St Maur February 2025 Newsletter

Welcome to our St Maur newsletter for February 2025. In this newsletter:

• • • • • • • • February 2025 St Maur Farm & Vineyard Update

• • • • • • • • Limited Release 2024 MARA Pinot Noir – Available Late 2025

• • • • • • • • NSW Wines – A Wealth of Regions to Choose From

• • • • • • • • Current Cellar Door Hours

• • • • • • • • Recommendations from our Cella

February 2025 Farm and Vineyard Update        

Welcome to our first newsletter for 2025. It has been a little while since our last communications and I am excited to let you all know that we had a good end to 2024 and a great start to 2025 for St Maur.

Over the last months, the weather has been favourable here at our farm and vineyard in Exeter. I can report that the vines are in good health and the 2025 vintage is showing great promise, both in terms of abundance of fruit and more importantly the fruit quality.

I’ve heard that the quality and yield that we are seeing here at St Maur is also being experienced across other vineyards in the Southern Highlands. It’s promising for the region as a whole – and a great sign that the 2025 vintage could be an exceptional year.

From this strong foundation, the 2025 vintage across our region will primarily be influenced by the weather as we approach harvest. Short term forecasts for 2025 suggest more rain and warmer temperatures are likely across much of Australia, including the Highlands.

Warmer temperatures will accelerate ripening, potentially bringing up the balance of sugars and acids in the grapes. And I’m hopeful that rainfall will remain moderate during critical growth periods, to keep the risk of disease down.

With the weather in the hands of the gods, there are a few strategies we can still deploy – like managing the leaf canopy to protect grapes from excessive heat and optimising airflow to reduce mildew risk.

If we can keep these challenges in check and the weather remains favourable, winemakers here in the Southern Highlands will have quality fruit to crush and the opportunity to use their skill to craft wines of great character. Here’s to a great 2025.

Limited Release 2024 MARA Pinot Noir – Available Late 2025

In 2022 we released the first vintage of our St Maur Limited Release 2018 MARA Pinot Noir. Named in honour of Mara Panizzutti, the family’s matriarch, we mature MARA in oak barrels for longer to develop its unique character and only bottle it in very limited releases.

Grapes for our 2018 MARA were sourced from the oldest vines on our cool climate farm and the wine was matured in French Oak barrels for 19 months. The 2018 MARA Pinot Noir became sought after by our members and quickly sold out.

The great news is that late in 2025, we are planning a limited release of 2024 MARA Pinot Noir. Currently, the wine is maturing on oak and a recent tasting had me very excited by how the wine was developing.

Members will be offered the opportunity to buy the Limited Release 2024 MARA Pinot Noir by the bottle and box of six, ahead of general release. We recommend you act quickly as stocks will sell out and we’ll keep you posted on progress and release dates.

NSW Wines – A Wealth of Regions to Choose From

Is it just me, or are you also surprised by the hype and editorial that South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmanian wines consistently are given? It seems that every wine region other than NSW is always flavour of the month.

I’ve never been one for convention, or felt the need to follow the latest trend. In fact, it’s why St Maur doesn’t enter wine shows – I’m happy for St Maur to run its own race and for our customers to be the ultimate judges of our wines. And to date, we’ve done pretty well in their eyes.

St Maur Wine Club Members are already aware of the great wines that NSW produces. I know for a fact that many are particularly fond of the “cool climate wines” that our Southern Highlands is becoming renown for.

With that in mind, I wanted to support our the diverse wine regions of our home state of New South Wales and also to look beyond our growing Southern Highlands region. (Which I think punches well above its weight.)

New South Wales (NSW) is home to some of Australia’s oldest and most diverse wine regions, offering everything from historic vineyards to emerging cool-climate wine areas. With over 14 official wine regions, NSW produces a wide variety of styles, from Hunter Valley’s iconic Semillon to Tumbarumba’s elegant Chardonnay. Here’s a look at some of the key regions.

Hunter Valley (Est: 1820s)  The Hunter Valley is Australia’s oldest wine region, with winemaking dating back to the 1820s. It boasts over 150 wineries, ranging from historic family-owned estates to modern boutique producers. The region is famous for its Semillon, as well as Shiraz and Chardonnay.

Mudgee (Est: 1850s)   Mudgee has been producing wine since the 1850s and features over 40 wineries dominated by small, family-run wineries. The region is known for its full-bodied Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay.

Riverina (Est: 1910s)  As NSW’s largest wine region, the Riverina produces over 50% of the state’s wine. Established in the 1910s, it is home to over 300 grape growers. It is famous for botrytis Semillon (a dessert wine), Shiraz and bulk wine production.

Canberra District (Est: 1970s)  Extending into the ACT, many wineries are located in NSW. Established in the 1970s, the region has around 40 wineries, known for elegant Shiraz (often blended with Viognier) and complex Riesling.

Tumbarumba (Est: 1980s)  Established in the 1980s, Tumbarumba is known for its sparkling wines and Chardonnay. With fewer than 20 wineries, vineyards are at elevations of 500m to 800m, ideal for producing fine, crisp wines.

Orange (Est: 1980s)  One of Australia’s highest-altitude wine regions, Orange sits at elevations up to 1,000m. Established in the 1980s, it now has around 60 wineries producing premium Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc.

Shoalhaven Coast (Est: 1980s)  Located along the NSW South Coast, Shoalhaven has been producing wine since the 1980s and is home to around 15 wineries. The maritime climate supports Chardonnay, Verdelho and Chambourcin.

Southern Highlands (Est: 2002)  The Southern Highlands received its official Geographical Indication status in 2002. With over 60 vineyards and 15 cellar doors, it specialises in cool-climate varieties like Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Riesling.

I think the Southern Highlands is showing great promise and keeps getting stronger and stronger. So next time that you are in a bottle shop or selecting a bottle from a wine list, break with convention, support your home state and try a wine from one of our great NSW regions.

Current Cellar Door Hours

As we head into 2025, the Cellar Door opening hours at St Maur are:

Saturdays and Sundays – From 10:30 am to 4:30 pm

It’s always good if you can let us know that you are coming in so we can make sure you have the best experience. Give us a call or drop us an email.

Please note that tastings for groups of six or more are by appointment only and require you to book ahead with confirmation from St Maur.

Remember you can order your wines online, by email or over the phone. Contact us by email info@stmaurwines.com.au call (02) 4883 4401 or visit us online at www.stmaurwines.com.au

We hope to see our members soon.

Recommendations from our Cellar

With the end of summer fast approaching, why not enjoy some of our crisp, fruity and lighter wines with an alfresco lunch out on the deck or in the garden.

The 2024 Pinot Noir Rosé shows the typical fruit characters of a premium cool climate wine. A lovely orange blush colour, the nose is full of bright flavours; Morello cherry dominates with hints of pear. The palate delivers a clean and crisp wine with a light dry finish. Serve chilled and drink now.

RRP $29.00 Bottle                          $174.00 Box of 6   Members discount available for members

Our 2023 Pinot Gris wine shows great cool climate character. The wine has a delicate colour with intense nose of fruit that gives way to strong notes of pear and apple. This Pinot Gris is medium bodied, fresh and well balanced. Perfect served chilled and ready to drink now.

RRP $37.00 Bottle                          $222.00 Box of 6   Members discount available for members

The grapes for the 2022 Sangiovese are certified organic and come from the Goulburn Valley. Our 2022 Sangiovese shows aromas of cherry, fig and red plum on the nose with subtle notes of roasted pepper. Perfect for drinking now or cellar up to 2033.

RRP $40.00 Bottle                          $240.00 Box of 6   Members discount available for members

Members can order wines by phone (02) 4883 4401, via email: info@stmaurwines.com.au or through our website: stmaurwines.com.au  or at our cellar door, now open Saturday and Sunday between 10.30am – 4.30pm.

With Australia Day well and truly gone, the country is back for business. I hope that all our members and your families had a great break and I am excited by the promise that 2025 holds.

Enjoy the last weeks of summer – share lunch or dinner alfresco with friends (and a glass of St Maur) and lets be grateful for all that we have.

I look forward to speaking to you all soon.

Warm regards,

Marco

This post was written by John Giro