Dappled Wines

Yarra Valley, VIC

Shaun Crinion was first introduced to wine in 1999 after having the good fortune to work with a winemaking uncle on the central coast of California, making Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Syrah to earn money while on a surf trip in nearby Mexico. He has since followed the cellar rat path throughout his career; holding winemaker and assistant winemaker roles with a variety of small to medium producers. After the Californian beginning, Shaun has done stints in Margaret River, the Hunter Valley, Pipers River in Tasmania and at Domaine de Montille in Burgundy before finally settling in the Yarra Valley.

Dappled was established in 2009 with the view to make high quality, unadulterated wines from special patches of dirt at realistic prices. Shaun started making the wines foremost for family and friends, all of whom appreciated his minimal intervention techniques. Since then his talent was recognised by James Halliday’s Wine Companion as Best New Winery 2018.

A self-proclaimed traditionalist, he is totally hands-on across the winery and vineyard, from picking through to hand-labelling the bottles. The name Dappled draws from two inspirations: one is the perfect amount of light exposure to fruit in the canopy - not too much sun, not too much shade; the other is the combination of sourcing small parcels of fruit from different areas of land in one region. The wines Shaun creates show light and shade, with just the right amount of regional character plus a dash of personality thanks to minimal intervention.

Dappled has a bright future ahead. Although the fruit is currently sourced from small quality driven growers, Shaun aspires to have his own special patch of dirt one day and work it from grape to bottle allowing for total artistic expression. Wine has been a constant part and passion of Shaun’s life since he was 19 and it’s not fading away anytime soon…

Allocation only. Available in NSW, ACT, and TAS.