For the better part of two decades, Oakridge has epitomised the enigma that the Yarra Valley represents to many people. Full of promise, it has under-achieved. It began as a tiny individual vineyard and winery owned by the Zitzlaff family, located high in the relatively cool southern branch of the Yarra Valley at Seville. With a superbly sited cabernet vineyard at its disposal, along with some excellent merlot, its signature vintages of 1986, 1990 and 1991 stamped it as one of the leading cabernet brands in Victoria. Keen to expand the business, Michael Zitzlaff initiated a process in 1997 that involved the sale of the original vineyard and winery and the public listing of the business to establish a new winery facility on the Maroondah Highway, right in the centre of downtown Yarra Valley. To cut a long story short, the failing Oakridge brand was bought in 2001 by Margaret River-based Evans & Tate, and the original vineyard has since been sold and reborn under the disappointing Five Oaks label. Aside from the occasional Cabernet Merlot of some class, Oakridge failed to live up to its early reputation until the arrival of winemaker David Bicknell after the 2002 vintage. Bicknell, who was previously a member of the team at De Bortoli’s Yarra Valley winery, has managed to turn around the quality of Oakridge wine in a relatively short time. That he has been able to do so is a credit to him and to the way in which the financially troubled Evans & Tate operation has supported his activities. It was the 2002 Oakridge Chardonnay, which Bicknell firstly helped to make over the telephone and was then able to finish once his career switch was complete, that first provided an inkling that Oakridge was again serious about quality. That was followed by an excellent series of wines from 2003, including a slightly wild and funky Chardonnay sporting some charming leesy complexity, a tightly structured Cabernet Sauvignon with backbone and breeding and a spicy, savoury Shiraz of medium to full weight. With the release of its new very limited and cellar door-based ‘864’ label, David Bicknell has raised the bar yet again. It comprises a very stylish and complex Chardonnay from 2004, a Cabernet Sauvignon from 2003 with genuinely Bordeaux-like pretensions, a rather suave and fine-grained 2003 Shiraz and a deliciously crisp and intensely flavoured Riesling from 2005 of auslese-like sweetness. Other than the Riesling, which is found in 375 ml bottles, the wines are available from Oakridge direct for $50 per bottle. While Bicknell is first to suggest that they still represent ‘works in progress’, they bring the touch of class, cellaring potential and complexity worthy of their price. Only 120-150 dozen of each wine was made. Sourcing fruit from around half a dozen different growers, Bicknell has taken to matching variety with particular sub-regions within the Yarra Valley. The reds are from the relatively warmer Coldstream and Warramate Hills, where the best sites have deep soils and good slopes. Fruit for the ‘864’ Cabernet Merlot is grown dryland, and is taken from surprisingly young vineyards. Their future potential, as their vines mature and as Bicknell becomes more familiar with them, is exciting indeed. The earlier varieties, such as Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, are taken from cooler, later-ripening sites in the Upper Yarra, cool enough for Bicknell not to need to add acids. The ‘864’ Chardonnay comes from an individual site located at over 240 metres in elevation. ‘We’re still not sure what the template for the ‘864’ might be’, he says. ‘While the vineyard seems to deliver a natural balance and focus, we’re still moving around the margins, identifying what we’re aiming for.’ The initial 2004 wine is indeed tightly focused, even sculpted, yet delivers some remarkable concentration and smoky, reductive complexity. With a pleasing fattiness about is texture; it’s the best white Oakridge release yet. Bicknell doesn’t shy away from the herbal qualities beneath the pure cassis and dark cherry flavours of the ‘864’ Cabernet Merlot, which he describes as ‘leafiness’ and not ‘greenness’. He’s working hard on the structure, keen to develop longevity and balance, and believes that the 2004 vintage is an even better wine. Still rather closed, the ‘864’ Shiraz happily flies against the modern conception of Australian shiraz. It’s deeply scented with new Francois Fr’res oak, but steadily opens in the glass to reveal fruit depth and richness beneath. It’s very fine-grained and silky, tightly balanced and wrapped in fresh acids. It’s Bicknell’s conviction that he likes to see his wines two or three days after first opening in the bottle, just to get an indication of their quality, balance and longevity. He likes what he has seen, and so do I. Oakridge is finally back where it belongs. See the full list of wine ratings: Oakridge Estate Yarra Valley
