The Chalmers family is in a league of its own when it comes to pushing boundaries. Bruce and Jenni Chalmers, followed by their intrepid daughters, burst through the Francophile frontier behind which Australia once toiled unquestioningly, bringing with them an army of forward-thinking producers, catalysed by a crop of grape varieties that suit our various regional climates.
They’ve rung these positive changes to the Australian wine landscape with such enthusiasm, energy and efficiency that one might overlook the deep, sensitive consideration that goes into every decision they make. This is especially true of the Chalmers range of wines. Remember that Bruce and Jenni began growing grapes in the 1980s and had steadily nurtured their vineyard into one of the largest and most diverse in the country long before the family name first appeared on a bottle of wine in 2004.
Kim’s winemaker husband, Bart Van Olphen, completed the family team in 2011, and this second-gen trio has fine-tuned every aspect of the growing and raising of the wines. The varietal wines that have entered the range have undergone a breeding programme of their own, rising through the ranks of Chalmers Project experimentation. They then found their feet, literally and figuratively, in the distinctive dirt of the Heathcote vineyard. They became fully realised as unforced wines that express the combination of their varietal DNA and that of the rocky Mount Camel soils.
The Top Block at Heathcote is their finest sliver of dirt, lovingly tended by 2025 Halliday Wine Companion Viticulturalist of the Year finalist Troy McInnes. The slope rises to 225 metres and comprises basalt, shale, sandstone, dolerite, quartz and limestone. Plantings span Aglianico, Sagrantino, Nero d’Avola, Piedirosso and Falanghina—grape varieties with proven pedigree, which ripen with beautiful balance into late April.
Bart has a well-honed sixth sense with these varieties in this place, and the time has come to share with you the fruits of audacious, unstinting labour. For all the hard work, this wine couldn’t look more effortless if it tried. Serious quality and joyous drinking, it sums up the family endeavour. The wine will only be produced in exceptional vintages, and the blend will vary depending on what best captures the magic of the block in that year.
This first edition is about a third each Aglianico and Sagrantino, with 14% each of Nero d’Avola and Piedirosso and a 4% dash of Falanghina. It paints a beautiful picture of this slice of Italian-accented Australiana. It is floral, brightly fruited, mineral and spicy, with a lacy, flowing texture, underpinned by frolicking acidity and powdery tannins. It’s unique and exciting, and we heartily commend it to you.
The Wine
Vines imported by Chalmers: 2000 + 2001 + 2015
First Top Block produced by Chalmers: 2023
Region: Heathcote, Victoria
Soil type: Basalt, shale, sandstone, dolerite, quartz, limestone
Elevation: 210 – 225m
Vintage: 2023
Rainfall: 754mm
Harvest: 23rd and 26th March and 5th and 28th April 2023.
Blend: Aglianico 34%, Sagrantino 34%, Nero d’Avola 14%, Piedirosso 14%, Falanghina 4%
Winemaking: Wild ferment, whole berry, open fermenter, extended maceration, aged for 18 months in old French barriques, unfined, vegan, contains sulphites
Style: Composed, distinct
Sensory: Cherry, autumn leaf, rocky earth, tobacco, plum
Alc/Vol: 13.4%
