It’s hard to conceive of a grower more in tune with the soul of his vineyard than Geoff Weaver.
The purchase of the land in 1982 – before the Adelaide Hills was even a wine region – was itself an enormous leap of faith.
He planted it with his father Henry, only to see it ravaged by the Ash Wednesday blazes of 1983. In December 2019 fire came again and Geoff stood resolute to defend his haven.
As a humble, contemplative nature-lover, this is where he likes to sit and think. As a painter, he’s captured its shifting light and mood in his art.
And his wines are themselves a pristine representation of this idyllic slice of Lenswood.
Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc – two noble white grapes whose racy purity lends itself to Weaver-like frankness – grow beautifully here. Geoff is a master at balancing their refreshing juiciness with rapier-like cut.
Burgundy varieties Chardonnay and Pinot Noir also thrive in a spot that’s warm enough to ripen them and whose cool evenings slow that maturation process, so flavours build gradually while freshness and detail are assured.
The Weaver wines have a new look, and we’re delighted to offer young vintages in dazzling form alongside some museum treasures from Geoff’s gem of a vineyard.
THE WINES
2019 Weaver Single-Vineyard Lenswood Sauvignon Blanc $35
There is a clear trend to earlier harvest dates over the 31 years we have been growing Sauvignon. Hand-picking occurred in mild weather from 4th to 6th March. We crushed, destemmed and gently airbag pressed the fruit. We cold fermented the clear settled juice to dryness. – Geoff Weaver
From Geoff Weaver’s immaculate Lenswood sub-region vineyard – which was disastrously burned in a December 2019 bushfire, then bravely revived during 2020. A wine that stands tall to show us how great both the Hills and Sauvignon Blanc can be in Geoff Weaver’s gentlemanly hands. The nose and palate are all about well-mannered varietal pungency, gooseberry and ginger, with fabulous, pithy texture and a reverb of exciting flavours on the finish. Simply terrific.
95 points. Tony Love, Halliday Wine Companion 2022
2015 Weaver ‘Ferus’ Single-Vineyard Lenswood Sauvignon Blanc $49
Hand picking occurred in cool weather on 5th and 6th March. Crush, destem, gently air bag press. Rack settled juice with some solids to barrel and allow to begin ferment naturally with indigenous yeast. Ferment to dryness with no temperature control. Leave on yeast lees with some stirring. One year on lees in third-use French oak barriques. – Geoff Weaver
Estate-grown, wild-fermented in French barriques followed by 12 months maturation, neither fined nor acidified. A fascinating comparison with Flowstone’s barrel-fermented Sauvignon Blanc. Here the exercise is tighter and more restrained, the accent more on fruit purity than texture and structure. The fruits have as much citrus flavour as tropical, the finish bright and fresh.
96 points. James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion 2019
2020 Weaver Single-Vineyard Lenswood Riesling $35
Riesling was the first variety we planted at Lenswood in 1982 with the first small crop in 1985. To me the essence of our Riesling is gentle, fine floral aromatics with the palate showing great finesse and delicacy. There is a mineral element about these wines and a wonderful capacity to fill out and grow in complexity with age, free from the heavy, overt, toasty characters that dominate many aged Australian Rieslings.
Crush, de-stem, gently air bag press. Rack partly cloudy juice to old barrels to ferment. Barrels chilled to stop ferment at 7g/L sugar. – Geoff Weaver
Miraculously, these vines survived the disastrous December 2019 bushfire that destroyed Geoff Weaver’s sheds and equipment at his revered Lenswood vineyard. Working a new way with the Riesling in this vintage, the wine was fermented and spent 7 months in old barrels with lees contact, leaving a delicate 5g/L RS in the final wine. The barrel characters offer some cream and spice to the apple and custard apple flavours; the sugars are benign yet textural and in context.
94 points. Tony Love, Halliday Wine Companion 2022
2015 Weaver Single-Vineyard Lenswood Riesling $30
Loaded with floral and citrus scents and flavours, charismatic with ‘minerally notes’, succulent and piercing in texture. The golf clap begins from first whiff and builds to applause. A seriously refreshing, simple-done-well, citrus and green apple orientated Riesling with light, complex waxy texture in tow, and general sense of excitement. I want to drink heaps of this on a warm day kind of vibes.
92 points. Mike Bennie, The Wine Front
2019 Weaver Single-Vineyard Lenswood Chardonnay $54
Grapes were picked into crates and we pre-chilled the fruit to below 5˚C for whole-bunch pressing. The juice was settled and racked to barrels with some solids. The juice underwent wild-yeast ferment, which lasted for three weeks and continued to dryness. All barrels were left on lees for 12 months, and a quarter were inoculated for malolactic conversion. Lees stirring aided the extraction of the creamy, nutty yeast lees elements in the wine.
The 2019 Chardonnay spent 12 months in French oak barriques, all from forests in Vosges and the centre of France. Half of the oak was new and the balance was second use.
From Geoff Weaver’s Lenswood vineyard, wild fermented then left on lees for 12 months in French barriques, 50% new. Ripe peachy notes to begin, then more complex elements show their wares on the palate in leesy savoury notes and a crisp apple-like acidity that’s long and even. This has a lot more to offer in the coming decade.
95 points. Tony Love, Halliday Wine Companion 2022
2013 Weaver Single-Vineyard Lenswood Chardonnay $54
Bunches were chilled to 5 deg before being whole bunch-pressed to French barriques (50%new, 50% second use) for wild yeast fermentation, partial mlf, 12 months maturation. This, as they might say is the cat’s pyjamas, with its pyrotechnic display of grapefruit-driven fruit flavours, bright acidity and long finish. It is ambling surely along its development path. Screw cap 13% alc To 2023.
96 points. James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion 2018
2019 Weaver Single-Vineyard Lenswood Pinot Noir $54
100% single-vineyard Pinot Noir from our beloved Lenswood site. The fruit was gently crushed into half-tonne fermenter tubs, with 25% of whole bunches, seeded with a low level of yeast culture and allowed to ferment. Ripe stalks were ideal to add to the tannin structure in the wine. Plunging four times daily. No chilling. Ferment up to 30˚ C. On skins for 15 days. Pressed to barrel with pressings included. Racked to clarify. MLF in barrel. – Geoff Weaver
Medium ruby hue, bright from core to rim. Dark cherries, bay leaf and graphite aromatics. Dark fruit on palate entry, rolling into dry rosemary and damp earth savoury layers. The tannins are firm but in balance with fruit weight. It drives well and with length to a drying and slightly minty finish.
91 points. Stuart Knox, The Real Review
2013 Weaver Single-Vineyard Lenswood Pinot Noir $49
2013 was an excellent growing season for the Weaver Pinot Noir, with mild temperatures and 236mm of rain from October to end February. Harvest was early on 4th March, partly due to the extremely low crop levels (0.6 kg per vine). Low crops mean flavour concentration, early ripening and generally good acid levels because ripening is relatively quick. Natural acids are tight and harmonious.
The fruit was gently crushed into fermenter tubs, with a proportion of whole berries but no stalks. The juice was seeded with a low level of yeast culture and allowed to ferment. Plunging four times daily. No chilling. Ferment up to 30°C on skins for 15 days. Pressed to barrel with pressings included. Racked to clarify. MLF in barrel. Matured for 12 months in French oak barriques (50% new), from forests in the centre of France.
It shows lifted primary cherry fruit with hints of earth and spice. A distinctly Pinot nose. The palate is complex, juicy and supple with ripe fruit. It’s generously flavoured with a lingering, drying savoury tannin on the finish. – Geoff Weaver