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Dappled - Unassumingly Beautiful Wines

by Hugh French | Nov 27, 2025

Established in 2009, Dappled is a hands-on small production winery that sources fruit from various vineyards in the Yarra Valley (both the upper region and the valley floor) and Mornington Peninsula. Owner and winemaker Shaun Crinion has held numerous roles as a winemaker and assistant winemaker over the past 12 years, remaining close to his 'cellar rat' roots. This passion for the cellar and vineyard has shaped a traditional, hands-on approach to winemaking.

Dappled focuses on producing high-quality, unadulterated wines from unique terroirs at realistic prices. Initially created for Shaun’s family and friends, the winery's philosophy centers around hand-crafted, minimal intervention practices, which continue to this day.

Shaun's journey in the wine industry began in 1999 when he worked for his winemaker uncle at Laetitia Vineyard & Winery on the central coast of California. His impressive career includes positions at notable wineries: in 2000 at Devil’s Lair in Margaret River and Corbett Canyon Vineyard in California; in 2002 at Houghton in Middle Swan; in 2003 at De Bortoli in the Hunter Valley; from 2004 to 2006 at Pipers Brook in Tasmania; in 2006 at Bay of Fires in Tasmania; from 2006 to 2007 at Williams Selyem in California; in 2008 at Domaine Chandon in the Yarra Valley; in 2010 at Domaine de Montille in Burgundy.

2024 Les Vergers Single Vineyard Chardonnay

Usually $59

OFFER PRICE $54

"A richer aromatic profile than the 23’, yellow stone fruit aromas dominate with custard brioche and spice, along with some hints of butted toast and flint. The palate is singing - rich and fresh all at once – and the texture and fruit concentration (peach, apple pie) make it super round in the mouth. There is also the tell-tale grapefruit acidity that freshens and drives the palate to a clean and flavoursome finish. Don’t miss this!"

Shaun Crinion WINEMAKER'S NOTES

2024 Champs de Cerises Single Vineyard Pinot Noir

Usually $59

OFFER PRICE $54

95 Points

"Dappled light. Dappled horses. That’s what I think of mainly when I read that word. Anyway, Shaun Crinion has a sure touch in the winery, and he keeps his wines on the affordable side too.

Red cherry, strawberry, spice, mint and amaro, dried roses, blonde tobacco, a slight praline richness too. It’s medium-bodied at most, spicy, a little sappy, strawberry and milk chocolate, a gentle grip of fine dusty tannin, a subtle Campari tang, with a cool and fine finish of excellent length. Such a pleasing wine for its spice and juicy red-fruited zip. Lovely from start to finish."

Gary Walsh, THE WINE FRONT

2024 Fin de la Terre Single Vineyard Syrah

Usually $47

OFFER PRICE $42

"Tiny crops resulted an intensely concentrated wine that is deep ruby/purple in colour. Think blackberries, plum and clove, hints of thyme and bay leaf – with black olive making an appearance. The palate is round and plush with a super core of black fruits with herbal characters giving great length and line. Very limited Syrah available this year, so you’ll need to be quick! "

Shaun Crinion, WINEMAKER'S NOTES

2024 Tradition Cabernets

Usually $42

OFFER PRICE $38

93 Points

"Cabernet Sauvignon (74%) and Cabernet Franc from a vineyard planted in 1981. Well, the back label says that while the website says 68% Cab Sav and 32% Cab Franc. Whatever. I do feel Cab Franc kind of rides high in the wine regardless.

Blueberry, blackberry, a little grassy, but also perfumed with floral things, along with tobacco and black olive. It’s medium-bodied, crisp and black fruited, something of a tomato and olive tang to it, grainy tannin grip is firm but sure, and the finish is saline, savoury and loaded with black olive and dried herb. Perhaps a little tangy, but very nice and certainly worthy of a little time in the cellar to show its best."

Gary Walsh, THE WINE FRONT

BACK VINTAGE WINES AVAILABLE

2024 Appellation Chardonnay

OFFER PRICE $42

94+ Points

"White peach, toasted hazelnuts, a light smoky struck match, lemon oil, mint and chamomile. It’s savoury and saline, quite umami in flavour, pink grapefruit tang, a firm chalky grip to texture, lemon zest and green olive on a finish of quite some zip and length. Complex. Tightly-coiled. Likely better again in a year or two. Excellent."

Gary Walsh, THE WINE FRONT

2023 Appellation Chardonnay

OFFER PRICE $42

95 Points

"This is a cool, penetrating chardonnay with a sweet burst of flavour running right through the palate and a beautifully honed finish. It’s impeccable. Peach, pear, citrus, steel and cedar flavours are presented in polished, pure form. The silk evident on the palate here is so well integrated it’s like a voice coming from inside the bare chest of chardonnay. It’s worth every cent and more."

Campbell Mattinson, THE WINE FRONT

2024 Appellation Pinot

OFFER PRICE $42

94 Points

"Here’s a lighter, spicier style of Pinot Noir. Raspberry, strawberry, a little earthiness and subtle smoked paprika. It’s fresh, a cranberry, maybe even tamarind tang to it, a red cherry juiciness tempered with dried herb, light dusty tannin, and a sappy, spicy red fruited finish of fine length, some blood orange tartness in the aftertaste. I particularly like the baby’s grip of tannin on exit. Delicate, frisky even, and such a pleasing wine to drink."

Gary Walsh, THE WINE FRONT

2023 Appellation Pinot

OFFER PRICE $42

95 Points

"It tastes and feels Upper Yarra but it’s beautifully pitched and it pushes ever-so-confidently through the finish. There’s a clear lightness to this wine but it’s by no means a passing interest. Red cherries, twigs, spices, florals and cranberries, all juicy and woody and savoury and ripe, at once. Reduction has, I would argue, been played to positive effect here, though I do have a liking of reductive inputs. As I say to my kids, I was raised reductively, sans air to the creative side of life. There’s a tension to this wine, an inherent complexity. This is a wine I’d be happy to drink anywhere, any time, all the time."

Campbell Mattinson, THE WINE FRONT

2023 Sur la Crete Single Vineyard Pinot Noir

OFFER PRICE $59

97 Points

"From a single vineyard located at Red Hill at 179m. 30% whole bunches and minimal SO2. A light and very bright crimson. Pure fruited and perfumed with its bouquet of wild strawberries, raspberries and rose petals, with the whole bunches barely detectable. An elegant and persistent mouthful with silky, persistent tannins boding well for the future. Another superb, minimal-intervention wine from Dappled in '23."

Philip Rich, THE HALLIDAY WINE COMPANION

2022 Sur la Crete Single Vineyard Pinot Noir

OFFER PRICE $54

"Sur le Crete' means on the ridge. Single vineyard Pinot noir grown at 179m above sea level in the rich red volcanic soils or Red Hill on the Mornington Peninsula. Wild fermented, 30% whole bunch, minimal SO2 added with no other additions. Bottled unfined and unfiltered.

Tremendously low crops resulted in great depth of colour again. The aromatic profile is classic Mornington with rich plum/ripe strawberry fruits mixed with spice and complex mulchy undergrowth aromas. The palate has a beautiful fullness with plump plum and strawberry compote flavours. The textures and tannins are velvety smooth and very round in the mouth. This is joyfully good to drink!"

Shaun Crinion, WINEMAKER'S NOTES

2023 Tradition Cabernets

OFFER PRICE $39

95 Points

"68/32% cabernet sauvignon/cabernet franc. Made from a vineyard planted in Steels Creek in '81. 20% whole bunches. A medium, bright crimson. Dark cherry and blackberry fruit aromas intermingle with a little cedar, oyster shell and some whole-bunch derived floral notes. The medium-bodied palate is energetic and bright with quite chewy, long-chained tannins that bode well for the future."

Philip Rich, THE HALLIDAY WINE COMPANION