The emergence of Balgownie Estate as a preminent winemaker in the 1970s led to the rapid expansion of the central goldfields wine growing region and was a significant player in the rebirth of the Victorian wine industry as a whole. In 1999, fine wine enthusiasts Des and Rod Forrester assumed proprietorship of Balgownie and set about updating the vineyards and winery. The Forresters embarked on a search for the idyllic Chardonnay and Pinot Noir site, eventually identifying a property in the Yarra Valley where they established seven hectares of closely managed vines. Crafted to Methode traditionelle, Balgownie Brut is rested on sediments before completing secondary fermentation in bottle.