Recent allocation. Orders dispatched week of 14 September.

LVDO is the Adelaide Hills project of Marcell Kustos, a producer driven by site, experimentation and a search for more refined and individual expressions of Australian wine. The 2025 collection represents his most ambitious release to date, with tiny quantities produced after a rigorous selection process.

This exceptional Syrah comes from the Bekkers Clarendon Vineyard in Clarendon, McLaren Vale. Planted in 1990, the vineyard sits at 290 metres on a complex mix of schist, shale and fragmented limestone. The particular parcel used for this wine is planted on pure schist beneath a thin layer of topsoil, producing fruit of remarkable fragrance, elegance and tension.

Marcell first encountered the potential of this site during a tasting with Toby and Emmanuelle Bekkers, where a small parcel from the vineyard immediately stood out for its combination of perfume, linearity and concentration. Originally intended as part of an ambitious rosé project, the exceptional quality of the 2025 fruit convinced him to dedicate a small parcel to red wine instead.

The result is a contemporary interpretation of Clarendon Syrah: fragrant, elegant and finely structured, with the finesse and drinkability of Pinot Noir or Grenache while retaining the depth and character of great Syrah. The grapes were hand-harvested and fermented with 30% whole clusters, followed by an extended 72-day maceration for gentle extraction. The wine was matured for 10 months in a 450-litre puncheon on fine lees before bottling.

A beautifully distinctive expression of McLaren Vale Syrah—fine, aromatic and structured, with the concentration and tension to reward time in the cellar.

Only 593 bottles produced.