A collaboration of equal proportions, Stephen Shelmerdine nurtured the grapes, Steve Webber crafted the wine, and Matt Moran created a label design for the 2008 PHI Pinot Noir.

Beginning with the first vintage of PHI only a few years ago, specific rows of mature pinot noir vines were identified within the single vineyard at Lusatia Park. The wines immediately received tremendous accolades, and the 2008 vintage of pinot noir continues the standard of excellence. Conditions in the 2008 vintage have produced a wine with a nice level of fruit plumpness in the red to cherry spectrum, sensual aromatics, along with savoury and mineral characters on the palate.

Moran on his label design: “It’s about balance. Steve Webber and Stephen Shelmerdine... Food and wine... Matt Moran and Phi. My food is contemporary and I’ve used clean lines with ARIA’s colours to depict the border between New South Wales and Queensland, continuing this theme of equal relationships.”

Matt Moran was raised on a dairy farm at Badgerys Creek in NSW and it was while living in regional Australia that he developed a commitment to the land and his love for food and local produce.

Moran is the man behind a number of acclaimed restaurants, including ARIA Sydney, which has been awarded two coveted Chef’s Hats by The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009.

Moran’s influence in food extends beyond his kitchens. Since its inception in 2005, Moran has been part of the judging panel for the coveted Vogue Entertaining & Travel Produce Awards. The published author of two cookbooks has also headlined TV shows including “My Restaurant Rules”, “Heat In The Kitchen”, “The Chopping Block” and the highly rating “MasterChef”. Moran has also held a weekly radio show on the ABC since 2005.

ARIA’s contemporary menu is inspired by Moran’s passion for sourcing the finest seasonal produce available. Vogue Entertaining has described his food at ARIA as “a revelation.”

Perhaps best of all, they’ve got some good gear in the cellar too. Distinguished wine writer James Halliday has called the wine list “the best in Australia.”

In 2002 the Shelmerdine and De Bortoli families entered into a grape supply agreement which gave Steve Webber the opportunity to make wine from the Lusatia Park Vineyard.

Shortly after the 2005 vintage, Webber and Stephen Shelmerdine decided the purity, vibrancy and complexity of both the pinot noir and chardonnay from Lusatia Park was so impressive, they deserved to be bottled and presented in their own right. The 2006 vintage saw the completion of the range with the addition of the 2006 PHI Lusatia Park Vineyard Sauvignon.

Webber describes the pursuit of PHI, “It is perhaps the next step in the evolution of the Yarra to showcase some of the very special sites and continue to highlight ‘sense of place’.”

Shelmerdine’s viticultural vision is to express the characteristics of the land he has cultivated for almost three decades now,  “Since its beginning as a vineyard we have always felt this rare site should speak – without compromise – on its own terms."

Derived from the 21st letter of the ancient Greek alphabet, PHI symbolises perfect balance and harmony. Together their philosophy is simple – to gently nurture wines while maintaining the character of the vineyard.

Steve Webber, winemaking guru, established De Bortoli Yarra Valley with wife Leanne. Awarded 2007 Winemaker of the Year by Gourmet Traveller WINE, Webber is current day chief judge of the Melbourne Wine Show. From 2003 to 2005, Webber made some pinot noir in the Burgundian appellations of Gevrey Chambertin and Chambolle Musigny and he admits to being obsessed with this variety, “Pinot, while time consuming and expensive to grow, when handled gently is a wine that articulates the characters of the site so well.”

PHI wines express the characteristics of the pioneering Lusatia Park Vineyard site in the Upper Yarra Valley established by Stephen Shelmerdine. A modern leader of the Australian wine industry, Shelmerdine has held board positions across the industry’s main guiding and governing bodies, including time as President of the Winemakers Federation of Australia.

In June 2002, Shelmerdine was made a Member of the Order of Australia for service to the Australian and Victorian wine industry, and received a Centenary of Federation Medal. In August 2009, he was awarded with a distinguished service award by the Victorian Wine Growers Association.

The PHI partnership between De Bortoli and Shelmerdine Vineyards brings together two very strong identities of the wine industry.