“Continuing the Tradition of La Dolce Vita”

"Vittorio De Bortoli probably had little idea his family would one day become a household name in his newly-adopted land. In the 1980's the De Bortoli family started looking outside their traditional Riverina, expanding first into Victoria’s Yarra Valley, and in 2002 into NSW’s Hunter Valley.

This latter purchase could not have been made at a better time - the following year’s vintage was an oustanding one in the Hunter.

De Bortoli Wines have just released four wines from this vintage, each highlighting the Hunter’s regional characteristics. If you’ve a special-occasion dining event coming up, $16.99 is good value for each of these wines. De Bortoli Hunter Valley 2003 Semillon, Verdelho, Shiraz and Chardonnay."

Extract: David Ellis, Your Weekly Wine Column, 6 September 2004

Huon Hails Hunter - Wine by Huon Hooke
"The De Bortoli family don’t like to rest on their laurels. They’ve just released their first clutch of wines from their recently acquired Hunter Valley winery, having bought the former Lesnik’s Wilderness Estate a year or so back. Listed among Australia’s top 10 wine producers in tonnage crushed, De Bortoli is still family owned and apparently thriving...

The family last year celebrated its 75th anniversary as winemakers. Sadly, patriarch Deen De Bortoli died suddenly the same year. Deen, together with his wife, Emeri, and three sons and daughter, who run the business today, built De Bortoli from humble beginnings to a major player which is not only big, but a quality leader and innovator. In the early ‘80s, they created the Noble One botrytis semillon, kickstarting a revolution in Australian sweet wine-style.

Soon after, they bought their Yarra Valley property, which is now one of that region’s leaders. Yarra winemaker/manager Steve Webber (who married Deen and Emeri’s daughter Leanne) made a wine in Burgundy last year which will be released as De Bortoli Gevrey-Chambertin, surely the first time such a thing has happened. And a few weeks ago, the first fully De Bortoli-made Hunter wines were launched and chief executive Darren De Bortoli and winemaker Scott Stephens signalled their ambition to one day be among the Hunter’s elite.

To that end, Stephens, a former Mount Pleasant winemaker, persuaded Darren to buy the Murphy’s vineyard on Wilderness Road that provides their best semillon grapes. They’ve released two excellent ‘03 semillons, the top being Murphy’s Vineyard, which hopes to establish as a great individual vineyard semillon in the class of Mount Pleasant’s Lovedale. 'Hunter semillon is an overlooked but classic wine style' he says. Both semillons are fine, delicate, classic low-alcohol regional styles to drink now with seafood or to cellar for a few years. The Murphy’s has a touch more intensity, finesse and ageing ability. Both are highly recommended."
SMH Good Weekend Magazine, 24 July 2004

NB: Gevrey-Chambourtin is a region in Burgundy not to be confused with the grape variety Chambourcin.