Wombat Crossing Your Wine Guy

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Wombat Crossing owner and vigneron Ian Napier won the Trophy and Top Gold Medal for Best 100% Hunter Valley Dry Red with his 2009 Hermit's Block Shiraz at the Hunter Valley Wine Show 2011.
The Wombat Crossing vineyard itself is a tiny block just off the Hermitage Rd in Pokolbin, down the road a bit from Keith Tulloch’s Wines. Their deliberately limited production runs between 600 – 800 cases per year, with fruit for the wines coming only from this tiny little plot. For those interested, cropping levels are kept on average 3 – 4 tonnes per hectare or under. (Pictured right: Wombat Crossing Vineyard from the air. Hermitage Rd is visible at the top left corner. Photo courtesy of Wombat Crossing.)
The owner and vigneron Ian Napier worked for a global consulting group for many years but, as Ian jokingly terms it, “I felt a need to try and vertically integrate my drinking habit into wine production.” Jokes aside, Ian’s passion to only release quality wines has meant he has had the guts and dedication to quality to ensure that Wombat Crossing wines are only be produced in good to outstanding vintages.
In order to facilitate this philosophy, Ian purchased the Wombat Crossing vineyard in 2003 that had been established by John Malloch in the early 90’s and then sent himself off to the Hunter Valley's Kurri Kurri TAFE to learn more about viticulture and winemaking so that he could set about improving the processes, infrastructure and vineyard health at the Wombat Crossing Vineyard.
Ian now specialises in the management of the vineyard and has used his connection of good friends in the region (including the late Len Evans) to secure outstanding winemakers to produce the Wombat Crossing wines.
First came Dan Dineen, Jeff Byrne and Scott Stephens from Tower Estate. Previous to Ian knocking on the door Tower only made their own wine, but sometimes it’s who you know (Ian’s friend Len Evans was a director at Tower Estate).
Now Ian has again pulled off a bit of a coup securing Jeff Byrne at Audrey Wilkinson Wines as his winemaker, and 'contracted winery', who helped him win his first Gold medal back in 2008 for the Wombat Crossing Individual Vineyard ‘Hermit’s Block’ Shiraz 2006.
Jeff and Ian have continued the success winning 2 Gold Medals and being Trophy Runner-Up for Best Semillon at the home of Australian Semillon’s Hunter Valley Wine Show for their Wombat Crossing Individual Vineyard ‘The Creek Flat’ Semillon 2010. Jeff Byrne has also recently been awarded the Hunter Valley Wine Industry Rising Star of the Year 2011 for his outstanding winemaking and show results.
The coup I refer to is that Tower Estate and Audrey Wilkinson, under normal circumstances, do not make wine for other people – yet both have been persuaded to make the Wombat Crossing wines. For Ian, and the rest of us, it has paid off for him having some friends in high places.

Wines available in the Wombat Crossing range are:

'The Creek Flat' Semillon
'Malloch's Block' Chardonnay
'The Classic Wombat' Semillon Chardonnay
'The Fuzzy Headed Wombat' Sparkling Semillon Chardonnay
Jump Up Creek Rosé
'Hermit's Block' Shiraz

Sub Categories


Wombat Crossing ‘The Creek Flat’ Hunter Valley Semillon	Wombat Crossing ‘Hermit's Block’ Hunter Valley Shiraz	Wombat Crossing ‘Malloch’s Block’ Hunter Valley Chardonnay