Wine

Bimbadgen Liquid Rising

Under the cover of covid, a quiet but purposeful vinous evolution has been taking shape at Bimbadgen in the Hunter Valley. Underneath its iconic bell tower, ITS focus and energy has shifted – and the resulting wines are proving very special indeed.

Moving the needle

With wine, style and identity evolve symbiotically and slowly – and for good reason. Vines need time to take hold and to find their true flavours, the winemakers need time to understand what works, endures and ultimately sells, and the region as a whole soon becomes identified by these wines and the people that build them.

To best understand this, intercept one of the boxes leaving Bimbadgen’s winery or cellar door and taste what is inside – you’ll soon experience the energy that is changing its wines, the identity of Bimbadgen, and the Hunter generally.

Left: The Bimbadgen Signature Semillon; Right: tapping into one of Bimbadgen's recent reds.

The Beauty of Bimbadgen

 “The beauty with Bimbadgen is that we have two totally, distinctively different vineyards that are driven by a variety of soils,” Bimbadgen’s winemaker Richard Done explains. “Both sites are over 50 years’ old. Our McDonalds Road vines sit on a darker, terra rossa-type soil, so they impart a richer, brooding spectrum of flavours across the red and the whites.

“Then,” he continues, “on the other side you have Palmers Lane, which is a little lighter and has limestone, and can throw up some lovey perfumed aromatics that lend themselves beautifully to lighter, more delicate wine styles.”

Winemaker Richard Done and his team sample the fruits of their labours.

Marathon Not A Sprint

Having worked with some of the Hunter’s great winemakers, Done knows that you can’t rush real quality and real change, and has spent lots of time with the team working out what is possible.

“We have an incredible hospitality offering here that supports and lifts up the wines beautifully, but the wines have to stand on their own two feet for all that to work,” says Done. “But I think that the sky is the limit for us, if we keep focused on the 1% and keep improving each year, we’ll get to where we want.”

Bimbadgen's bell tower overlooks the stunning entrance of its winery and cellar door.

Range, Style and Quality

Bimbadgen now has an enviable range that not only represents a desirable price- to-value ratio, but reflects the identity and flavour of the region and the wine styles that will define the Hunter into the future. The Bimbadgen Sparkling range has three approachable and fun NV wines: a fresh, elegant and tangy Sparkling Semillon, a soft and creamy Sparkling Rosé and a delicate, vibrant Sparkling Cuvée driven by Chardonnay and Semillon.

From there is a special Blanc De Blanc, a vintage-driven wine designed for true lovers of delicate, complex and age-worthy bubbles. The Growers Range wines represent the relationships the Estate has with premium growers across the valley, showcasing a range of approvable regional classics and alternate varieties like Vermentino, Fiano and Tempranillo that are becoming increasingly popular.

Overlooking the vines of the valley from Bimbadgen's cellar door.

Side Step is a small range designed to allow for Richard and his team to  experiment and take a different path with fruit from other regions. Featuring a Sem Sauv Blanc and a Shiraz, the wine are vegan friendly, fresh and bright. 
Meanwhile, Bimbadgen’s Single Vineyard range are crafted as outstanding, classic Hunter Valley wines showcasing its special sites, with Semillon, Chardonnay and Shiraz the stars.

Finally the Bimbadgen Signature range represents something extraordinary, selected from individually vinified parcels: the best barrels from the very best vintages. These are wines of exceptional quality, built to age gracefully and savoured well into the future. And if the current range of Bimbadgen wines are any indication, the future for this Hunter icon continues to shine bright.