Jilly Wines is the out-of-the-box winemaking project of avant garde winemaker Jared Dixon. Jared is uniquely located in northern New South Wales in the bucolic hamlet of Clunes where he and his family own the extraordinary Clunes Store (a providore-cum-wine-shop). Just around the corner is Jared’s winery and young vineyard which is planted to a wealth of experimental varieties. All very exciting. While the vineyard matures and gets ready to bear fruit, Jared has been sourcing grapes from a collection of vineyards - it’s his work with the inimitable Topper’s Mountain vineyard in the fledgling northern New South Wales wine region of New England that has long defined his wines.
Jared’s wines shape-shift with each vintage, reflecting nuances of the growing season and an eye for texture, drinkability and freshness writ large in each release. White wines find texture and depth from skin fermentation, red wines are bright, crisp, light and thirst quenching, while ‘hybrid wines’ reflect creative red, white and skin fermented parcels judiciously co-fermented or blended. And, then there’s those wickedly delicious three litre casks. Hallelujah, great natural wine goon bags for all!
We’re thrilled with Jared’s new releases. They’re full of energy, high drinkability, stacks of interest, vitality and general good times. And, importantly, a quiet complexity and detail that elevates them above the pack. High praise, but these are his best releases yet. Limited, as usual, but we’ve twisted Jared’s arm for a little extra this year…
