Tournon by M. Chapoutier | Victoria

Domaine Tournon Shay's Flat Vineyard in Victoria's Pyrenees

The Chapoutier family has been crafting revered wines in the Rhône Valley since 1808, but in 1997, Michel Chapoutier took his legendary expertise to the striking landscapes of Victoria, Australia. Drawn by the cool climate and an incredible diversity of soils, he established Domaine Tournon. Across estates like Shay’s Flat and the Landsborough Valley in the Pyrenees, as well as Lady’s Lane in Heathcote, the vines thrive in ancient red schists, quartz, and deep Cambrian earth. These unique vineyard sites are farmed completely organically, allowing the natural energy of the Australian landscape to shine through in every glass.

While the estate produces vibrant whites from grapes like Marsanne and Viognier, the undeniable star here is Australian Shiraz. Under Chapoutier’s skilled hand, the winemaking manages a brilliant balancing act, evoking the crisp minerality and graceful elegance of a classic Northern Rhône red while still bursting with the sun-kissed fruit of Victoria. Often described as Australian wines holding a French passport, they focus heavily on respect for the fruit, ensuring perfectly balanced acidity and bright, lively flavours rather than relying on heavy oak or overpowering alcohol. This exact same care is poured into their highly approachable everyday bottles as well as their rarest single-vineyard releases.

Farming in this part of the world brings its own highly unique set of daily challenges that you simply do not find in rural France. The vineyard teams regularly have to navigate around mobs of two hundred kangaroos moving through the vines, while flocks of native cockatoos are instantly drawn to the ripening red grapes. To protect the harvest, rigorous netting and careful water management are essential. Yet, this wild environment provides one massive advantage for a globe-trotting winemaker: the Australian harvest falls precisely during the French spring, allowing the team to split their time perfectly between two hemispheres without missing a beat.