Simon 'Sorby' Adams
Australia
Former chief winemaker at Iconic Yalumba winery in the Barossa, now forging his own way
Simon Sorby Adams is one of the most influential and acclaimed winemakers in Australia.
He was instrumental (firstly as Senior, then Chief Winemaker) at Yalumba for twenty years, in establishing the truly iconic international reputation for its masthead premium wines.
Throughout his award-winning career, Sorby’s philosophy of seeking out the finest grapes from the best vineyards in the Barossa and high Eden to create exceptional wines, has been at the very heart of everything he does.
- His silky winemaking skills have helped the stunning West Cape Howe, Singlefile Wines and Rockcliffe wineries garner coveted 5-Star Halliday ratings, and, he’s also been named as a finalist for the Young Guns of Wine awards.
But, it was only very recently, when Coby summoned up all his courage to strike out on his own, that things really began to get, ahhh, Naked - began to really make sense!
Yep, when you helped Coby become a liberated Naked winemaker, able to handcraft small-volume boutique wines exclusively for Angels, that’s when another dream took shape and started to fly!
Drew Tuckwell
Australia
He's cut his teeth in the region for many years and now wants to launch his own brand
216 Ratings
71 Followers
- Copy goes here
Bart Van Olphen
Australia
Dutchman who came here 15 years ago for one vintage! Fell in love with the vines, and a fellow winemaker.
575 Ratings
122 Followers
- Bart van Olphen’s wine journey is totally unique. Born and raised among the windmills and tulips of his native Holland, he learned his winemaking craft in Germany’s Pfalz region, honed it in the USA, handmade mighty reds alongside the legend that is Steve Pannell for eight years in McLaren Vale before settling in Victoria.
- Bart is married to Kim Chalmers of the famed Chalmers vineyards and it’s from these excellent family-grown grapes that he sources the most delectable, pristine fruit to power his Angel-exclusive B.O.V range of deliciousness!
- Bart is very much a minimal interventionist winemaker: grow the best fruit, let it talk and stay hands off as much as possible. And with the huge array of Chalmers grapes available to choose from Bart is like a kid in a candy store!
Cathy & Neil Howard
Australia
Keeping sustainability at their core, this experienced team makes wines with a little twist
1,077 Ratings
165 Followers
- Cathy & Neil now run their own brilliant Geographe vineyard, in Western Australia. This is where all the Boots & All magic happens, turning out hand crafted, textural wines full of TLC.
- With a combined 55 years of experience with some of the BIGGEST and BEST in the game, we didn’t hesitate welcoming this wonder couple in to the Naked community. Cathy honed her winemaking craft at the likes of St Hallet in the Barossa, and Neil’s vigneron experience has come from likes of the mighty Sandalford in Margaret River.
- It's been a long road to taking the leap and managing their own patch of perfect soil in Geographe, the dream for any passionate winemaker. Now, with Angel backing, Cathy & Neil have the ability to explore all sorts of boutique possibilities within their respective crafts. This is the kind of freedom that turns wine into something truly personal, unique and undeniably delicious.
Anthony Murphy
Australia
Industry stalwart keen to rescue a very precious vineyard
908 Ratings
153 Followers
- Anthony’s amazing career is dotted with other Aussie winemaking legends that he has learnt from, mentored or worked alongside. Joining Naked means Anthony can deliver his brothers-in-arms project to the tables of Angels everywhere, a powerful tribute to the life and pristine viticultural standards of his friend Kym.
- Both men had always nurtured a desire to do their own thing, seperate to the mass wine companies. Kym’s vast experience led him to discover the very finest Victorian vineyard site: north facing, high altitude, pristine cool-climate, brilliant fertile deep-red soil. He bought it, and planted it in 1995 with a proven, old, local Shiraz clone. “Kym believed his vineyard was as close to heaven as you could get - he loved it.”
- Before Naked, Anthony had amassed literally hundreds of wine awards including the World’s Best Shiraz for his 2005 Heathcote Shiraz at the Decanter International Wine & Spirit Competition. Today, Anthony continues to help Kym’s family by purchasing the premium Shiraz fruit and creating outstanding wine that pays homage to all the traits his dear friend showed - big, generous and full of life.
Caroline Dunn
Australia
Arguably Australia's most awarded female winemaker, with over 24 years experience!
1,038 Ratings
228 Followers
- We’ve rolled out the red carpet…Angels are now in the presence of Aussie wine royalty! Caroline was the first female winemaker ever to win the coveted, and world famous, Jimmy Watson Trophy - the most prestigious and sought after wine award in Australia while she was paving the way for Wolf Blass. 2017 marks the start of her most exciting challenge yet, channelling her experience into crafting boutique wines, just for Angels!
- Caroline was awarded Best Shiraz in the World at the illustrious International Wine and Spirit Competition in London, U.K.in 2002 for her Wolf Blass Platinum Label Shiraz. Let’s repeat that last bit… Best. Shiraz. in. the. World.
- In a first-up collaboration Caroline is being joined by long time friend and wine-genius-superstar, Nigel Dolan. Yep, there is probably not a red wine Trophy in major Australian shows that Nigel’s wines have not won at least once, including the mighty Stodart Trophy three times, the Jimmy Watson Trophy twice, in addition to being named South Australian Winemaker of the Year, Barossa Winemaker of the Year and Winestate Australian Winemaker of the Year. Run, don't walk...Caroline's wines will fly off the Naked shelves!
Randal Tomich
Australia
Winemaker who believes the most important part of winemaking is the soil the grapes are grown in
1,829 Ratings
269 Followers
- The first ever RT by Randal Tomich wines to get exclusively Naked are his delicate Pinot Noir and crisp, moreish Chardonnay, both grown on the Adelaide Hills vineyard his family has farmed for three generations. Hand picked, boutique quantities...all thanks to Angel backing!
- Randal's passion is clear - home is where the heart is. He approaches each of his pristine single vineyard wines "with a love and understanding of the land, treading softly and farming sustainably to create balance and harmony in life."
- Randal's father spent a life time learning hard earned secrets of soil quality - the ultimate key to premium winemaking. Randal hasn't just followed in his father's inventive footsteps, he's taken it to a new level! He's invented genius equipment and techniques promote the vineyard's health, achieving a 60% saving in both fuel costs and time.
Dan Binet & John Colvin .
Australia
Passionate grower who built the vineyard from scratch teaming up with an up and coming superstar winemaker from the Hunter Valley
2,338 Ratings
319 Followers
- Two heads are better than one, and when life long passion (John) meets life long winemaking skill (Dan), the result is unimaginably unique and tasty wine that sings like the hidden hills it came from!
- 95% of wine in Australia is machine harvested. Not at Montvalley! Every single drop is hand-pruned and hand-picked, so there is little wonder the vineyard upholds it's reputation for delivering the most pure Hunter Valley fruit to the winery every year.
- Whether it be their elegant Chardonnay, flavour-packed Shiraz or classic Semillon, filling your glass with Montvalley wine is an experience truly exclusive to Naked. Drift away to your happy place with John and Dan's gorgeous wine, grown in a hidden slice of Hunter Valley heaven.
Stuart Bourne
Australia
Barossa legend, teaming up with three great mates to make the wine he wants
3,173 Ratings
535 Followers
- Why did Stuart go down the wild winemaking path? To be able to drink his homework of course! Working right alongside three of his closest mates is the cherry on the top of this winemaking guru's story so far.
- He was originally a graduate in both Anatomy and Pharmacology. Since winemaking combines every discipline of Science, it appeals to the geek within. He loves tasting his experiments and now has 20 Australian vintages under his belt!
- For Stuart, it is the local growing families that continue to be the beating heart of the Barossa's world famous brilliance generation after generation. His passion for the Barossa has led to plenty of career highlights, like making it into the Top 100 Wines of the World in The Wine Spectator. Having a wine that he made served to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II also wasn't a bad day at the office!
