Dominique Portet is the highly experienced and affable French winemaker whose long association with Taltarni introduced him to thousands of Australian wine drinkers. Now, having gone out on his own, he is based on the Maroondah Highway, where he makes a number of regional wines from the Yarra Valley and Heathcote.
While Portet's natural inclination is to make reds of finesse and polish, recent Heathcote vintages have been too hot to avoid cooked and soupy characters. The Yarra Valley Sauvignon Blanc offers a real point of difference.