1683 Wines
Margaret River // Western Australia
Sustainable
After earning his master’s in winemaking, 1683’s founder Gordes Frobenius learnt to farm, pick and vinify pinot noir and chardonnay over numerous vintages with two of Burgundy’s best: the venerated Eric Rousseau at Domaine Armand Rousseau, and Jean-François Germain, ‘the grower’s grower’, at Henri Germain.
After seeing what great winemakers could coax out of these grapes in their ancestral home, Gordes was ready to learn what similarly skilled hands could achieve in the Antipodes. This curiosity led to vintages with Timo Mayer in the Yarra Valley, Woodlands in Margaret River, Felton Road in Central Otago and Dirty Three Wines in Gippsland.
While these experiences have proven invaluable, Burgundy remains his north star. Since 2018, Gordes has made wine using the same classical, non-interventionist ethos that unpins the region’s very best Grand Crus, and he remains in close contact with his French mentors.
The climate in Wilyabrup and Margaret River, while in some ways more advanced and difficult than Burgundy’s, is capable of producing wines of equal poise and elegance – with the added benefit of cooling sea breezes that regulate the hotter weather. The wines are on some of Burgundy’s top restaurant wine lists already, so it seems like 1683 is off to a good start.
Gordes Frobenius about his label: “The keenest eyes will also notice the label for Domaine Armand Rousseau’s Clos St Jacques inverted behind ours - with permission! The 1985 vintage and its stunning floral intensity set me on today’s course, whispering, 'Make wine, and start by learning from the genius who made this one.' The name ‘Loin du Clos’, meaning ‘far from the vineyard’ (of St Jacques), is a cheeky nod to this connection, but also a reminder to keep Burgundy’s best lessons in mind while simultaneously remembering where we are and the advantages we have here."
The ‘Loin du Clos’ series are wines crafted with hands off, traditional Burgundian techniques to express their true character and sense of place in Australia. Gordes currently produces just two wines - Cabernet Franc and Malbec. When we first tasted these wines in early 2023 we were quite literally stunned. These are among the finest Cabernet Franc and Malbec produced anywhere in Australia.
Featured Wines
'Loin du Clos' Cabernet Franc
2020
Grapes are picked and sorted by hand, to ensure absolute best-quality fruit. Each harvest is de-stemmed and gently cold-soaked in steel vats. Infusion, not over-extraction, is always the aim.
A medley of indigenous yeasts already living on the grapes begin fermentation. With wild yeasts it’s impossible to predict when this process will start and when it will end, but Gordes has gotten pretty good at waiting for nature to do what it needs to. Then there’s a second much longer wait as the wine matures in selected Burgundian barrels prior to bottling. There’s no telling when it’ll be ready – sometimes it takes up to 24 months.
A little over 1000 bottles of each wine are made in any vintage. They are the epitome of intensity balanced by elegance. Delicious now and unquestionably bursting with cellaring potential.
'Loin du Clos' Malbec
2020