Passing Clouds Winery
Passing Clouds has been making wine for the people who drink it since 1974. Originally established in Central Victoria, Australia by co-founders Graeme Leith and Sue Mackinnon, Passing Clouds can now be found in the Macedon Ranges approximately 100kms north west of the Capital City Melbourne.
- 30 Roddas Lane, Musk 3461, Victoria
- http://www.passingclouds.com.au
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Head Winemaker and Managing DirectorCameron Leith (+)
| Product 1: Graeme's Shiraz Cabernet 2020 | |
| Unique Selling Proposition | |
| The Graeme’s is the foundational wine of Passing Clouds. First made in 1980, this wine perfectly captures the true Australian wine region of South East Australia. Located in the state of Victoria, Bendigo is 150km north of the capital city Melbourne where the climate is warm and perfect for the growing of Shiraz and Cabernet grapes. The Graeme's is named after Graeme Leith co-founder of this family run winery, who planted vines in the gold mining town of Kingower in 1974. The Graeme's is well known for its longevity, cellaring up to 30 years, although we prefer it in the region of 10 years old. The Graeme’s is an embodiment of a wine greater than the sum of its parts. | |
| Exporting to the United Kingdom | |
| Market Share: Less than 1% | |
| New to Japan | |
| Head Wine Maker - Cameron Leith | |
| Kind of grapes | Shiraz and Cabernet |
| Tasting note | Bright purple with ruby hue. The nose is a rich array of blue and black fruits, complexity comes with barbecue char, rich earth, cocoa, and hints of olive. The palate is showing full, with pleasant grippy tannin, a sign of the harmony between Shiraz and Cabernet. Red and black fruit shine, with a balancing and intriguing herbaceousness. The selection of post ferment maceration parcels in this iteration of the Graeme’s has only heightened aromatics and increased longevity. The fruit is de-stemmed and hand sorted before being traditionally vinified in open stainless-steel fermenters, hand plunged twice daily. A portion of batches saw post ferment maceration. All batches are matured in 100% French oak for 11 months. The Cabernet and Shiraz parcels are then assessed, and the optimum blend identified. |
| % alcohol | 14.50% |
| Size of the bottle and Number of bottle per case | 750ml bottles - 12 bottles in a case |
| Indicative Pricing | A$ 10.83 |
| Minimum order quantity | 56 dozen |
| In the same range, other available wine with different kind of grapes | Bendigo Shiraz, The Angel Cabernet Sauvignon, Estate Pinot Noir & Estate Chardonnay |
| Notes | |
| Product 2: The Angel Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 | |
| Unique Selling Proposition | |
| The Angel is the flagship wine of Passing Clouds and a blend of our finest Cabernet Sauvignon barrels each year. Passing Clouds was established in 1973 in Victoria, Australia by co-founders Graeme Leith and his partner Sue Mackinnon. They decided to pursue their dream of running a vineyard, hand planting Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon vines on the banks of a deserted creek-bed near the central Victorian town of Bendigo, which is 150km north of Melbourne. This area of Australia is an ideal location for the growing of Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, a warm climate and rain clouds would come, threaten and pass, day after day. Passing Clouds they called it. | |
| Exporting to the United Kingdom | |
| Market Share: Less than 1% | |
| 90 Points Halliday Wine Companion | |
| New to Japan | |
| Head Wine Maker - Cameron Leith | |
| Kind of grapes | Cabernet Sauvignon |
| Tasting note | Deep purple. Intense lifted aromatics, true juicy blackcurrant and blackberry lead into polished red fruit and hints of cassis. The palate shows complexity, powerful yet fine tannin, all held taut by a surprisingly fresh and pleasant acid line. The palate shows depth with black fruit highlighted by savoury characters of cured meats and a hint of herbal, which carries through to the finish. After twelve months in oak, barrel selection occurs, with sampling to create the optimal blend. Once selected, the barrels are aged for an additional 5 months, after bottling 12 months of bottle maturation occurs to allow for some development, in a wine that regularly shows well at 20 years of age. The resultant wine is a sophisticated and extremely age-worthy expression of a cooler climate Cabernet Sauvignon. The fruit is 100% de-stemmed and hand sorted before being traditionally vinified in open stainless-steel fermenters, which are hand plunged twice a day. A portion of batches saw post ferment maceration. All batches are matured in 100% French oak for 17 months. A barrel selection, and minimum of 12 months bottle maturation also occur. |
| % alcohol | 14% |
| Size of the bottle and Number of bottle per case | 750ml bottles - 12 bottles per case |
| Indicative Pricing | A$18.33 |
| Minimum order quantity | (e.g. 1 pallet) |
| In the same range, other available wine with different kind of grapes | Graeme's Shiraz Cabernet, Bendigo Shiraz, Estate Pinot Noir & Estate Chardonnay |
| Notes | |
| Product 3: Bendigo Shiraz 2019 | |
| Unique Selling Proposition | |
| The Bendigo Shiraz is the workhorse of the Passing Clouds stable. Showing complexity and depth year in year out, since the 1980s. Passing Clouds was established in 1974 by co-founder Graeme Leith, in Victoria Australia. The Bendigo wine region is 150km north of the capital city of Melbourne, with a warm climate and minimum rain fall it is the ideal region for Shiraz and Cabernet grape growing. The Passing Clouds Shiraz is renowned for showing secondary characters such as chocolate and coffee alongside it’s powerful fruit profile. The fruit is 100% de-stemmed and hand sorted before being traditionally vinified in open stainless-steel fermenters, which are hand plunged twice a day. A portion of batches saw post ferment maceration. All batches are matured in 100% French oak for 11 months – with only 10% new oak. | |
| Exporting to the United Kingdom | |
| Market Share: Less than 1% | |
| 93 points in the Halliday Wine Companion | |
| New to Japan | |
| Head Wine Maker - Cameron Leith | |
| Kind of grapes | Shiraz |
| Tasting note | Deep purple colouring. Vivacious red fruit characters, strawberry to plum, peppery and the quintessential chocolate. Blue fruits open into fine grained tannins, and a fresh acid line. Maraschino cherry juxtaposes complexing earthiness which lingers into a potent lengthy finish. |
| % alcohol | 14.80% |
| Size of the bottle and Number of bottle per case | 750ml 12 bottles per case |
| Indicative Pricing | A$10.83 |
| Minimum order quantity | (e.g. 1 pallet) |
| In the same range, other available wine with different kind of grapes | Graeme's Shiraz Cabernet, The Angel Cabernet Sauvignon, Estate Pinot Noir & Estate Chardonnay |
| Notes | |
| Product 4: Estate Pinot Noir 2019 | |
| Unique Selling Proposition | |
| In 1997 co-founder of Passing Clouds Graeme Leith sought greener pastures in one of the coldest grape growing regions on mainland Australia, the Macedon Ranges. In the quaint country town of Musk, 100kms north -west of the capital city Melbourne. Our Estate Pinot Noir is pushed to extremes. We manage the vineyard according to regenerative agricultural practices. This is a way of farming using a set of principles that enrich soils and increase their carbon storage capacity dramatically, increase biodiversity, improve the water cycle and enhance the overall ecosystem of the farm. | |
| Exporting to the United Kingdom | |
| Market Share: less than 1% | |
| 91 points Wine Front reviewed by Campbell Mattinson | |
| New to Japan | |
| Head Wine Maker - Cameron Leith | |
| Kind of grapes | Pinot Noir |
| Tasting note | Brilliant cherry red with a purple hue. A sophisticated nose shows savory spice, cured meats and leather alongside raspberry and other fruits. The palate is controlled from start to finish with potent acidity that speaks to this Pinot living for years. There is elegance in the balance between the sweetness of the blue fruit and this acidity, all contained by ultra-fine tannin that carries through the finish. |
| % alcohol | 12.70% |
| Size of the bottle and Number of bottle per case | 6 bottles per case |
| Indicative Pricing | A$ 18.33 |
| Minimum order quantity | 32 dozen |
| In the same range, other available wine with different kind of grapes | Graeme's Shiraz Cabernet, The Angel Cabernet Sauvignon, Bendigo Shiraz & Estate Chardonnay |
| Notes | |
| Product 5: Estate Chardonnay 2020 | |
| Unique Selling Proposition | |
| The Passing Clouds Estate Chardonnay achieves something special, growing atop of our north-facing slope vineyard which is one of the coldest sites on mainland Australia. Co-founder Graeme Leith planted Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in 1998, at our Estate vineyard which is in the Macedon Ranges wine region in Victoria, approximately 100kms from the capital city Melbourne. Delivering a plethora of racy citrus flavours and defining acid. Ours is Chardonnay with old world influence and cool climate swagger. The fruit was crushed, pressed, settled and then to oak. 30% spent 24 hours on skins prior to being pressed. Barrel selection was conducted, to select the ripest parcels for the Estate. Oak was Hogs Heads from Boutes, Francois Freres and Taransaud, 80% news. Fortnightly battonage. Full MLF was conducted due to high acid from a cool vintage. Matured for 16 months. | |
| Exporting to United Kingdom | |
| Market Share: less than 1% | |
| New to Japan | |
| Head Wine Maker - Cameron Leith | |
| Kind of grapes | Chardonnay |
| Tasting note | Pale lemon with a golden hue. Intense aromatics driven by classic Musk lemon and lime, as well as some citrus pith, interwoven by elegant oyster shell, interest added with a hint of macadamia. Clean and classic, ultra-cool climate Chardonnay characters abound. A palate that is velvety and full, held upright with striking acidity. The richness is derived from full malolatic fermentation required in cold years to reduce acidity. Oak is plush, tempered by high acid, the citrus fruit blends with a phenolic prickle derived from the skin contact; all this works towards a textured, titilating finish and exquisite length. |
| % alcohol | 12% |
| Size of the bottle and Number of bottle per case | 375ml, 6 bottles per case |
| Indicative Pricing | A$ 18.33 |
| Minimum order quantity | 32 dozen |
| In the same range, other available wine with different kind of grapes | Graeme's Shiraz Cabernet The Angel Cabernet Sauvignon, Bendigo Shiraz, Estate Pinot Noir |
| Notes | |
Directors
Cameron Leith
Head Winemaker and Managing Director
Cameron took over the wine making for Passing Clouds in 2007 from his Dad, Graeme Leith. He is also the Managing Director of the company as well.