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Directions to your third story point: Proceed north along High Street, look for the wineries and waterfall sign. This is Duke Street. Turn left, then right at the sports ground and continue along Vinoca Road for 7.5 kilometers. Park and stop at the end of the sealed road. Pause the video, then play to learn about the modern era in 1963.
The French company Remy Martin was set up to make a brandy under the Chateau Remy banner. The first wines they planted were Ugni Blanc but John Robb, the winery's first manager, began tinkering with famous French varietals like Shiraz in the process of trial and error. Today, red varietals and champagnes are the hallmark of the estate. Chateau Remy was renamed Blue Pyrenees Estate in 1982. Research indicates that the Pyrenees district is the third oldest of the state's wine-growing regions, preceded in time of its original plantings by only the Yarra Valley and Geelong.
Make a U-turn and visit the Blue Pyrenees Estate; it is well-signed and you would have passed it on the way to this location. John Robb was employed by Remy Martin to establish a vineyard and winery at Avoca. He cleared the land, planted the vineyards, and built the winery. The Blue Pyrenees Estate is where experimental plantings of Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, and Merlot revealed special potential and the distinctive regional character wine was blended to emphasize the uniquely eucalypt mint characters of the Pyrenees region, when other winemakers were doing their level best to avoid it.
Today, his son Neill Robb continues the family wine heritage at Sally's Paddock winery just north of Avoca. The Blue Pyrenees cellar door is an ideal place to sample the estate's wines; they have a wonderful restaurant. Equally interesting is the small historic museum – it is fascinating. Take some time to relax.