Wine Region	Gippsland, Vic
Wine Maker	John Ellis
In the 1960’s John Ellis developed a love of fine wine when he was flying for Pan American Airways. He first came to Australia to fly for Qantas, where John experienced Australian wines, this combined with a continuing love for the wines of Burgundy rekindled earlier thoughts of a vineyard. A long period of research followed and finally Bellvale Vineyard was purchased. Bellvale lies on a spectacular north-facing slope of basalt soil overlooking the Tarwin River in South Gippsland, Victoria.   The largest part of Bellvale is 10 hectares of pinot noir. Winemaker John Ellis has chosen 10 different clones, including the new Dijon clones 114, 115, 777, and the traditional ‘Australian’ high quality clone MV6. The crop has been on the order of 3 tonnes per hectare, which is well below the planned maximum of 5 tonnes. This provides extraordinary concentration of flavour and aroma. The grapes are grown entirely on the property, traditional winemaking techniques were employed with the wine finally ageing in entirely French barriques.
What the critics have to say!
Gold Medal: Boutique Wine Awards, June 2006 Typical strong colour, excellent dark plum, black cherries and spiced aromas, the palate following down the same track; has the structure to age for long than most. 95 points James Halliday – Australian Wine Companion 2007 Firm and elegant to boot, the focus of its rather impressive. and, more importantly, has a delightful drinkability to it Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front Monthly, August 2006