Dysons Vineyard and winery are only 2.5km from the ocean with an obvious maritime moderating influence.  Allan Dyson planted his small 15 acre vineyard over 30 years ago and has been quietly making wines of outstanding quality and integrity.  He is definitely one of the most interesting and genuine characters in the industry. It’s a shame you can’t bottle him, because he’d be more popular than coke.  It turns out though, that thankfully he makes a fair drop of wine, we’ll just have to settle for that.

On Allan’s website he describes how he got involved in the wine business:“As a teenager, Allan joined a McLaren Vale Winery in South Australia. One day in the back of a cellar he found a barrel on its own. "I pulled out the bung and smelt it. And the smell was absolutely magnificent. I whacked the cork back and went back to what I was doing. But it started nagging at me..... Whatever was in that barrel and why the bloody hell did it smell so good?" Allan Dyson set out to find out why.”

After countless vintages perfecting his craft Allan now chooses a very minimal approach to the vineyard and wine making process.  He does pretty well everything from pruning to bottling himself, preferring to keep control of his wines.  His vineyards are dry grown and organically run.  If you visit the vineyard you can expect to see more chickens, geese and ducks than people or machinery. 

Despite his laconic nature and easy smile, do not under estimate his passion or attention to detail.  Allan makes the wines he wants to drink, and runs the vineyards organically because he believes it works.   

Wines from this Winery:

Dysons Viognier 2008

 

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Dysons Viognier 2008

 

Very overt nose with notes of orange blossom, lime leaves, lemon peel, dried apricots and fresh peaches and cream.  The palate is huge and textured with stone fruit intensity while remaining dry.  The finish is long and dry, with citrus like crispness.  A fantastic regional style for this under appreciated variety.

93 points.