Fleet Wines
Leongatha, Victoria
Lisa and Justin Jenkins have over thirty years of combined experience working in Melbourne’s iconic wine bars and restaurants. This painted a clear picture of what makes an alluring wine. Their expertise has now turned to winemaking with a focus on flavour, texture, and sheer enjoyment.
In 2016, the duo returned to South Gippsland, Justin’s childhood home, to create Fleet Wines. The name reflects their commitment to sourcing grapes from diverse regions. Crafted in small quantities, each bottle of Fleet Wine captures a fleeting moment in time, celebrating place and variety.
Fleet Wines embodies their fresh, open approach to winemaking. Every vintage and plot is coaxed into revealing its best, resulting in releases that are exciting and occasionally unpredictable but always deliciously pure and fun.
Lisa’s background as a chef and sommelier, along with her wine show judging and pursuit of the WSET Diploma, infuses their wines with technical sophistication. Justin’s connection to South Gippsland shines through in their soulful wines. Their recent purchase of a small farm, ‘Ever Rêve’, near Leongatha, where they close-planted 4 hectares of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay vines, underscores their commitment to the region.
At Fleet, each parcel of fruit is approached with fresh eyes, drawing on their vast experience to explore wine's exciting possibilities. Their lo-fi methods create expressive, delicious wines, perfect for sharing with friends.
2024 Chardonnay ‘Tarrawarra’
Fruit coming from the highly acclaimed Denton Vineyard in Tarrawarra, Yarra Valley. Planted in 1995, South-facing, 200m above sea level, offers a naturally cooler profile throughout the growing season. Lovely core of ripe orchard fruits and driving acidity underpins this wine.
Winemaking
Whole-bunch pressed tank for settling, then racked to neutral puncheons for fermentation. Lees stirred throughout elevage then racked prior to bottling. 50% malolactic fermentation.
Tasting Notes
Bright pale lemon colour, yellow stone fruits, smoky/grilled almonds and flinty/mineral notes. Citrus backbone, powerful and salivating length.
Review
There’s freshness and vibrancy on display here thanks to high quality fruit and clever winemaking.
The aromas are initially quite tight but unfurl nicely to show nashi pear, white nectarine and lemon zest sitting above almond and riverstone minerality first off. Air unlocks yellow apple, kumquat, delicate smoky grilled peach and a glimmer of pastry dough.
It’s coiled and febrile at this early stage of its lifespan requiring coaxing out of the glass, but what’s there is alluring. The palate has a lovely bright texture with a good bite of preserved lemon and green almond bitterness setting the scene, before grilled peach, Meyer lemon, white nectarine again and a mineral aesthetic similar to the nose.
Some delicate but pithy phenolics add to the bitter tone with a line of cleansing acidity bringing freshness through a long finish. A lovely wine in need of decanting at this early stage.
93pts. Tom Kline, Wine Pilot.
2024 Chardonnay ‘Leongatha’
A deliciously textural wine that offers depth and weight on the palate thanks to barrel fermentation and lees stirring. Grown in the red basalt soils situated in these cooler parts of South Gippsland provide the wine with layers of complexity and flavour.
Winemaking
Whole-bunch pressed to tank for settling, then racked to a neutral puncheons for fermentation. Lees stirred throughout elevage, then racked prior to bottle. 100% malolactic Fermentation.
Tasting Notes
Bright lemon/straw colour, sea spray/oyster-shell, pear & quince. A textural wine with beeswax, white nougat and a flinty mineral backbone. Poised and balanced drive on the finish.
Review
Grown in the red basalt soils of Leongatha on a north facing slope with easterly aspect that was planted in 1990. This was whole-bunch pressed to tank for settling, then racked to neutral puncheons for fermentation.
This is a charming Chardonnay with a beautiful balance of richness, freshness and mineral detail. It’s reluctant to start with emergent notes of peach blossom florals and toast marking the aromatic beginnings, before kumquat and quince to follow. The floral notes swell with air before an occlusion of gentle ginger, peach skin, pastry dough and oyster shell with the faintest hint of nougat as a bass note. There’s a low-toned feel to the aromas, though not to a fault, and the oyster shell minerality builds with air adding shape and savoury intrigue. The palate has a round feel with delicately toasty notes wrapping around ripe yellow apple, nectarine, subtle flint, pear and quince with a cut of that same minerality adding lift. The acidity is tangy and livening, bringing a tart frame around the fruit and drawing the wine to good length. A compelling release.
94pts. Tom Kline, Wine Pilot.
2022 Pinot Noir / Gris ‘Elevate’
The fruit comes from Dunns Creek in Red Hill, Mornington Peninsula. 23-year-old vines planted on friable basalt rich clay loam soils, facing North. An unconventional blend of related grape varieties. The name evokes Lisa and Justin’s desire to grow, to risk, and to propel themselves further toward knowing. Always dreaming, always learning.
Winemaking
80% Pinot Noir, 20% Pinot Gris. The Pinot Noir was de-stemmed while the Pinot Gris was whole-bunch fermented. The two were kept seperate and pressed to neutral oak, then assembled post malolactic fermentation and barrel maturation. It was bottled with minimal sulphur, unfined and unfiltered.
Tasting Notes
Aromatic, punchy fruit. The palate is electric with pure red fruits. Alluring and bright aromas, spiced liquorice plums. Fleshy texture with a long savoury, crunchy finish.
2023 Pinot Noir ‘Balnarring’
The fruit comes from Balnarring, Mornington Peninsula. The 20-year-old vines face North, they grow on sandy, clay loam and coffee rock based soils. The 2023 Balnarring Pinot Noir shows the difference in soil profile from the red volcanic soil in Leongatha, the sandy loam soils offer lifted spices & vibrant blue fruits. Its brambly, and layered, with great detail and length.
Winemaking
50% de-stemmed berries fermented for 18 days, and 50% whole-bunch clusters fermented for 21 days, then pressed to puncheons (20% new). It was bottled unfined and unfiltered.
Tasting Notes
Vibrant red colour, heady-spice aromas swirling around a fleshy textural core of fruit. Powerful yet fine gravelly tannins, taut and lively finish.
2024 Pinot Noir ‘Leongatha’
The fruit comes from the Leongatha Vineyard, South Gippsland. Planted in 1990 facing North, on an easterly aspect. The deeply rooted vines grow on basalt rich and clay loam soils. The 2024 Leongatha Pinot Noir has incredible balance & poise. Another long, cool season resulting in elegance & drive.
Winemaking
60% de-stemmed, naturally fermented for 18 days. 40% Whole bunch cluster fermentation for 21 days. Pressed to neutral puncheons. Bottled unfined & unfiltered.
Tasting Notes
Bright crimson red colour, vibrant lifted aromatics on the nose, wild mulberry & raspberries, earthy/autumnal undercurrent with layers of five-spice and a lifted herbal note unfurling in the glass, with silty/slippery Pinot tannins carrying the fruit to a long finish.
Review
Grown in the red basalt soils of Leongatha on a north facing slope with easterly aspect that was planted in 1990. 60% de-stemmed, naturally fermented for 18 days. 40% Whole bunch cluster fermentation for 21 days. Pressed to neutral puncheons.
This is pretty and lithe straight out the gate with pops of fresh mulberry, cherry and raspberry pip sitting above decaying leaves, herbal tea and dried orange peel. There’s some cinnamon and delicate floral notes acting as a seasoning in the background. The palate isn’t brimming with concentration, but it’s charming in its cool, elegant and lifted feel as it dances through the mouth. Raspberry, cherry, and mulberry feature again with the same tea-like savouriness adding dimension and a twist of blood orange adding bite. Some earthy notes lingering beneath. The tannins are crunchy and chalky, setting a lithe frame through a delicate finish of medium length with tea and amaro like bitterness in the mouth perfume. This is bright and crunchy with a lovely melding of lifted fruit and savoury nuance. Nicely done.
92pts. Tom Kline, Wine Pilot.
2023 Pinot Noir ‘Nostalgia’
The fruit comes from the Leongatha Vineyard, South Gippsland. Planted in 1990 facing North, on an easterly aspect. The deeply rooted vines grow on basalt rich and clay loam soils.
NOSTALGIA; embracing love and emotions. The wine is a reflection on the connection to a place, and how that is both at once comforting, but coloured with longing and loss. It is through a lens of connection and longing they decided to make a wine that is a pure expression of a place, a terroir, they love.
Drink this now with a decant, or cellar over the next 5-10 years.
Winemaking
70% de-stemmed berries naturally fermented for 18 days, and 30% whole-bunch clusters fermented for 21 days, then pressed to puncheons (25% new). It was bottled with minimal sulphur, unfined and unfiltered.
Tasting Note
Deep crimson burgundy colour, perfumed aromatics – florals, cherry, plums – with earthy, spice notes. Leading to a complex and layered palate. A lot of structure and fruit weight, with purity and drive with acid and tannin interplay. Interesting, intriguing and alluring.
Review
This will take you on an exotic spice ride with flavours of sumac, star anise and cinnamon and heady aromas of joss sticks, wild strawberries and garrigue. It's a gorgeous pinot with tangy, juicy acidity teasing out the textural tannins across the light mid-weight palate. It's refreshing, lively and invigorating.
95pts. Jane Faulkner, Halliday Wine Companion
Here we have Fleet’s attempt at the purest expression of their place. Grown in the red basalt soils of Leongatha on a north facing slope with easterly aspect that was planted in 1990. 70% de-stemmed, naturally fermented for 18 days. 30% Whole bunch cluster fermentation for 21 days. Pressed to puncheons - 25% new.
Don’t come here for power and structure, but for verve and charm. Sweet and pretty pops of raspberry and cherry blossom kick things off before yielding to deeper notes of rhubarb and dark cherry with some tilled earth and nutmeg spice beneath. The latter notes build with air and there’s a cherry pit minerality adding lift and dimension. This has the earthen Gippsland mark, but it’s also delicate and beautifully diaphanous. The palate is lifted, bright and mineral as it mirrors the aromas with pretty raspberry, wild strawberry, lavender, gentle earth and tangy plum skin before being encased in a sheath of ultra fine, chalky and nubile tannins adding frame and crunch. The acidity pushes through and draws the wine to delicate but significant length. This is a classy wine of ethereal charm, freshness and quiet complexity.
94pts. Tom Kline, Wine Pilot.
2023 Syrah / Pinot Noir ‘LDR’
The fruit comes from the Leongatha Vineyard, South Gippsland. Planted in 1990 facing North, on an easterly aspect. The deeply rooted vines grow on basalt rich and clay loam soils. Over the years, Lisa and Justin have enjoyed drinking and producing this style of wine and V23 gave them an opportunity to showcase the vibrancy captured from Syrah grown on their Leongatha vineyard. The 20% Pinot Noir addition throws heady spices into the mix.
Winemaking
75% Syrah, 25% Pinot Noir. 30% whole-bunch clusters fermented, then pressed to neutral puncheons for malolactic fermentation. It was bottled unfined and unfiltered.
Tasting Note
Bright cassis colour, lifted florals, blackcurrant and five-spice on the nose. Juicy, fleshy with hallmarks of a lovely cool vintage, oodles of vibrancy and just plain fun to drink.
2023 Pinot Noir / Syrah / Chardonnay ‘Chorus et al.’
Inspired by viewing the vineyard as a whole and letting the varieties come together and sing… much like that hook in a song that keeps you coming back!
A red wine built on texture and freshness that is modelled on finding a really pleasurable experience of place regardless of the variety.
Made with all three varietals grown in the vineyard; Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Syrah. Each variety has an influence, but works in harmony with the others.
Winemaking
Organically grown at the Leongatha vineyard in South Gippsland, this blend of 50% Pinot Noir, 30% Syrah, and 20% Chardonnay comes from 33-year-old vines on north-facing rows.
The Pinot underwent 40% whole bunch fermentation for 21 days, while the rest was 70% de-stemmed and naturally fermented for 18 days. Pressed and matured in neutral puncheons, the wine was bottled unfined and unfiltered.
Tasting Note
Bright cassis colour, earthy, herbal/brambly aromatics, lively wild blackberries, sappy/crunchy texture, silty/fine tannins. It has understated weight and texture. It’s an endlessly interesting wine that leaves you wanting more.
Review
Smelling of spring in the garden with roses and violets, so it makes this rather enticing. The palate is leanish, considering pinot is joined by chardonnay and syrah, although it’s still a terrific drink offering spiced red cherries and plums, plenty of tangy, juicy acidity and just the right amount of tannins to add shape.
95pts. Jane Faulkner, Halliday Wine Companion
According to the Fleet crew, this was “Inspired by viewing the vineyard as a whole and letting the varieties come together and sing… much like that hook in a song that keeps you coming back!” It’s made up of 50% Pinot Noir, 30% Syrah and 20% Chardonnay. 70% de-stemmed, naturally fermented for 18 days. 30% Whole bunch cluster fermentation for 21 days. Pressed to neutral puncheons.
There’s a tart and tangy opening here. Sour cherry, plum skin and orange peel make way for some more floral tones in the form of lavender, unripe rose, a touch of violet. A good swirl of the glass unlocks some welcome savouriness of almond and nutmeg spice before Meyer lemon tang and blueberry. The palate is light and tangy with notes of blood orange, sour cherry and plum skin again before some crunchy red apple tannins frame it up. This is fresh and bright, not brimming with concentration, but is all about freshness and lift.
90pts. Tom Kline, Wine Pilot.
2023 Cabernet ‘Chirnside’
The fruit comes from the Chirnside Vineyard, Yarra Valley. Planted in 1990 facing North, on an easterly aspect. The deeply rooted vines grow on basalt rich and clay loam soils. The 2023 Chirnside Cabernet was a treat to make. After working with Mac Forbes, and really honing in on claret styles of cabernet making gave Lisa and Justin an opportunity to work with a very special older vineyard that’s very well suited to growing excellent Cabernet. A classic style, coming from a long cool ripening season, gifted with vibrancy and elegance.
Winemaking
100% de-stemmed and naturally fermented for 21 days, and pressed to neutral hogsheads. It was bottled un-fined and un-filtered.
Tasting Note
Deep blue/purple colour, vibrant lifted aromatics on the nose, cassis, heady spices, anise, wild fennel, tobacco leaf. Fleshy, juicy blackcurrant and blueberries that glide like velvet. Tannins interweave to a long finish.
Lichen Range
The name ‘lichen’ is inspired by nature and illustrated on the label. Lichens are used to describe the constant symbiosis found in nature. This is mirrored in our dependancy on each other. Just as we need each other to thrive, the lichen wines are made to be shared and enjoyed.
Summer drinking under a tree, in the sun, or by the water. We are always moving, evolving, a series of fleeting moments… just like wine is an expression of a time and place!
2025 Pinot Gris
This Pinot Gris is built around heady aromatics, texture and sheer drinkability. Grown by Clare Burder and Pete Allen on their elevated Whitlands vineyard, this wine showcases the cool-climate finesse of the High Plateau.
Winemaking
Made in two distinct parts; 50% whole-bunch pressed, and barrel fermented; 50% de-stemmed and fermented on skins for 21 days then blended before bottling. Lees stirring adds further depth and creaminess.
Tasting Note
Pink-peach in hue. Aromas of pear, watermelon, and ginger spice leap from the glass. The palate is finely balanced, with beautiful texture from skin contact, and a long, zippy acidity that drives the wine.
2025 Rosé
This rosé exudes serious aperitif energy—pale pink with zesty red berries and a smooth, creamy finish — it conjures up warm days and beach holidays.
Winemaking
This is 100% Syrah coming from Justin and Lisa’s 35-year-old own-rooted vines grown in the red volcanic basalt soils in Leongatha, South Gippsland. Barrel-fermented in seasoned barriques to build texture. The wine shows excellent weight and concentration, with a fine line of acidity keeping everything in its right place. Partial malolactic fermentation builds texture and shape to complement its salivating line. A vibrant Rosé that is kept simple to reveal proper fruit quality.
Tasting Note
In the glass, it shows a dusty pale pink hue. Aromas of wild strawberry, red currant and salted pink grapefruit are lifted by a faint herbal spice. The palate is savoury and finely textural, offering both ease and refreshment with layers of fruit and a slatey grip that carries through to the crisp, dry finish. Light and breezy yet quietly complex, this is rosé with character.
2025 Pinot Meunier
Vibrant, fresh plummy fruits lifted by a heady mix of florals, low tannin structure, make this a perfect chilled red option over the warmer months.
Winemaking
This 2025Whitlands Pinot Meunier coming from Clare Burder’s family vineyard. Sitting at 800m above sea level, the elevation plays a huge role in this crunchy, vibrant style of Pinot Meunier. 100% de-stemmed fruit, wild yeast fermented for 22 days in open top fermenters. It was matured in neutral puncheons.
Tasting Note
Vibrant purple with a perfume of cherry, red plum and sweet red rose. Subtle spice notes; white pepper, star anise and cinnamon quill add intrigue alongside cool herbal nuance.
The palate is light yet layered: juicy red fruits threaded by a fine silty tannin structure and piquant acidity. There’s an undercurrent of mineral, almost saline tension, bringing savoury dimension to the otherwise jubilant fruit. It finishes long, perfumed with red florals and a touch of spice.
A wine of finesse and charm; eminently drinkable at cellar temperature yet equally refreshing with a light chill through the warmer months.
2025 Pinot Noir
Hailing from the cool, windswept heights of the Whitlands plateau (800m), this Pinot Noir is all about brightness, lift, and finely etched detail. The elevated site delivers freshness and aromatic clarity, while the volcanic soils and cool continental climate provide depth and savoury nuance.
Winemaking
Around 30% of the fruit underwent a carbonic ferment on whole clusters for 7 days before being destemmed and left on skins in open fermenters for a further 14 days. The remaining 70% was de-stemmed and fermented wild in open-top fermenters, with the full cuvée spending 28 days on skins. Maturation took place in neutral puncheons, with the blend assembled prior to bottling.
Tasting Note
A shimmery vibrant cherry hue. Aromas of sweet cherry, raspberry, and red plum are layered with hints of rose petal, rhubarb, and a whiff of red liquorice. Subtle spice notes weave through the bouquet, adding complexity.
The palate is light yet flavour-packed, juicy red fruits and a crunch of red apple pulse with vitality. A fine silty tannin structure and piquant acidity frame the wine. Plush yet ethereal, it finishes long with red florals and gentle spice. A Pinot of both charm and precision, equally suited to thoughtful sipping or casual enjoyment.