BUSH SERIES - 'The Bacchus' - Carbonic Marsanne / Roussanne 2024

Only 400 bottles made.

The Bush Series wines are an opportunity for Tom to be more experimental in the winery. They’re made in tiny quantities and will evolve and change each vintage. For each wine, Kate painted the native bush at a location of significance for the two cousins.

Artwork 

Wilkie Wines began in Bacchus Marsh, where the shade of these river red gums and the cool, tannin-rich waters of nearby Lerderderg Gorge offer a refreshing escape during the heat of vintage. 

Tasting Notes 

Nutty oxidative characters meet the ripe bananas and fresh pineapples of carbonic maceration. The Bacchus is complex and layered, with a length that can still be tasted when you’re wandering around 10 minutes after finishing the glass. 

Winemaking 

Halfway through barrel fermenting, the still-sweet direct-pressed Marsanne (30%) was poured over a bin of freshly picked whole-bunch Heathcote Roussanne (70%). The fermenting Marsanne only covered the bottom half of the Roussanne bunches, leaving the top half exposed, but protected by the naturally produced CO2, for a week-long semi-carbonic maceration. After 12 months of resting in stainless steel, it was bottled in April, 2025, unfiltered and unfined. 

Vineyard 

The vineyard, owned and managed by Hugh & Missy Jones, is certified under Sustainable Winegrowing Australia. This demonstrates their focus on the environmental and social aspects of their business. As Hugh says, the soil is comprised of: “two metres deep Cambrian top soil (composted granite) that bleeds into cracking black clays.