Joshua Cooper's 2024 Single-Vineyard release is one of his best yet

It’s a bit unusual for a young winemaker to hang his hat on cabernet, but Joshua Cooper isn’t your average young winemaker. 

The variety accounts for four out of the seven wines in the 2024 Single-Vineyard collection he released in August. Although, he’d like to make more chardonnay and pinot noir, if he could find the right sites. “Alas, they’re like hen’s teeth,” he says.

For Josh, site is paramount. “It’s the single biggest factor. My winemaking is fairly classic, in the Old World sense,” he adds. “I very much try to highlight the strength, character and innate qualities of each site, rather than add any winemaking imprint.”

Josh Cooper.

Josh grew up in a winemaking family – his parents are Alan and Nelly Cooper of Cobaw Ridge – and it’s to the significant and historic vineyards of the Macedon Ranges, Central and Western Victoria, that he turns to make his wines. 

The seven wines in the most recent release come from six different sites, including Dash Farms in Mount Alexander, the Blanche Barkley and Balgownie vineyards in Bendigo, Doug’s Vineyard in Macedon Ranges, and in the Pyrenees, the Pyren and Redbank vineyards. 

Each site is “distinctive, unique and consistently so,” says Josh. For example, Dash Farms, a source of both cabernet and chardonnay, was planted in 1999 on lean granite soils which produce fruit that is both concentrated and fresh. Doug’s, in Romsey, was also planted around 20 years ago, but on red volcanic soils which moderate vigour and increase the flavour intensity in his pinot noir.

For Josh, site is the single most important factor in winemaking.

The iconic Balgownie vineyard is another source of cabernet, from some of the site’s earliest plantings in 1970. As is the Redbank vineyard, although its size coupled with small yields – a result of dry grown vines – mean it can only provide fruit in favourable vintages, like 2024.

“In our parts, 2024 was a fantastic vintage, warm but not hot – which is ideal in these cool areas,” Josh says. “Compared to the very late 2023 season, the wines show an added level of depth and concentration, while also still being wonderfully fresh.

“Wines that are medium-bodied, savoury and structured but with plenty of depth of fruit is the overarching theme,” he adds.

See how Jane Faulkner scored the 2024 Single-Vineyard wines below, as well as wines from the 2024 Regional Series, which were released back in February.

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