Great wine starts with place – and there are few places in Australia as surprising and distinctive as Rylstone, where De Beaurepaire Wines quietly produces some of the country’s most elegant, expressive wines.

Nearly thirty years ago, Richard and Janet de Beaurepaire made an unconventional decision. Rather than join their relatives who make wine in the more established Yarra Valley, they chose to pioneer a new viticultural region near Mudgee and Bathurst in New South Wales – drawn by a remarkable patch of limestone and a climate that mirrored Burgundy, their ancestral home. It was a bold move, but one driven by an unwavering belief in terroir.

Set on ancient marine limestone and cooled by a true continental climate – with growing season temperatures as cold as Tasmania, Central Otago and Burgundy – this site delivers ideal conditions for slow, even ripening. Cold nights and warm days preserve acidity, build structure and intensify perfume. Everything is estate-grown from the fifty-three-hectare vineyard and gently guided, not manipulated, to bottle. As vignerons, the family believes that wine is grown in the vineyard, not made in the winery.

Expect luminous chardonnay, graceful pinot noir, and méthode traditionnelle sparkling wines with serious structure and length. Even the cabernet and shiraz are different here – refined, tannin-ripe and refreshingly savoury. And if you need proof of just how special this vineyard is, its exquisite Botrytis Semillon was named Best Wine in Australia in 2018, beating more than 5,000 entries. The wines are also now found in many of Australia’s best hotels, bars and restaurants, and further afield in Singapore and Fiji.

Now joined by their son, Will, and his family, the de Beaurepaires farm regeneratively, going beyond organics. Biome sprays, cover cropping, no till of the shallow limestone rich soils create resilient, low-yielding vines and small-berried fruit bursting with character. It’s about growing healthy vines in living soils and letting the site shine.

At the cellar door – set in beautifully restored 170-year-old stables overlooking a valley of vines – you’re invited to experience the wines in their landscape. Tastings are relaxed but informed, hosted by the family or those close to them. You’ll leave with more than just bottles – you’ll take away the story behind them.

Just three hours from Sydney, but a world away from what you expect.