originates in his homeland. A southern extension of the Great Dividing Range, the Pyrenees foothills and ranges, create a remarkable diversity of microclimates and soils, that provide a wealth of variety for winemakers. The cool weather patterns and unique soil in this region, are an ideal place for the development of Chapoutier’s biodynamic winegrowing philosophy and of extending Rhône traditions. As in Hermitage, Michel’s challenge, is to show the diversity of this area, by producing racy Shiraz from different type of soils.