Wendouree is among Australia’s most sought after wines. This mythical Clare Valley estate has no website, no cellar door and they rarely answer the phone but do sometimes respond to letters.
The first vineyards were planted back in 1892/3 by the Birks family so we’re talking some seriously old vines here. The Birks’ owned the estate until 1974 when Tony & Lita Brady acquired it. Since then they have transformed the estate into a revolutionary yet classically Clare Valley institution. Roly Birks stayed on as winemaker until 1980.
Alfred Percy Birks ‘AP Birks’ and his brothers started planting in 1892 with a 0.2Ha block of Cabernet Sauvignon and then subsequent Birks generations planted a raft of different varieties; Shiraz in 1911 and more Cabernet in 1971, eventually ending up with 50Ha of vines in total.
100 Points James Suckling
Wow. Very complex, rich, red to dark fruit and plenty of very fine, exotic, sweet-scented spice, as well as a red floral edge and a thread of dried herbs and fresh earth. The palate has a powerful, layered, long and symphonic feel and is packed with rich red-plum and black-cherry flavor. Such attractive freshness and majestically long, smoothly wrapped tannins. The finish is so long, seamless, profoundly pure and perfectly balanced. Freshens into a lasting, plum-stone finish. This is incredible, the best Wendouree shiraz of the modern era. A single parcel of 1919 Eastern Vineyard plantings. Already quite approachable but try from 2026.