Clarnette & Ludvigsen Wines

Winemaker Leigh Clarnette and viticulturist Kym Ludvigsen’s career paths crossed in late 1993 when both were working for Seppelt; Kym with a 14ha vineyard in the heart of the Grampians, all but 1ha of chardonnay, 0.5ha of viognier and 0.25ha of riesling planted to rare clones of shiraz, sourced from old plantings in the Great Western area. They met again in 2005 when both were employed by Taltarni. The premature death of Kym in ’13 was widely reported, in no small measure due to his (unpaid) service on wine industry bodies. In 2022 Leigh Clarnette retired Clarnette & Ludvigsen and launched a new brand, Clarnette (see separate entry). -JAMES HALLIDAY