The People

Tom and Helle Southwell represent the next generation of the Johansen family’s Mountain View Vineyard in Tumbarumba. Helle grew up around the vineyard her parents established and after returning to Tumbarumba from coastal life, Tom and Helle, were drawn to the lifestyle and the opportunity to become part of the family business. Together, they have brought fresh energy and strengthened the focus on viticulture for the Johansen family’s vineyard's, while demonstrating a strong sense of family, and resilience, particularly after the devastating 2020 bush fires.

The Land

There’s a cohesive coming together of factors that makes this site unique - it's the interaction of 765m elevation, cool temperatures, eastern exposure and distinctive, free draining red podzolic granites. This creates a site where the vines ripen relatively slowly and can produce fruit with concentration and flavour while retaining the fine acidity that makes Tumbarumba Chardonnay so distinctive.

The Wine

The 2025 Mountain View Chardonnay is made with a deliberately hands-off approach, allowing the quality of the fruit and the character of the site to drive the wine. The wine shows bright citrus and white peach, with subtle floral aromatics and a fine, savoury minerality.

The grapes are hand-picked and whole-bunch pressed, with the juice divided between concrete (40%) and French oak, creating a balance between freshness, texture and subtle oak complexity. Fermentation took place on moderate solids using natural yeasts, before the wine went through 100% malolactic fermentation. This built a soft, creamy texture with gentle palate weight while retaining the wine’s natural acidity and freshness.