Bellvale Wine

Bellvale Wine by John Ellis

Boutique wines of note and a pioneering vigneron returning to his roots.

What better way to introduce a winemaker, than when he’s celebrating the accolades of both ‘Gold’ and ‘Bronze’ at the world’s most prestigious and influential wine judging competition – The International Wine Challenge – London. Winemaker John Ellis is thrilled with the Gold award presented for his The Quercus Vineyard Pinot Noir 2008 and Bronze for his Athena’s Vineyard Chardonnay 2008.

Currently John has both Pinot Noir and also Chardonnay which is sold through premium restaurants and bottle shops in Australia, the United States, Denmark and Japan. He will also have a new Pinot Gris ready for 2012.

The Pinot Noir is produced from a single 12 year old vineyard and ‘dry grown’ with high density plantings and low yields resulting in wines with restrained silky tannins and powerful expressions of flavour. It has been described by those in the know as ‘a Pinot Noir style on the dark, intense, side with black cherries and fruit-of-the forest aromas and flavours’.

In John’s own words, the 2007 Pinot is lively and bright with a seductive aroma which leads one into the strong spicy overtones of red fruits.

While the 2008 Pinot Noir with it’s excellent thrust and length is a dark, seductive wine with an intense aroma which speaks of dark cherries and forest floor. The beautifully integrated silky tannins and the long, smooth palate reflect a combination of many subtleties that make Pinot Noir wines so special.

The 2008 Chardonnay is crisp and tightly structured, with a well defined balance between fruit – white peach and melon, secondary characters and finely integrated spicy oak. There is extraordinary length to the palate where rich concentration is balanced by the fine acidity, a delicious wine.

John is a fascinating man who has seen his wine and his ancestry come full circle, as he now supplies his Gippsland Pinot Noir and Chardonnay to the very region where his ancestors settled in America in 1690 establishing the Bellvale estate in New York.  John began planting vines on Long Island in the 1960’s – a true pioneer of that wine region. His American fans are bemused by the full circle he and his wines have taken – that they are now drinking award winning wines from 14,000 kilometres away, by a pioneer of their very own region.

John’s earlier career took him to Europe over many years, exposing him to both inspiring wine lists and sensational wines, that made his own Long Island offerings pale into insignificance. The European wines opened up an entirely new world to him, that saw him search the globe for the stunning cool climate and ancient volcanic soils that finally attracted him to Victoria’s lush Tarwin River Valley region of Southern Gippsland.

John planted his first vines in 1998 with his first Pinot vintage celebrated in 2003 – attaining both Gold and Silver medals. His first award winning Chardonnay was released in 2008…and the rest, is history!

His Bellvale wine labels boast an image of the original trees so adored on his Gippsland property, a reminder of his roots, while representing a new beginning. Replicating John’s own life story,  his three sons span the globe following their dreams, with the youngest Andrew, a winemaker of note in New Zealand’s Marlborough region.

Just to set the record straight, yes there are actually two John Ellis’ involved in winemaking in Victoria.

Bellvale wines are available at Restaurants & Bottle shops around Australia including

Vue de Monde, Bouzy Rouge, Sails on the Bay, Bamboo House, Grossi Florentino, Kenzan,

Archies on the Creek in John’s own region, Syracuse, Taxi, The Italian, The Fleece and Cecconi’s Cantina

The Awards

Bellvale Pinot Noir 2003 – Gold Medal -  NZ International wine competition 05

Bellvale Pinoit Noir 2004 – Silver Medal - London’s ‘Decanter’ world wide competition 05

Bellvale Pinot Noir 2004 – Gold medal – The Boutique Wine Awards 06

Bellvale Pinot Noir 2004 – Best Of The Best – James Halliday’s Wine Companion 07

Bellvale Chardonnay 2006  – Commendation – International Wine Challenge 08

The Quercus Vineyard Pinot Noir 2008 – Gold Medal - The International Wine Challenge 10

Athena’s Vineyard Chardonnay 2008 – Bronze  Medal - The International Wine Challenge 10

www.bellvalewine.com.au