Guthrie
Adelaide Hills, South Australia
Guthrie Wines is the creation of Hugh and Sarah Guthrie, who have made a name for themselves producing wines that uncover the Adelaide Hills’ site-specific beauty.
Their small family-run winery is an extension of Hugh’s family’s sixty-year presence on the Gumeracha estate. Today, Hugh crafts Adelaide Hills single-vineyard wines of exceptional quality while also running sheep on the property.
Hugh’s winemaking philosophy is rooted in channeling the essence of beautiful fruit from the right places, revealing the subtle nuances of unique Adelaide Hills sites through a careful, minimalist approach — a dedication he has maintained for over a decade.
The Guthrie range offers masterful interpretations of cooler-climate winemaking. His staples and best-sellers include a polished Pinot Noir and an expressive Chardonnay.
2023 Chardonnay 'Clones'
Growing up on his family’s sheep farm in Gumeracha, Hugh Guthrie developed an early interest and passion for the local vineyards of the Torrens Valley region. He went on to complete a master of oenology at the University of Adelaide, then perfected his craft around wineries in Australia and overseas. After producing award-winning wines for The Lane Vineyard, Hugh decided to focus on the Guthrie wines in 2014. He and his wife, Sarah, have since established themselves firmly as leading Adelaide Hills vintners. Their family-run winery is nothing short of impressive and awe-inspiring, much like the ‘Clones’ Chardonnay. Lemon and dill butter poached marron sounds like a perfect match for it.
Winemaking
The fruit comes from a neighbouring vineyard in Mount Torrens where Hugh runs his sheep. It is planted to a variety of clones picked at the same time for a more cohesive blend. The fruit is destemmed to incorporate more solids and create greater textural appeal. It was then pressed to tank and barrelled in a mix of French old and new (33%) puncheons, where it rested for 8 months, without malolactic conversation. It remained without sulphur until bottling.
Tasting Notes
This is a seamlessly balanced, new age Chardonnay showing off intense aromas of yellow peach, lemon zest, orange blossom, toasted almond and a generous amount of oak spice characters. It has a bone-dry palate nicely completed with ripe lemon, peach and mango flavours that are underlined by a firm acid grip.
2021 Grüner Veltliner 'Wild'
Hugh’s wines are part benchmarks of quality, part experimental. He seeks the best examples of fruit grown in the right places, from Gumeracha to Birdwood, Ashton, and other prime Adelaide Hills locations with pristine reputations. The result is seamless with just enough intrigue to keep you coming back for more. This is an interesting take on the Austrian variety highlighting the floral and spice characters. The ‘Wild’ Grüner Veltliner is part of the Concept range, which pushes varietal boundaries by delving into the amazing flavours and textures that can be teased out with creative winemaking. This Grüner Veltliner is where all the wild things are. Its shapeshifting, rich and textural nature makes it ideal for spicy Thai noodles or bitter rocket and apple salad.
Winemaking
The fruit comes from the same vineyard as the Sauvignon Blanc. Hand-picked, destemmed, 4-6 hours on skins, pressed to tank, then racked off the heavy solids to a different tank. Wild fermented at cool temperature, then transferred to seasoned (2016) barrels (barriques) to continue fermentation. It is left in barrel for another 8 to 9 months. Very responsive to a lot of treatments overall.
Tasting Notes
There is so much happening in the glass – a rich bouquet of ripe citrus peel, orange blossom, chamomile, sage, dried fennel and ripe apricot, and a creamy palate offering lemon custard, spiced white peach and green peas, all of it held tightly by a zippy acidity that freshens up the finish.
2023 Pinot Rose 'Sleepless Nights'
This wine stands proudly within the delicious dry, savoury style rosé category. Within Australia’s plethora of rosés, this one certainly makes generalisation difficult with its soft, savoury spice and delicate red fruit characters. The heart-warming colour and the way Hugh applied his magic to the fruit are defining characters. This wine was made with primary intent, rather than as an afterthought – a welcome take on this highly popular style that manages to capture one’s imagination with lightness and the clear resolution to delight. Heirloom tomatoes, burrata and jamon should add a trick to the party this is.
Winemaking
The fruit comes from a cool, south-facing vineyard in Birdwood planted to sparkling Pinot Noir clone D5V12. It produces beautiful rosé quality Pinot Noir thanks to its upright and vigorous, open canopy. The fruit was hand-picked early, two weeks earlier than the rest of the Pinot Noir, to avoid high alcohol. It was destemmed, then pressed instantly to achieve this attractive pink orange, copper colour. 40% went through a slow, cool fermentation in French 500 litre and 600 litre oak barrels (which also helped preserve the colour), the rest in stainless steel. The wine underwent partial malolactic fermentation before Spring bottling.
Tasting Notes
It has the most attractive pale pink orange colour. The glass fills up with bright aromas of gardenia, ripe strawberry, pink pomelo, and quince. The palate is fresh and lively with delicate red currant, watermelon and raspberry flavours showing great intensity and depth against the gentle yet persistent acid.
2021 Pinot/Syrah 'Clover Fields'
The 'Clover Fields' Pinot Syrah recently flew into the warehouse and wowed us its instant charm and drop-dead gorgeous “Australian Burgundy” appeal. As unusual a pairing as it may be, it's an enduring style that Australian winemakers have made their own over the years. It blurs the line between the lighter, more subdued demeanour of Pinot Noir and the bolder temperament of Shiraz, resulting in a wine that is a nod to the rich history of adventurous Australian winemaking, and a celebration of wholesome styles of wines that appeal to all wine drinkers. Roasted beetroots and pine mushrooms make a delicious earthy match.
Winemaking
The Pinot Noir hails from the same vineyard as the 'Clones' Pinot Noir, hence the elegant complexity on display. The Syrah accounts for half of the blend, adding richness and spice. The Pinot Noir was wild fermented in open fermenters, then aged in French oak barrels for up to 9 months. The Syrah was left on skins for about 10 days, then wild fermented in open fermenters, and finally aged in stainless steel tanks for 9 months.
Tasting Notes
Pinot and Syrah joined in a classic Aussie light red style.
Plushly composed, it has intense juicy blackberry and red cherry aromas and flavours wildly swirling on the palate. It' doesn't play hard to get and the generous fruit, soft tannins and fine line of acidity make it quite the catch.
2024 Pinot Noir
By focusing on the variety’s natural qualities through minimal winemaking, Hugh pares back ripeness and produces a style that is whole-berry driven and distinctively red fruited. With much left to be uncovered from each pocket of this diverse region, Hugh shows us that all the difference is made by sourcing fruit from the right place, where quality is both the end and the means.
Winemaking
The fruit comes from a single-vineyard, east-facing site planted to the Abel clone of Pinot Noir and cane pruned. The soils are acidic sandy loam over red clay, naturally limiting vigour and resulting in low yields in 2024. The fruit was handpicked at dawn and fully destemmed to open-top fermenters, where it underwent a natural ferment. It spent between 10 and 20 days on skins with gentle cap management before being pressed to French oak, 20% new. After 10 months in oak, the wine was transferred to stainless steel for settling prior to bottling.
Tasting Notes
The nose and the palate show sour cherry and red currant, with a whiff of cherry liqueur and amaro herb characters. It is elegant and smooth with ample fruit weight to play off the oak derived spice and glossy tannins. It has a savoury, earthy complexity, with a striking mineral line adding complexity to the finish.
2021 Syrah ‘Snare’
By focusing on the purity of fruit and gentle handling, this cool‑climate Syrah exemplifies the vibrant personality of Adelaide Hills. Drawn from a close‑planted vineyard in Kenton Valley, it highlights refined structure and bright varietal energy, with every decision in the winery aimed at preserving freshness and spice.
Winemaking
The Syrah fruit was hand‑picked early in the cool of the morning from a tightly spaced vineyard in Adelaide Hills’ Kenton Valley and promptly brought to the winery to retain vibrancy. Fifty percent of the grapes were gently destemmed to an open fermenter and topped up with whole bunches. A wild ferment then took place over three weeks with gentle plunging to manage extraction. After fermentation, the wine was pressed into second and third use hogsheads and matured until bottling the following Autumn, emphasising soft tannin development and varietal clarity.
Tasting Notes
This wine displays a spicy, cool‑climate Syrah profile with enticing notes of blackberry, white pepper and savory spice. It offers very fine tannins with a bright thread of acidity that carries the palate through a poised, refreshing finish. The result is a light, expressive Syrah that balances primary fruit intensity with elegant structure.
Review
"The 2021 Guthrie ‘Snare’ Syrah from Adelaide Hills shows open‑knit aromas of plum, ripe red currant, pepper spice and gentle gamey notes. On the palate it is medium‑bodied, soft and plush, with baked red plum, red currant and pepper spice supported by a strong line of plum‑laced acidity and integrated fine‑grained tannins. The finish is juicy, fresh and moreish." Young Gun of Wine