Winemaker Notes
Critical Acclaim
All Vintages
A native New Zealander, Charlotte Hardy started her wine career at Craggy Range working under Doug Wisor while she studied for her Bachelor of Wine Science. From there she went on to work at Chateau Giscours in Bordeaux and then on to California to work for David Abreu in Napa Valley. She moved to Australia to work for The Lane Vineyard, but left shortly after to create her own mobile analysis laboratory, as Adelaide Hills was desperately in need of it at the time. Her work in and around Adelaide Hills gave her an intimate look at the growers and vineyards there. In 2015, with the blessings of these growers, she launched Charlotte Dalton Wines.
In 2019, Charlotte and family moved to the Fleurieu Peninsula to open their own cellar door and winery in Port Elliot. In 2021, Charlotte was awarded the prestigious Young Gun of Wine Award.
A narrow band of hills and valleys east of the city of Adelaide, the Adelaide Hills region is a diverse landscape featuring a variety of microclimates. In general it is moderate with high-altitude areas cooler and wetter compared to its warmer, lower areas.
Piccadilly Valley, the part of Adelaide Hills closest to the city, was first staked out by a grower named Brian Croser, in the 1970s for a cool spot to grow Chardonnay, then uncommon in Australia. Today a good amount of the Chardonnay goes to winemakers outside of the region.
Producers here experiment with other cool-climate loving aromatic varieties like Pinot Gris, Viognier and Riesling. Charming sparkling wine is also possible. On its north side, lower, west-facing slopes make full-bodied Shiraz.
Sémillon has the power to create wines with considerable structure, depth and length that will improve for several decades. It is the perfect partner to the vivdly aromatic Sauvignon Blanc. Sémillon especially shines in the Bordeaux region of Sauternes, which produces some of the world’s greatest sweet wines. Somm Secret—Sémillon was so common in South Africa in the 1820s, covering 93% of the country’s vineyard area, it was simply referred to as Wyndruif, or “wine grape.”