Yarra Valley (4) Jayden Ong Wines
Website: https://jaydenong.com/
‘I don’t like following rules,’ says Jayden Ong (pictured above) as I meet him in his winery and cellar bar in downtown Healsville. ‘And I don’t like doing what other people have done.’ He’s making some seriously good wines, and this is the first time I’d come across them.
Jayden, who was born in 1976, grew up in Western Australia and moved here chasing the summer dream. ‘Perth was a great place to grow up, but in terms of working, there’s not a lot to do. Not many bands or DJs made it to Perth. I wanted to experience more.’
So he moved here in November 1998, and decided to stay. In in 2006 he started a wine degree at Charles Sturt University and then started doing vintages to put the knowledge into practice. In 2008 he opened his first restaurant, Cumulus Ink, which is still going today.
In 2015 he bought 10 acres on top of in Mount Toolebewong and planted vines there. At 673 m altitude, these are the highest vines in the Yarra, and this site has certain challenges. ‘I was chasing something unique,’ he says. ‘The future is getting warmer and more extreme.’
With the help of Timo Meyer he took over another vineyard in 2016, and converted it too organics. He moved into their building.
‘I want to change the matrix,’ he says. ‘What we are doing is farming for us: we don’t use copper, it’s not good for us.’ They also buy from 6 growers.
The current cellar door hospitality space, which includes the winery, opened in 2000. ‘This is a functional winery,’ says Jayden. They do Friday lunch to Sunday lunch, so on Friday morning they change it around from a winery space to a restaurant. ‘Friday mornings can be stressful.’
They put 50 tons through the winery in 2024, and the most they’ve done is 65.
THE WINES
By Jayden Ong Sauvignon Blanc 2022 Yarra Valley, Australia
This comes from Steve Webber’s Lusatia Park vineyard. 30% skins with 3-8 days pre-fermentation. Textural and fine with lovely citrus and pear fruit, and a hint of mint, with some lovely savoury detail. Very fine with a slight salinity. Textural and fine-grained with a hint of green tea. 94/100
One Block by Jayden Ong Chardonnay Gembrook 2021 Yarra Valley, Australia
This comes from the Swallowfield vineyard that was leased in 2024 by TarraWarra. 14% skin contact. Powerful and intense with spice, ginger, orange peel and some citrus. Lively and vivid with real precision. Structure and acid on the palate. 94/100
La Maison de Ong Chardonnay Chasing the Sun 2023 Yarra Valley, Australia
13% alcohol. Lovely intensity here: rich and textural with some lovely mealy and nutty notes. Good spicy detail with some honeyed richness and amazing balance, finishing with some sour cherry and bitter notes that help frame the fruit richness well. 94/100
La Maison de Ong Chardonnay Chasing the Sun 2022 Yarra Valley, Australia
12.5% alcohol. This is textural and refined with a hint of mealiness and lovely citrus fruit (lemons, mandarins, even some grapefruit). The palate has freshness and focus with a salty edge showing some nice phenolic character. Such an expressive wine. 95/100
Moonlit Forest by Jayden Ong Spring Pinot Noir Pinot Gris 2022 Mornington Peninsula, Australia
100% whole bunch. So fine, linear and crunchy with good texture. Wild strawberry and red cherry with good energy, and a touch of white pepper. A beautiful lighter red. 94/100
One Block by Jayden Ong Syrah 2023 Yarra Valley, Australia
12.5% alcohol. So fine and peppery on the nose with floral red and black cherry fruit. Supple cherries and berries on the palate with a nice core of sweet fruit with good peppery detail. Such energy and elegance here with bright raspberry and cranberry crunch. 95/100
Moonlit Forest by Jayden Ong Bang The Drum Gamay 2023 Yarra Valley, Australia
The Gamay comes from De Bortoli. 100% whole bunch, destemmed after 9 days then all goes back into the ferment. Fresh, juicy and vivid with fine spicy detail. Silky red cherry fruit with a touch of raspberry, and lovely palate flow. Has energy and focus with a sour cherry finish, as well as a touch of charcuterie. 93/100
Le Maison de Ong The Pagan Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 Yarra Valley, Australia
Whole bunch. Light, floral and fresh with red cherries, some plums and supple strawberry notes. Very expressive with well integrated herbal notes and lovely purity. So supple with great energy. Such a beautiful lighter expression of Cabernet. 93/100
La Maison de Ong Dark Moon Cabernet Syrah 2023 Yarra Valley, Australia
The Cabernet comes from the valley floor and the Syrah from the upper Yarra. 100% whole bunch, 13% alcohol. This has a lovely vivid peppery nose with sweet black cherry fruit. The palate shows lovely freshness with some silky texture and lovely berry fruit, with a mineral edge. 94/100
Le Maison de Ong Lanten Pinot Noir 2023 Yarra Valley, Australia
Supple and sweetly fruited with juicy redcurrant and sweet primary red cherry fruit. Joyful and forward with nice energy and some fine green notes. A touch of wild strawberry, too. This is all about the bright, direct fruit. 93/100
YARRA VALLEY
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Oakridge
- 3 Tarrawarra
- 4 Jayden Ong Wines
- 5 Yarra Yering
- 6 Bobar with Tom Belford
- 7 Giant Steps
- 8 Mac Forbes
- 9 Rob Dolan
- 10 Timo Meyer
- 11 Luke Lambert
- 12 Other Yarra wines tasted
