In 2017, Will Murray opened Cathedral Coffee, a tiny European-influenced coffee shop and bar on the ground floor of the Nicholas Building. That art deco marvel was designed in the 1920s by architect Harris Norris for the Nicholas family, and today is a hub for a community of over 200 artists, creatives and independent enterprises.

Now – among the bookstores, magic shops and jewellers – is Will’s latest: Le Tuffeau, a wine shop he opened with his cousin David Murray, who trained under wine importer Randall Pollard.

“Like everything in this building, we want people to feel like they’ve discovered something when they come up here,” David says of the second-floor shop. The cousins envision Le Tuffeau, named for a limestone found in the Loire Valley, as “a place where the wine troglodytes can be in their limestone cellar”, David says as he gestures to the stacks of wine literature scattered around the shop.

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The duo spent three months transforming the perfectly square room – which may have been the Nicholas family’s kitchen – into an inviting and character-filled space. Embracing what they describe as the “office-core” aesthetic of the building, they’ve furnished the space with a red Persian rug, a leather couch and a record player with a stack of their favourite jazz records.

“We wanted to celebrate the broken, slightly bombed-out look as part of its character,” Will says.

“All the wood on the door and the interior window was painted black, so we painted it chestnut brown to match the trim on the tiles. And everything was so white – whitewashed – so we painted it all an institutional kind of cellar-door green,” David adds.

The cousins’ wine preferences differ – David prefers old-world wines, while Will gravitates to funky, modern styles – and this contrast has shaped the shop’s diverse collection. The selection includes more than 1000 wines, including standouts like Joshua Cooper 2015 Sous Voile Chardonnay, Keller 2022 Westhofen Kirchspiel Riesling GG, and Clos Rougeard from the Loire Valley in France.

Le Tuffeau doesn’t serve food, but you can purchase a bottle to enjoy downstairs at Cathedral Coffee, alongside snacks like cheese, salumi and Austro Bakery pastries.

A curated selection of Le Tuffeau wines will soon be available online, and the Murrays plan to host events, dinners and collaborations with Melbourne artists in the space.

Le Tuffeau
The Nicholas Building, Suite 207, Level 2/37 Swanston Street, Melbourne
0497395997

Hours:
Tue to Sat 11am–6pm
@letuffeau
letuffeau.com