Serrat
Yarra Valley (Vic)
The Story
Serrat is owned and cared for by Nadège & Tom Carson.
Nadège was groomed to take over the family vineyard in the southern France appellation Banyuls, but after completing winemaking, wine marketing & winery management degrees, she came to Australia for a vintage in 1990 and never quite made it back.
Tom has an impressive background: Chief Winemaker of Yering Station for 12 years where he Duxed the Len Evans Tutorial in 2002 and was awarded Winemaker of the Year at the 2004 Wine & Spirit International Competition in London. Since 2008, he has been the General Manager & Chief Winemaker of Yabby Lake (Mornington Peninsula) and Heathcote Estate (Heathcote). Tom was the first winemaker to be awarded a Jimmy Watson trophy for a Pinot Noir with the 2012 Yabby Lake Block 1.
The Approach
Nadège & Tom’s aim is to truly reflect the potential of the Serrat vineyard site in their wine. The vineyard is entirely close planted at 8,800 vines/hectare (more than four times the average density), with the vines carrying only a few bunches each. On average, it takes one vine to produce one bottle.
As Nadège & Tom like to point out: “This is not a new vineyard management concept, but the way that the great vineyards of Europe have been managed for hundreds of years. But it is a lot more work!”. They believe that each wine is a true representative of the site, the variety, the vintage and what they enjoy drinking.