Duke’s Vineyard ‘Maleeya’ Gewurztraminer 2022

For the first time ever, an 'Invitational Vineyard' range of wines has been introduced to the Duke's Vineyard portfolio. These wines are small lots made from premium fruit sourced from other vineyards in Southwest Australia that showcase some of the other great expressions of cool-climate wines that are being made in this exciting, up-and-coming wine region of Australia.

To differentiate these wines from the existing estate ranges which have relatively conservative labels, we wanted to create something original, bright, versatile and of the place from where each wine originated. We also wanted labels that could be built upon or somehow reimagined for future vintages so each wine will be recognised by its label with slight tweaks for each year it was made.

We commissioned WA artist Emily Jackson to create a piece for Duke's Vineyard because the way she works seemed like a perfect fit for what we were trying to communicate with the 'Invitational Vineyard' range. We sent her to the various vineyards we are working with in Southwest Australia and she collected items and images from each that she turned into a 2500mm x 460mm piece via collages, inking, printing and digitising. (The first edition hangs above the cellar door bar.) From this piece, we are selecting nine different labels over the course of two and a half years. Each time we make one of these wines in future vintages, we'll keep the integrity of the label and just alter an element and/or colour so the wine will always be recognisable but each year will be distinct. As of March 2022, four of the wines have been released to the public with three more launching at the end of April 2023 and the last two being bottled in August 2023.

Customers regularly comment approvingly on all the labels in this series - how they like the colours, the unique art and the imagery that represents the various vineyards and areas we work with - and often buy the wine citing the label as one of the deciding factors. The labels are complemented with colourful Stelvin twist-off caps and premium quality glass bottles. The wines are also delicious and high quality, and the ones that have been released, have received high point reviews from several influential wine writers across Australia.