INSPIRED BY THE FLORA & FAUNA THAT THRIVE IN THIS VINEYARD. THIS COLLECTION CELEBRATES TERROIR, ITS UNIQUE ECOSYSTEM & THE VIGNERON’S CRAFT.

SINGLE SITE: REISLING, MARX VINEYARD, POLISH HILL, CLARE VALLEY

NAME: Named with a playful nod to the vineyard’s owner, Ben Marx, "LE MARX" pays tribute to the long-standing friendship between Ben and Michael, who studied Oenology together in Hawkes Bay, New Zealand. With the Marx family still deciding on an official name for the vineyard, we took the liberty of creating our own.

VINEYARD: Located in a picturesque Clare Valley within the subregion of Polish Hill, the terraced vineyard (top of the property sitting at approx 550m above sea level) is home to vines re-planted in 1985 after Ash Wednesday swept through the Valley. Alluvial gravel with Terra Rossa over a marbled Polish Hill clay calcareous subsoil.

VINTAGE OVERVIEW: The 2024 vintage brought both challenges and rewards, resulting in wines with vibrant freshness and intense flavors. A dry winter and early spring led to advance budburst, followed by a wet period that replenished soil moisture before the dry summer and autumn. Riesling ripened early, showcasing classic varietal precision and restraint.

HARVEST & VINIFICATION:
Harvest Date: Hand-picked in the cool morning hours of February 26.
Crushing: Foot-crushed as whole bunches and held cold for 8 hours before pressing.
Fermentation: Roughly racked into a 900L egg-shaped vessel for natural fermentation at temperatures between 10-13°C.
Post-Fermentation: Transferred to a 600L egg with gross lees, where natural malolactic fermentation occurred during the winter months.
Aging: Left on lees for 6 months before being carefully racked and bottled with a minimal addition of sulphur. No fining or filtration was used.

TASTING NOTES:
BOTANIC wines showcase the refinement and complexity of fruit and a clear expression of terroir.
Profile & Structure: Brown lime, grapefruit pith, mineral acidity balanced with a touch of fine tannin. Roundness and mouthfeel coming from lees contact and 100% malo.
Aging: Gracefully for the next decade
Classification: Organic (not certified), Vegan Friendly, Minimal Sulphur, Natural ferments, No acid or other additions

Closure: AMORIM XPUR 44x24mm
FSO2 at bottling: 8ppm
TSO2: 22ppm
pH: 3.15, TA: 5.8g/L
Alcohol: 11.1%

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THE WINE FRONT
Named for Ben Marx who went to wine school with Michael Corbett over in Hawkes Bay. It gets concrete egg, malolactic and some lees treatment. The vineyard is in Polish Hill, planted in 1985 (after fires ripped through it). PS. Ben Marx why don’t you send me flowers anymore (Gertie)?

Quite some brine and seaweed here, and not specifically any fruity, maybe mixed citrus and green apple is closest, also some chamomile and mint. It’s saline and savoury, kind of nutty, has a gentle sort of manzanilla tang, quite some powdery chalky texture, and finishes long and, well, kind of electric, like ozone or a quick lick of a 9V battery (don’t mind me). It’s an excellent wine. Distinctive and different.

94 POINTS
GARY WALSH

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HALLIDAY
From Ben Marx’s (Gertie) Polish Hill River vineyard. Foot crushed as whole bunches, then chilled for eight hours before pressing, fermented cooly in a 900L egg, then racked and matured in a 600L egg for six months; full mlf; no fining or filtration. This is uber delicate and refined in fruit, tightly wound and lean. That’s not the full story though. It’s far from austere, far from classic. Beery hop notes, leatherwood honey, candle wax, nutritional yeast, toasted oats, salted praline, dried lime, mint, malted grain, lemon and chamomile tea. All savoury. There’s grip, and there’s a raciness, a chalkiness, an oyster shell brininess. It does a lot, and it does it well. Not for the traditionalists, but a hell of a wine.

95 POINTS
MARCUS ELLIS