Producer Series : Mosquito Hill, Expert review

My (Ben's) iconic grandmother told me once you should have as many careers as you want, just make sure one of them is something you are truly passionate about.

If you ever needed proof that following your passion can lead to extraordinary things, Glyn Jamieson is your man. By day (well, for most of his career) Glyn was a Professor of Gastrointestinal Surgery at the University of Adelaide. But in the early 1990s, while on study leave in France with his late wife Elizabeth, he fell completely and utterly in love with French winemaking. We've all had a holiday romance - Glyn's just happened to change his life.

On returning to Australia in 1994, Glyn did what any sensible surgeon would do - he bought a 200 acre property in the Mt Jagged area of the Fleurieu Peninsula, started planting vines and Mosquito Hill was born. The first vineyard went in in 1996, a second in 1998, and the first wine was finally produced in 2004 by highly regarded winemaker, Peter Leske. Then in 2011 he built a state-of-the-art winery on the property. Talk about playing the long game. Oh, and somewhere in between saving lives, in 2011 he also completed an 11 year winemaking degree at Charles Sturt University (part time, distance learning - because obviously he had other stuff on). We can barely manage to read a book on the train.

At that point Mosquito Hill entered the next stage of its life as Glyn began his role as chief winemaker too. I think I need a lie down just thinking about how busy he must have been.What makes Mosquito Hill so special is not just Glyn's absolute devotion to Burgundian and Champagne styles but through wines that are unmistakably rooted in their Australian terroir. These are not just knock-off versions that want to be French, they are brilliantly conceived, proud Aussie wines; elegant, complex, deeply fascinating food-friendly wines that punch so far above their weight it's almost unfair.

In 2022, Daniel Franklin became a part-owner of the Mosquito Hill Wines brand and currently oversees vineyard management, sales and distribution. Glyn and Daniel both share a similar love and passion for French styles of wine, and with such brilliant joint energy are taking Mosquito Hill to new levels. In 2023, Dan was in London on Holiday and met with PJ & I to find out more. AV & MH hit it off instantly.

"Our holy grail, if we can ever find it, would be something like an aged pinot because no doubt Burgundy is our first love in wine" so PJ said to Dan and his wife Lucy at that lunch. I think you might want to try our 2010 single vineyard pinot came the reply. 24 hours later in PJ's kitchen this wine would not just outshine, but frankly eviscerate, one of Ben's absolute favourite burgundies, a 2010 Morey St Denis 1er cru. We instantly ordered all the 2010 they had left and our exclusive partnership with Glyn and Dan had begun.

18 months later on a drab November morning my phone suddenly lit up with orders and emails. It was only when one of our other producers pinged me and said "Wow, great review from Decanter for your mossy hill pinot mate" that the penny dropped and I checked their insta pages. And what a review from Julie Sheppard, their Australia Editor it was too."What a treat to find this affordable aged Aussie PInot Noir. From a boutique producer in the Fleurieu Peninsula, this single-vineyard cuvee is made from French clones and is a super alternative to 2010 Burgundy, at a fraction of the price. Evolved savoury hints – roasted mushroom, damp earth – to the mulberrry and plum aromas, with a lift of cherry menthol. Harmonious palate of mellow brambly red fruits and spice with a pleasing earthiness. Drinking beautifully now. 93 points 2025-2030." link to review.

If it were just brilliant pinot noir we would have been over the moon, but their Chardonnay is a thing of real beauty and the sparkling blanc de blancs would make plenty of French sparkling makers blush! These made for two other glorious discoveries - both with limited production, big ambition and extraordinary results.The Emeritus Chardonnay has been a very firm favourite of our clients from that first launch, as well as the Bartram house pour ever since. A really elegant Chardonnay - finesse and clarity created in the mould of a Puligny with lovely mineral taste and just enough hint of that creamy, buttery Burgundy style. It also reminds us of some of the smooth drinking Northern Italian Chardonnays from the lower Alps.

When we started AV, we hadn't even thought about importing a sparkling wine. Then after the reds and whites there was a bottle of this blanc de blancs in the box from Dan. We tried it blind, with a few extra palates to help, against everyone's favourite Blanc de Blancs, Ruinart. Our surprise was matched only by our excitement when we had a full house of preference ticks (including ours) for the Aussie over the French! A typical Blanc de Blancs style, which delivers excellent weight and feels fine in the mouth, showing hints of golden apple, almond and that all important biscuity taste you get in the best Blanc de Blancs. This wine continues the tradition of elegant Blanc de Blancs from Mosquito Hill after spending 5 years on lees, and is a great alternative to Champagne!

In 2025 Mosquito Hill moved to its third chapter when it engaged Matt Large, the esteemed former senior wine maker at Shaw and Smith to lead winemaking and vineyard management. As Glyn said to us ‘Matt brings a wealth of experience to Mosquito Hill Wines, most recently as a Senior Winemaker at Shaw & Smith, where he played a key role in shaping some of Australia’s most highly regarded cool-climate wines. His tenure included close involvement with Tolpuddle Vineyard, widely acknowledged as producing some of the country’s finest Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, and a benchmark for precision, restraint and site expression.’ I'm not sure there is anything we need to add to that other than being pumped to get the first sample!

The last few years have been tough growing conditions in South Australia, and especially up in the Fleurieu, but the 2026 vintage is in the winery and although a smaller harvest this year, the team tell us they could not be happier with how they are looking. "Flavours are great and the ferments are looking good." Amen to that.

Over the coming 12-24 months, we cannot wait to see how Mosquito Hill Wines will continue to evolve through their work with Matt in the vineyards and winery. They tell us with his incredible knowledge and experience they are focused purely on making "even better wines". Given how much we love them already this has to be one seriously exciting time to be working with Glyn, Dan & Matt!

Visit our website to explore our full range of great Aussie wineswww.australianvintners.co.uk

Ben and PJ