Tillie J Wines

Yarra valley, Australia

Philosophy & Site

Tillie J Wines is the creation of Yarra Valley viticulturist and winemaker Natalie Johnston, known affectionately as Tillie J. Her winemaking journey has taken her across some of Australia’s and the world’s most respected wine regions, with experience gained at renowned wineries including Yarra Yering, Leeuwin Estate, Brokenwood, and leading producers throughout Oregon, Germany, and Marlborough. Along the way, she has worked alongside exceptional winemakers whose mentorship, friendship, and shared passion for wine have helped shape her approach to the craft.

Returning home to the Yarra Valley, Tillie realised her dream of creating her own label through the inaugural 2019 Young Winemakers Program at No.7 Healesville. The result was Tillie J Wines and the highly acclaimed 2019 Yarra Valley Pinot Noir, awarded 95 points in the 2020 Wine Companion. Today, Tillie remains focused on producing expressive, site-driven wines that capture the character of their vineyard origins while offering both immediate enjoyment and the potential to evolve beautifully with age. Above all, Tillie J Wines is a celebration of place, community, and the joy of sharing great wine—happy days indeed.

Winemaking

Tillie has forged a reputation for her energetic cool climate wines and a cult following for the King Valley Aligoté.

For the Chardonnay and Aligoté the fruit arrives to the winery in pristine condition. It was then whole bunch pressed, cold settled in tank then racked with some fluffy lees to French oak barrique. Majority older oak with 1 new barrel (about 15-20% new oak), 1 second fill and 1 third fill and a stainless tank for a part of the Aligote. The wines are wild fermented and Tillie avoids malolactic fermentation. The wines are sat on lees in barrel for a further 6-9 months before blending, stabilization, fining and bottling.

The Pinot uses both destemmed and whole bunch components vinified separately, gentle foot stomping for extraction and inoculations with Pinot yeast strains. The wine was then pressed and barreled down to French oak barriques of which approximately 10% is new oak. There it completed secondary fermentation and further maturation for 9 months before blending, filtration and bottling.

We Say

“Meeting Tille at her Yarra Valley farm, and tasting the wines was such an authentic experience, with a newborn baby girl in one arm, wine in the other and a dog wagging its tail at her side. The wines reflect her surrounds, with their pure authenticity and effortless appeal. It’s an absolute pleasure to work with people like this and clearly the wines are going from strength to strength.”

They Say

“Tillie has been a recipient of the prestigious Top 50 Young Gun of Wine Awards for four consecutive years, winning the People's Choice Award in 2023.”

Young Gun Of Wine