Duke (Ian) Ranson had a long-held retirement dream of establishing a small vineyard in the heritage-listed Porongurup sub-region of the Great Southern. The dream, shared with artist wife Hilde, took shape in 1998 when they sold their clothing business, and purchased a 65ha farm at the foot of the Porongurup peaks.
The first vine was planted by Duke on his 60th birthday in 1999. The first wine was a 2001 riesling, which was to win a gold medal at the Rutherglen Wine Show, and the 2002 riesling won the trophy for Best Small Winery White Wine at the Sydney Royal Wine Show.
Success upon success followed, culminating in the 2017 Magpie Hill Riesling eliciting (from me) a first-ever 99 points for a white wine, and an overall award as Wine of the Year. The quality of Duke’s Vineyard’s wines, made at the Diletti families’ custom-crush facility on the Castle Rock property since 2012, never faltered. But to find someone to share the dream meant owning a vineyard and cellar door; a winemaker, able to work with Rob Diletti; and grow the brand.
In 2021 winemaker Ben Cane, and film/media/special events producer partner, Sarah Date, began putting the pieces together, Ben working a trial vintage that year at Castle Rock. He is a very experienced winemaker who has worked overseas and in Australia at various times as an employee, consultant and co-owner. He is sensitive to the special place and much-loved Duke and Hilde in Porongurup, and is very much attuned to growing the brand by increasing quality, not quantity.
He has moved to organic vineyard management, with biodynamics around the corner. He has also changed pruning to cane, thus allowing greater sunlight and breeze penetration through the canopy. Three clones of each pinot noir and chardonnay will underwrite new plantings of these varieties.
And so it goes on. Duke left big boots to fill, and I’m confident Ben will do just that.
2022 Duke’s Vineyard Frankland River Riesling
Swinney is one of Frankland River’s most esteemed vineyards, the bouquet and palate drawn with finely etched precision and length. It carves its message in the same channel each time it is sipped, guaranteeing a long life. Mineral flint and talc notes join with citrus zest on the long finish. A lovely wine.
95 points, drink to 2042, 11.2% alc, Screwcap, $38
2022 Duke’s Vineyard Single Vineyard Riesling
While it’s not identified on the front or back labels, the single vineyard is that of the estate. The intensely floral bouquet leaps out of the glass as the wine is poured, the palate commensurately energetic and expressive. Meyer lemon and Granny Smith followed by pink grapefruit and white peach.
95 points, drink to 2042, 12% alc, Screwcap, $29
2021 Duke’s Vineyard Magpie Hill Reserve Shiraz
Superb colour; hand-picked fruit from the highest and most central point of the vineyard, yet has the lowest alcohol of the three shirazes. This is a magnificent shiraz, with seemingly endless layers of black berries, plums fresh and stewed, and rounded, plush tannins.
97 points, drink to 2046, 14% alc, Screwcap, $46
