Introducing, Proud Primary Produce

Proud Pimary Produce
Yarra Valley, Victoria
by Stuart Proud

We are extremely proud (pun not intended, genuinely proud) to welcome the wines of Stuart Proud to our stable and share them with you, soon hopefully.

Proud is a farmer first and foremost, and one of the country’s leading practitioners of biological and sustainable farming methods. Growing up in South Australia he began working amongst the vines in 1995 following a bank depleting surf trip. Thankfully for us, this sparked a passion for growing that led to an Agricultural Sciences degree at the University of Adelaide. Since then he has worked throughout many regions in Australia and overseas before settling in the Yarra Valley 19 years ago, naturally becoming seduced to winemaking over the last 10 years.

While he manages viticulture and winemaking for the Thousand Candles project, Proud Primary Produce is a one man, one dog band run by Stuart and trusty sidekick Alby, where his holistic approach in the vineyard is the star of the show and winemaking sits well in the background. “At the core of everything is farming and soil health. Nothing else happens if that isn’t done well.” The vineyard is treated as just part of the property ecosystem and biodiversity, along with healthy soils rich in organic matter, help form more resilient vines that yield exceptional quality fruit.
This passionate and focused growing, along with a winemaking approach largely influenced by William Downie, has led him to make wines that speak of the sites they come from and the influence of each season.

In the winery, there is very little intervention or additions. Only some gentle plunging is performed during the fermentation process to ensure fruit purity is retained. Minimising the need to intervene with the ferments is the whole philosophy behind making the vineyard the main focus.
These are honest wines with great depth, they're savoury, textural and full of personality.

2018 'Down the Coast' Pinot Gris
(Mornington Penninsula)
Hand-picked from dry grown 25 year old vines at Mt Eliza, on the edge of Port Philip Bay. This vineyard sits on sandy loam cliff tops overlooking the Bay. Whole-bunch pressed, wild ferment in older French oak barriques. Stirred and topped for 6 months. Lemon rind and pear with a hint of spice. Textural mouthfeel with a generous palette.
2020 'Up the Mountain' Fresh Red
(Pinot Noir 40%/Shiraz 30%/Merlot 30%)
Hand-picked Pinot and Shiraz components fermented separately on skins for 7 days then blended after primary ferment. 6 months on lees in older barriques & hogsheads. The Merlot was whole-bunch pressed directly to tank for ferment and rest before blending with the other components. Red berry fruits, bright acid, creamy textural mouth feel.
2018 'The Eagle' Pinot Noir
From a single vineyard in Gruyere. An east-facing hill with duplex clay loam soils and 20 year old vines. Hand-picked and sorted prior to ferment. Fermented with 50% whole bunch component and rested in old barriques. Silky tannin profile, rich texture and complexity lifted by fresh natural acid, Stuart knows a thing or two about Pinot. Aromas of raspberry, green herbs and slight earthiness. The palate shows red berries, pomegranate and some forest floor characters.
2018 'The Cattle' Syrah
Hand-picked fruit from a single vineyard of 20 year old vines. 100% whole bunch, wild fermented with a long gentle maceration, pressed after 25 days to old barriques. A beautiful, savoury expression of Yarra Syrah showcasing its potential here, fine, chalky tannins, balanced acidity with elegant fruit and texture. Balanced aromas of ripe red fruits, white pepper and dried herbs. Blueberries and darker fruits, mocha and earthiness on the palette.