Joshua Cooper Wines

Macedon, Victoria

SUSTAINABLE - MINIMAL INTERVENTION - VEGAN

Established in 2012 with a single barrel, Josh Cooper’s wine operation is based around a négocient system, sourcing from sensitive and conscientious growers with great vineyard sites in the Macedon Ranges and across Central and Western Victoria.

With a focus on Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon from significant and historic sites, this is an exploration of surroundings through wine, made without artifice, to be a reflection of place and season.
These grower vineyards are soon to be supplemented by estate grown fruit, with planting commencing 2024 of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir at Stone Hills, Drummond Victoria.
The foundation of our winemaking is working with the highest quality vineyard sites possible. Mature vines sensitively grown indistinctive and varied geologies provide grapes of the utmost quality and character. Decisions on picking, fermentation and maturation are made intuitively, letting each wine evolve as needed. Small additions of sulphur are the only additive.

JOSHUA COOPER CHARDONNAY - CENTRAL VIC

Our 2024 Chardonnay was sourced entirely from the weathered granite slopes of the Dash Farm’s vineyard, the same site as our single vineyard offering (to be released later in the year). A slightly longer pressing and ageing solely in old French oak has resulted in a beautiful Chardonnay with all the hallmarks of our house style, while also presenting a wonderful drinkability in youth. Aromatically floral and inviting with jasmine blossom, lemon zest and subtle crushed stone, the palate is focused and precise, with lemon and faint green almond flavours, yet offers lovely concentration of flavour and finely mouth coating texture. Cellar into the medium term or enjoy now in youth.

JOSHUA COOPER ROSE - CENTRAL VIC

Inspired by the great, age-worthy and serious rosé wines of the south of France (Clos Cibonne, Chateau Simon and Tempier), our interpretation is barrel fermented in large old French oak, then lees aged for 11 months, creating a wine of depth, complexity and character.

A blend of Merlot, Shiraz, Pinot Noir, Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon. Orangey salmon in colour, it offers exuberant aromatics of raspberry, cranberry, green almond and peppery spice and a subtle stoney complexity. The palate is crisp, yet concentrated, full of bright, spicy red berry fruit, creamy, lees derived complexity and feathery tannins adding complexity and savouriness.

A wonderful food wine, and one that will also gain in complexity in the medium term.

JOSHUA COOPER PINOT NOIR - CENTRAL VIC

Produced in much the same style as our well known ‘Doug’s Vineyard’ cuveé, though hailing from the exposed granite soils of Dash Farm.

Bright ruby red, and immediately inviting, black raspberry, red cherry, exotic spices and woody herb aromatics fill the glass, with a subtle flinty, smokey complexity. The palate as is usual for our style is full of red fruit and spicy complexity, structured by fresh acid and fine, powdery tannins which lend plenty of seriousness to this early release wine.

Open and appealing at present, this Pinot Noir will also reward medium term cellaring with additional complexity and nuance. A wonderful weekday wine, or introduction to our style.

JOSHUA COOPER CLARET- CENTRAL VIC

A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Malbec, made in a slightly softer and more fruit forward style than our other Cabernet wines, though with enough structure to enjoy both now or later.

Bright garnet in colour, the Claret is full of blood plum, cassis and creamy black cherry fruit, while subtle tobacco, violet and iodine add complexity. Plush and full of purple berry fruit, the palate is light enough for luncheon drinking, yet also has enough stuffing and structure to take serious food matching, or some time in the cellar.

JOSHUA COOPER DASH FARM CHARDONNAY - MACEDON, VIC

Pale with a green edge, Dash Farms offers restrained aromas of crushed rock, lemon and grapefruit rind, just ripe nectarine and spice. Flavours carry through to a dense and powerful palate with powdery phenolics, savoury complexity and a fine acid line, finishing creamy and long. The best vintage of this cuvée yet.

JOSHUA COOPER PYREN VINEYARD SAUVIGNON BLANC - MACEDON, VIC

Pale straw. Intense and concentrated aromatics of nettle, struck flint, preserved lemon, and grapefruit pith are complexed by subtle peach and nectarine fruit, clotted cream and spice. The palate is again led by citrus/stonefruit, flint, spice and savoury mirerality. Fleshy, textured and long with fine acid – this wine shares many similarities with the style and weight of the chardonnay’s we produce, and cannot be recommended highly enough for lovers of those wines.

JOSHUA COOPER DOUG’S VINEYARD PINOT NOIR - MACEDON, VIC

Pale ruby. Another elegant and ethereal vintage from this lovely vineyard. Full of raspberry and blackberry fruit, rose petal and subtle crushed herb, it is deceptively concentrated. Long with ribbons of fine, silky tannin and creamy pinot fruits, combined with the typical exotic spice always evident in the Doug’s cuvée.

JOSHUA COOPER BALGOWNIE OLD VINE CABERNET- MACEDON, VIC

Deep, dark garnet. A wine which immediately makes one sit up and focus. Incredibly refined and complex with iron, sweet cassis, cedar spice, violet and rose, air reveals infinite nuance and detail. The palate is flooded with wave upon wave of Cabernet fruit, braced by a strict but not overbearing tannic structure, finishing with sweet violet and cassis.

JOSHUA COOPER REDBANK OLD VINE CABERNET - MACEDON, VIC

Impenetrable garnet. Subtle and restrained, though incredibly distinctive. Redbank slowly reveals layer after layer – cassis, new leather, warm terracotta, fig and blood plum. The most elegant of Black Holes of aroma and flavour.

Fine and layered tannin coats the mouth, carrying inky, ferrous complexity and blood plum fruit. Redbank eloquently evokes the iron rich red loams, shale and wild scrub of this part of the Pyrenees.

JOSHUA COOPER GREYTOWN OLD VINE CABERNET - MACEDON, VIC

Glistening purple, the two varieties combine wonderfully lending the pepper, spice and plushness of Syrahs fruit, with the strictness and refinement of Cabernet Sauvignon.

Aromas of cracked black pepper, sweet new leather, baking spices, lavender, thyme, and a sprig of mint fill the glass. Australian garrigue. Sweet and fleshy black cherry fruits are ensconced in layers of fine pliant tannin, with the firm backbone and sense of freshness and refinement only Cabernet Sauvignon can bring. A wine entirely unique to its place and landscape, old vines, co-planted with great foresight in a cooler pocket of the region.