thousand candles, Yarra Valley

"I cannot think of an Australian wine more daring than this." Tyson Stelzer

thousand candles
Thousand Candles - is taken from a nineteenth century account of the local land that harks back to the country’s original, indigenous people. A ceremony granting free passage Freedom of the Bush to the lands around the property was witnessed by a European settler, who, referring to the tribesman dramatically holding aloft their firesticks, remarked that it was as if the ‘twilight of the evening had been interrupted by a thousand candles...’.
thousand candles red
The 2011 first release is a unique blend of whole bunch pressed Syrah, Pinot Noir and a touch of Sauvignon Blanc. Belying the criticisms of this challenging vintage, the wine has received much critical acclaim not for its power or density but for its subtlety, texture, perfume and seemless expression of its origins.
thousand candles vineyards in the Yarra Valley
There is a hill that looks over the farm. It’s the highest point and, to a degree, the centre of the property. The south side is steep and home to tall mountain ash and candle bark, tree ferns and moss covered fallen limbs (we think they look like giant, ancient wishbones). The earth is damp and sweet and full of life.
Tyson Stelzer's Review
'impossibly sikly, captivatingly exotic and hauntingly ethereal'.
William Downie Winemaker
'Our hope is to make a true wine that speaks of our farm: the seasons that it has passed through and the care and detail of the vintage that we have tried to capture. We try to care for the land by maintaining the balance of the vineyard with the naturally occurring flora and fauna with whom we share the farm.'
Max Allen's Review
'....bright and perfumed, the wine has a lovely, sinewy, sappy forest-floor character.....thousand candles offers an alternatove view: one of subtley, finesse and elegance.' Max Allen, the Australian, The Deal, 2012

Much revered Pinot specialist William Downie is the man behind the iconic thousand candles, a vineyard in the Southern Yarra Valley. Made from selected plots within the well-known Killara Park Estate, thousand candles is a uniquely Australian wine that speaks of the farm: the seasons that it has passed through and the care and detail of the vintage that the team has tried to capture.

The idea is to capture in the bottle the essence of place and season, rather than be guided by or try to emulate an established style. thousand candles aims to express the character of one vintage on one farm and is a true exploration of an Australian notion of terroir. Each vintage blend varies to celebrate the best of the farm and the terroir in that year, reflecting the changeability of climate and weather.

thousand candles

thousand candles

thousand candles, Yarra Valley

thousand candles

thousand candles red

thousand candles vineyards in the Yarra Valley

Tyson Stelzer's Review

William Downie Winemaker

Max Allen's Review

thousand candles

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