The Islander Estate Vineyards

Established by one of the most famous Flying Winemakers in the world, Bordeaux-born and trained and part-time Australian resident Jacques Lurton. The close-planted vineyard is principally planted to cabernet franc, shiraz and sangiovese, with lesser amounts of grenache, malbec, semillon and viognier. The wines are made and bottled at the onsite winery in true estate style. The property was ravaged by the terrible bushfire that devastated many (not all) parts of the island in January '20. It consumed the entire vineyard and its infrastructure, the house, the laboratory and the office, which became the sacrificial lamb slowing the fire sufficiently to allow the protection of the winery and its stock of bottled wine, and the wines still in barrel and tank. Long-time friend and business partner Yale Norris cut back every vine down to 20cm, hoping that shoots would appear. With great fortune, 70% of the vineyard recovered, and harvest began again from their estate vineyard in ’23. -JAMES HALLIDAY