Dirty Three Wines
Star Cellar Door
(03) 5606 8128
dirtythreewines.com.au
Marcus Satchell earned his stripes working next to Dominique Portet in the Yarra Valley. Rest assured he learnt a thing or three, setting him up in his winemaking pursuits in Gippsland these past six years. He believes that chardonnay is the strongest variety in East Gippsland, while pinot noir is better suited to West Gippsland. Suits him fine because he makes a number of excellent pinots – five, in all – from different dirts, different vineyard sites. All in all, Dirty Three offers a fascinating study into the role of location, culminating in one of the more complex pinots to emerge from Gippsland: Holgates Road.
Visitors to the cellar door in Inverloch’s industrial estate should not be deterred by its utilitarian façade. Inside it’s a groovy little bar with local food platters, tastings and wine flights using Riedel Magnums. Local artwork displayed deserves special mention. JENI PORT
OUTSTANDING WINE: 2015 Dirty Three Holgates Road Pinot Noir, A$48