Minim

Heathcote, Victoria

SUSTAINABLE - MINIMAL INTERVENTION - VEGAN

what’s all this about…

I didn’t plan on becoming a winemaker. I have no formal training as a winemaker or viticulturist, nor have i worked around the world at famous Domains. I studied Geology at University and my first love was always cooking. Then came wine…

…it was always there, always a passionate interest. But i never really got a sense of place and season and personality like i did with food. I grew my own food, i cooked for my family, it felt real. Wine didn’t back then. I wasn’t asking the right questions. Then i had dinner at Garagiste in 2010. That place changed things for me. I had a D’Meuer Pinot, Occhipinti SP68 and Phil- lippe Bornard Savaginin alongside some of the most creative and focused regional food i’d ever experienced and started see- ing things a little clearer! These wines were vivid and textural and exciting. My focus changed after that dinner.

I wanted to learn more. I wanted to make wine like this.

My first release was in 2011 with Xavier Goodridge. It was all very loose. Shiraz and Grenache. All whole bunch in a milk vat under a tree, old basket press, old barrels, lots of mistakes, no time but at the end we made a wine. A weird, faulty wine in

one of the worst vintages in recent memory. Bottled early, made some labels, took it to some local venues. It was the start of

something small and real and quickly consumed me. I loved that first wine.

Over the years i’ve worked with and leaned on generous vignerons like Jean-Yves Du Mont, Adam Marks, Gilles Lapalus, Jarad Curwood, Xavier Goodridge and Pat Underwood to help guide my hand, shape my understanding and fuel the fire. I’ve taken loads of risks, made countless mistakes and experimented recklessly in an attempt to better understand process and terroir. But, as time passes, i’m learning that my fundamental passion for simplicity, season and place in the context and food and wine informs my decisions in the cellar more often…

Local fruit, grown well, handled simply.

These days I want to make small wines from great sites around Central Victoria. I don’t grow and of my own grapes, but i plan to soon. I source handpicked grapes from small growers; some organic, some moving that way and some more conventional- ly grown. I work with native yeasts and tend to build complexity in my wines by fermenting smaller volumes with different ap- proaches. Most wines age in old casks, some in stainless. I release lairy and fruitful blended wines in Spring and more focused varietal, single-site expressions throughout the following year.

My wines are made alongside Little Reddie wines under the roof of Boomtown Winemakers Co-operative in Castlemaine, Vic- toria.

Love from Tim

2021 Minim ‘Colbinabbin’ Fiano/ 36 DOZ AVAILABLE

The nose is beeswax and honey, slight white blossom, lemon curd and red apple with a subtle bready character. The palate is dry and textured with ripe lemon, pear and shortcrust with soft baking spice and a long racy lemon juice acidity to finish. There is a beautiful powdery phenolic texture to it. Loooong finish. A complex and textured white that will provide just the right amount of winter comfort, yet energetic enough for spring time awakenings.

2022 MINIM ‘FLOYD’ NERO D’AVOLA | PINOT GRIS – HEATHCOTE, VIC

2022 Floyd is a pink drink and all about the enjoyment of Nero D’Avola in its most youthful and vibrant form, lifted further with skin contact Pinot Gris. The Nero (70%) comes from the Chalmers vineyard in Northern Heathcote, picked early and macerated on skins for 3 days before being pressed and fermented in tank. The Pinot Gris, sourced from Faraday and grown on granite, macerated on skins for 12 days in tank before a light press, coming together with the Nero post ferment. Floyd rested on solids over winter and was then racked early Spring before bottling with some sulphur added. IN THE GLASS…The fruit here is vivid and lifted and red and blue and energetic, tempered with a faint hummm of skin tannin and fresh natural acid. Pomegranate, stewed plums and strawberries with anise, poached quince…autumnal, but made for summer! Early spring Floyd is happily served at house temperature, but as these months warm up Floyd will find his way into fridges and eskies and hearts everywhere

2023 MINIM ‘PATSY’ FIANO / VERMENTINO

Patsy is made for summer; fresh crunchy lemon juice acidity and good time tropical fruit, subtle white pepper and texture born from extended time on lees and a short soak on skins prior to ferment. Fermented in stainless steel, a few days on skins, all native yeasts, a small portion to barrel and a small addition of sulphur prior to bottling. Patsy is savoury, lean, crisp and textural – something to share with friends on hot days and have a good time. A briny quality this year. Definitely nautical! Not for inspiring endless critique and considered evaluation…just a nice summer drink when you need it most. This year very happily seeing Vermentino (35%) back in the mix, which, along with the fiano, took a 24 hour cold soak on skins prior to pressing and fermentation.

2023 MINIM ‘BOURDAIN’ SHIRAZ / RIESLING

Bourdain….the loose plan here is to capture fruit and vibrancy, whilst paying respect to tannin, in a young wine. Ripe fruit, handled gently. Concentration without density. Generosity with vibrancy and lift. A nice red to open mid week with a bowl of spaghetti. The wine has changed a little over the years…possibly a lot, but this iteration feels more like home. A cooks wine. A wine to cook with. A wine named after a cook. Maybe the concept itself is cooked, but this wine is a very good time. Bringing together Heathcote Nero D’Avola and Sangiovese grown by Chalmers, with some carbonic macerated Syrah from our own Metcalfe vineyards and a whisker of Merlot and cabernet just because. The wine came together early spring and was bottled with minimal sulphur. IN THE GLASS….the fruit is ripe and the tannins hint at power; with plum and raspberry, liquorice and master stock. Drying tannins that rise and fall quickly, allowing the fruit room to move about and lighten the mood. Bourdain loves Pizza and summer BBQs and Black Flags ‘Rise Above’

2022 MINIM ‘HITCH’ SANGIOVESE – HEATHCOTE, VIC

This wine, grown by Chalmers in Northern Heathcote, celebrates Sangiovese in its youth, and comes an earlier pick and a shorter maceration of whole berries without work of the ferment. A short maceration to temper the tannin and hold tight to acid and fruit. Over winter, Hitch rested in barrel to soften tannins and was racked to tank, by gravity, in Spring. Bottled in late Spring with a small sulphur addition. IN THE GLASS…it is vivid, fresh and aromatic, with raspberries, cranberries and red jelly frogs and velvety tannins from front to back, the IDEAL chill able red and perfect for outdoor drinking. I adore Sangiovese in its youth….such delicious fruit, and whilst this isn’t a super reinforced dense expression, the form is linear and complete and holds the fruit very gracefully.

2022 MINIM ‘FARADAY’ CHARDONNAY - HARCOURT, VICTORIA

Pale straw coloured with lemon, lemongrass and green apple aromatics. The palate is bright and clean with a mealy, chalky texture and a concentration of fruit with subtle white peach and blossom. This is a great modern Chardonnay that is driven by chalky minerality and citrus.

2022 MINIM METCALFE SHIRAZ PET NAT ROSE - HAND DISGORGED

A ROSE….not a light red, or a really light red…a Rose, made from regeneratively farmed Shiraz grapes grown by us in our Metcalfe vineyard! We grew some amazing grapes out at Metcalfe in 2022, deepening our commitment to regenerative viticulture, our understanding of the different blocks and the wines we want to make from each parcel. This Rose represents the first pick of the year and comes from deep granitic sands in the Road Block. Picked early for bright acid, but pushed ripeness enough to welcome some tasty red fruit to the party. Hand-picked and direct pressed to stainless steel tank for natural fermentation on most solids. Resting over winter in tank and racked early spring with a sulphur addition prior to bottling. IN THE GLASS…its all red fruit and soft spice, with cranberries and stewed strawberries, kept fresh with a pink grapefruit acidity and softened with hints of cinnamon, christmas spice…maybe speculaas. It feels like a bit of a serious drink…and it is, but its also really great company in less lofty, more free and easy times. Really excited to make a wine like this off our fruit. Hope you like it! – Minim

2022 MINIM ‘COLBINABBIN’ SANGIOVESE - HEATHCOTE, VICTORIA

Fermented in two parts: a 3 week maceration of destemmed berries (60%) pressed and aged in seasoned barriques and a whole bunch carbonic maceration (40%) pressed after 11 days and aged in puncheons. More extractive handling on the destemmed portion of this wine to build tannin and structure, with the more fruitful component coming from the whole bunch fruit. Barrel aged for 10 months. Bottled with 30 ppm sulphur dioxide

Aromatically this wine is all red fruit and soft spice; cherry, raspberry, cinnamon and star anise. The palate dry is with ripe fragrant fruit of cranberry, raspberry, cherry and plum. There is a lovely spice from the old oak and a long finish. The drying Sangiovese tannins support the fruit, giving the wine great structure. Such a satisfying wine…a little deeper this year, but still fresh and fruitful.

2022 MINIM ‘COLBINABBIN’ VERMENTINO - HEATHCOTE, VICTORIA

Pale amber in colour with cinnamon, white pepper, quince and yuzu. The palate is bone dry and textured. The acid lifts and the fruit is more subtle with white peach and melon…hints of banana and green tea. The goal with this wine every year is to offer a refined and detailed expression of skin contact vermentino, with complex savoury character and bold natural acidity. Tannins unfurl with aromatics with a little oxygen in glass. A wonderful wine to serve with aged hard cheeses like our favourite local Holy Goat La Luna.

2022 MINIM ‘SHAYS FLAT’ GRENACHE - PYRENEES, VICTORIA

Notes of cherry, stewed quince, rhubarb and plum aromatically, with cinnamon, star anise. Fruit jumps from the glass with more energy than previous expressions we’ve made, met with a mouthful of generous fruit and lively tannins. A discernible difference in the glass this year….vitality, lift and energy. Grenache has really enjoyed its time in concrete! The palate is dry and medium bodied with soft, ripe fruit of fresh plum and cherry. There is a savoury herbaceous element reminiscent of amaro.

2022 MINIM ‘COLBINABBIN’ NERO D’AVOLA - HEATHCOTE, VICTORIA

Dark and spiced, lifted with vivid blue berry, boysenberry and black berry with a gentle earthiness. The palate is dry and dark fruited with soft powdery tannins giving persistent length buoyed by amazingly bright natural acid. This is ripe Nero, handled gently; structured and fruit driven while still having a gentle softness that brings the wine together. The natural high acidity gives length and balance. This is a very smart wine, perfect for the cooler months.

2024 MINIM ‘PATSY’ FIANO / VERMENTINO

A vibrant and textured white blend that beautifully balances the richness of Fiano with the zesty freshness of Vermentino. The nose is aromatic and inviting, with notes of lemon zest, green apple, and white peach, complemented by a hint of almond and wild herbs. On the palate, it’s medium-bodied with lively acidity, showcasing flavors of citrus, pear, and a touch of saline minerality. The finish is crisp, clean, and refreshing, making it an ideal choice for warm weather and pairing with seafood, light pasta dishes, or Mediterranean-inspired cuisine.

2024 MINIM ‘AMBER’ - NEW VINTAGE DUE MID OCT 24

A captivating skin-contact white wine with layers of complexity and texture. The nose is vibrant, offering aromas of dried apricot, orange zest, and jasmine, intertwined with subtle herbal and spicy undertones. On the palate, it’s medium-bodied with a silky yet structured mouthfeel, showcasing flavors of ripe stone fruits, citrus peel, and a touch of honeycomb. Gentle tannins from the skin contact provide depth, while balanced acidity keeps the wine fresh and lively. The finish is long, with a hint of savory spice. Ideal for pairing with charcuterie, Middle Eastern dishes, or aged cheeses.

2024 MINIM ‘SIMONE’ ROSE - - NEW VINTAGE DUE MID OCT 24

A vibrant and approachable red blend that showcases the fruit-forward charm of Heathcote. The nose reveals aromas of juicy red berries, including raspberry and cherry, with hints of violet, spice, and earthy undertones. On the palate, it’s light to medium-bodied with soft tannins and fresh acidity, delivering flavors of cranberry, plum, and a touch of black pepper. The finish is smooth and balanced, making it an excellent choice for casual meals. Pair with roasted vegetables, grilled poultry, or tomato-based pasta dishes.

2023 MINIM ‘FLOYD’ NERO D’AVOLA - NEW VINTAGE DUE MID

A vibrant and expressive take on Nero d’Avola, showcasing its juicy and approachable character. The nose bursts with aromas of black cherry, plum, and a hint of red licorice, layered with subtle notes of dried herbs and spice. On the palate, it’s medium-bodied with supple tannins and refreshing acidity, delivering flavors of dark berries, ripe plum, and a touch of earthy minerality. The finish is smooth and lively, making it a versatile red perfect for pairing with wood-fired pizza, roasted vegetables, or hearty pasta dishes.

Vintage	Wine	Availability
2021	MINIM PECORINO PET NAT - HAND DISGORGED	SOLD OUT!
2021	MINIM ‘METCALFE’ SHIRAZ - HARCOURT, VICTORIA	SOLD OUT!