A brilliant producer from Australia, Timo Mayer offers a fantastic portfolio of wines from the Yarra Valley, ranging from tension-filled Chardonnay to earthy Pinot Noir. Timo Mayer grew up in Germany, where his family have been making wine for over 400 years. He then took the plunge to move to Australia and studied winemaking at Wagga Wagga, before working at De Bortoli and Gembrook in the Yarra Valley and establishing Mayer Wines in 2000.
Timo and his wife Rhonda planted a 2.4 hectare vineyard on a slope, which they named Bloody Hill ‘because it was bloody steep!’. The vineyard is located right in the heart of the Yarra Valley.
I adored these wines across the board. Check out the incredible 2021 Timo Mayer ‘Yarra Valley’ Gamay (OB, 94) which is a very pretty expression with delicate red fruit flavors and earthy tones. The best wine I tasted was the sensational 2021 Dr. Mayer ‘Yarra Valley’ Pinot Noir (OB, 96) which is wonderfully earthy in its truffle notes. Learn more about this famed producer at http://www.timomayer.com.au/ and here are my reviews of the incredible new wines by Timo Mayer.
2021 Timo Mayer ‘Yarra Valley’ Chardonnay- Coming from 20-year-old vines set in the Bloody Hill vineyard — a 6- acre plot on red rocky, volcanic soils, this displays a dazzling tension once on the mouth with salty soil and stony accents. Ripe pear and papaya notes combine with Meyer lemon rind on the palate. This terroir-driven bottling is drinking beautifully right now. Drink 2023-2030- 93
2021 Timo Mayer ‘Yarra Valley’ Nebbiolo- This 2021 Nebbiolo comes from the De Bortoli Vineyard which is located in Dixons Creek in the northern Yarra Valley. Vines at this site are set on Humevale siltstones soils. Very translucent in the glass, this offers rich pomegranate seed, red cherry candy and red rose petal notes on the nose alongside blood orange zest notes. The palate is plush and beautifully textured, with good length and viscosity. Fantastic to enjoy now, this beauty will cellar well for another decade. Drink 2023-2033- 94
2021 Timo Mayer ‘Yarra Valley’ Gamay- This 2021 Gamay comes from 20 year old vines at the Roundstone Vineyard. The nose is very pretty with guava fruit tones, alongside Yakima cherry and shades of white peach. The palate is fragrant and nicely textured, with fantastic underlying verve. Seriously good and very one of a kind, this beautiful Gamay is already nicely evolved and will provide drinking enjoyment for another ten plus years. Drink 2023-2033- 94
2021 Timo Mayer ‘Yarra Valley’ Pinot Noir- The outstanding 2021 Timo Mayer ‘Yarra Valley’ Pinot Noir is sourced from the Bloody Hill vineyard, which is located on the base of Mount Toolebewoong. Vines are set on shallow gravel topsoil interspersed with broken sandstone over rock. This comes off wonderfully stony with great nerve and underlying tension. Filled with this incredible terroir, with a dusting of white pepper and black truffle shavings, this is delicious, tension—filled Pinot Noir that is drinking marvelously right now. Drink 2023-2035- 95
2021 Dr. Mayer ‘Yarra Valley’ Pinot Noir- The truly amazing 2021 Dr. Mayer ‘Yarra Valley’ Pinot Noir is a superlative bottling that shows a incredible combination of flavor density, verve and stony terroir once on the mouth. Filled with mouth-watering red fruit flavors, with more air, the stony and damp earthy components really impress, with shades of black truffle crudo and Mandarin orange zest. This has some great aging potential but is quite simply a joy to savor right now. Drink 2023-2038- 96
2021 Timo Mayer ‘Yarra Valley’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The beautiful new 2021 Timo Mayer ‘Yarra Valley’ Cabernet Sauvignon comes from this Yering site, roughly an hour north-east inland from Melbourne. The wine is nicely concentrated with firm tannins and beautiful blackberry and boysenberry flavors that collide with smoky minerals, and tobacco leaf notes. Full-bodied and nicely textured, this beauty will cellar well over the next ten to fifteen years to come. Drink 2023-2038- 95