Small Winemakers Tasting Dozens |
The Classic May Dozen | |
ALLINDA PODIUM SPARKLING RIESLINGWinemaker Al FencarosWinemakers NotesThe base wine was picked at optimum ripeness to achieve fruit flavour, whilst retaining low sugar and high natural acidity. The base wine was fermented very simply and cleanly to reflect the natural characteristics of the grape variety and the vineyard site. Secondary fermentation was carried out in the bottle, as per the traditional method used for producing premium sparkling wines. It was allowed to rest on lees in the bottle for a relatively short period of time - nine months. This allowed sufficient time to produce some subtle yeasty / bready aromas, a fine bead (small bubbles) and a creamy / foamy mousse on the palate, but short enough to ensure that the Riesling fruit flavours are retained. Very fruity, lifted citrus / passionfruit nose. Fine, creamy mousse on the palate. Citrus, lime rind and fresh bread flavours. CellarMade for early enjoyment. Additional NotesI first heard about this wine around about the time of the November 2008 Dozen, which was already completed. Al was happy to have it included in the following February 2009 Dozen, but the Killer Victorian Bushfires made it impossible as he was forced to defend his winery and vineyard. Allinda lost its 2009 crop to heat and smoke, and it is an ongoing process to see if a percentage of vines will recover from being burnt. As usual, Al's notes are comprehensive, and there is additional 'Philosophy' on the back page which brought to this wine to fruition. AvailabilityAvailable to Retail. Winery DetailsPhone: 03 5965 2450 Fax: 03 5965 2467 Open: Weekends & Public Holidays 11 to 5. Address: 119 Lorimers Lane, Dixons Creek, Victoria, 3775. | |
BLACKBILLY McLAREN VALE TEMPRANILLO 2007Winemakers Nick Haselgrove and Warren RandallWinemakers NotesThe colour is deep, bright purple with a magenta hue. A complex berry nose of black fruit, cedar oak and layered aromatics to the palate. Ripe, full fruit tannin with a layer of grainy, slightly powdery oak tannin. Fresh and zingy acidity with complex black fruits and a savoury note reminiscent of olive tapenade. The maturation in large French oak puncheons for 14 months provides a complex oak character in harmony with the fruitiness producing a medium bodied style, but with full flavour and beguiling complexity. Cellar“This vintage was drought affected and produced highly concentrated wines that should age well in the medium term.” Additional Notes“Tapenade:” According to the Macquarie Dictionary it is “a paste consisting of pureed black olives, capers and anchovies or the like served as a hors d’oeuve.” Now, at least, I know! This wine probably would have gone unnoticed if it was simply up to me. As mentioned many times, there are a few ‘Wineheads’ I regularly ask what discoveries, if any they may have made. Here, it was Glen Brereton, who, as noted in February has a new portfolio of wines to explore that this one came up. Anything down the ‘newer’ varieties list is always interesting. He was very keen and convincing which is his way, so cheers to him. AvailabilityAvailable to Retail. Winery DetailsPhone: 0419 383 907 Fax: 08 8323 9747 Open: No Cellar Door. Address: Main Street McLaren Vale, S.A., 5171. Web: www.blackbilly.com | |
FORREST ESTATE PINOT GRIS 2006Winemaker John Forrest.Winemakers NotesWe have deliberately the winemaking input to a minimum, resisting the temptation to oak the wine, and simply let the superbly ripe fruit speak for itself." Stylistically the wine shows both the delicate fruit aromas and palate softness that has made Pinot Gris so popular. Aromas of spice, apple and nashi pears lead to a soft voluptuous palate with a refreshing finish. CellarDrink and ponder now and over the next 3 to 4 years. Additional Notes"Our Pinot Gris is planted on four vineyards, each of which have their own characteristics but are all on stony, free - draining soils to limit vigour and yield. We also minimize irrigation of our Pinot Gris after veraison (colour set), and with the second lowest summer rainfall on record, the fruit came in with great concentration of flavour - the best Pinot Gris we have harvested to date. The grapes were hand harvested, gently pressed to recover only the premium juice, cold settled, then yeast added to allow cool fermentation lasting approximately 28 days; following this the wine was given standard preparation for bottling." A blast from the past, as they say and it's terrific to be able to access these wines again. There were a few of John's wines early on in the Dozens either under the Forrest Estate or Newton Forrest labels, and very good they were. While looking through Glen Brereton's new Portfolio of wines (Rutherglen Wine & Spirit Co), I turned the page and out they jumped, and so did I! AvailabilityAvailable to Retail. Winery DetailsPhone: 03 572 9084 Fax: 03 572 9086 Open: Address: 19 Blicks Road, Renwick, Blenheim, N.Z. | |
FUSO (BY AMULET)Winemaker Ben CliftonWinemakers NotesThe colour has deep mulberry / purple hues. The bouquet is reminiscent of roasted bacon fat and the palate offers a soft luscious mix of plum and dark cherry fruits and spices. This is further enhanced with tarry tannins which gather and coat the palate with a long and lingering finish. Cellar“This is a more forward style and is able to be enjoyed now with a range of flavoursome foods. In summary, anything Italian!” Additional Notes“A very flavoursome and somewhat richer style due to the mix of the three Italian Stallions. Sangiovese (48%) is the backbone providing rich cherry and savoury spiced fruit flavours. The juicy addition of Barbera (35%) and tannic muscle of Nebbiolo complete the picture. At 350m, the ripening period of warm to hot summer days are moderated by cooler evenings producing fruit with great flavour and varietal definition. The vineyard is hand picked, low cropped with no pesticides and minimal sprays,” and as we have seen before the Sangiovese from Amulet can be pretty impressive. I first heard about this wine last November but alas there was a delay with label problems. Here in May we have FUSO, which sounds much better than its translation: blend. AvailabilityAvailable to Retail. Winery DetailsPhone: 03 5727 0420 Fax: 03 5727 0421 Open: F to M 10 to 5 Address: Wangaratta Road, Beechworth, Victoria, 3747. | |
HAPPS SHIRAZ 2003Winemakers: Earl Happ and Mark WarrenWinemakers NotesThe colour is red - ecclesiastical purple, with the nose showing pepper, spice, mountain herbs and flowers. A lovely soft yet rich and unctuous wine with a spirited attack and lovely fruit sensations, a comprehensively packed mid palate and lovely fruit sensations that linger on the finish. It was matured for 12 months in small French oak followed by a year's maturation in bottle under cork. CellarDrinking brilliantly at six years and threatens several more good years. Additional Notes"To produce its best in the Margaret River environment, Shiraz demands warm summers and time on the vine. The vine thrives on harsh treatment and is always compromised by irrigation. We think that with our rather generous trellises designed for good leaf and fruit exposures and hand picking, we get the best out of this vine." Happs has a fantastic Website and under a section headed "Other Stories and Opinion - The thoughts of the Chairman and other morsels" is a 'report' of an experiment undertaken at Happs and written up 26-1-1997. The report goes under the title: "My preference is for fruit before wood." Happs is prolific in all things wine, and the full report is there for all to read. It's good stuff! AvailabilityAvailable to Retail. Winery DetailsPhone: 08 9755 3300 Fax: 08 9755 3846 Open: Daily 10 to 5. Address: 571 Commonage Road, Dunsborough, W.A., 6281. Web: www.happs.com.au Back To Top | |
HEATHVALE SHIRAZ CABERNET 2005Winemaker Trevor MarchWinemakers NotesThe nose opens with some chocolate and liquorice, leading to a melange or mixture of berries that sits atop a Christmas cake, with hints of violets. The palate is soft and juicy; cool Cabernet mixing it up with spicy Shiraz. The result is immediate, silky and delicious. A rounded generous finish makes this a perfect pour. CellarThis is very good drinking now and will cellar well over the red medium term 6 to 8 years. Additional NotesFactual background information is that the original seven acres of Shiraz vines were planted in the March's Eden Valley Estate vineyard in 1987, with newer plantings in 1998 of five acres of Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine was matured in a mixture of French and American oak. This is a Classic South Australian style: "The reason we made it is because I love to drink this style. It is what I cut my teeth on in the 1970's. (T.M.). From initial plantings in 1987, and almost a generation on, the vines are now mature, and we (a family enterprise), have gained a wealth of understanding of what quality Heathvale has to provide. We are committed to our dream of producing outstanding estate grown single vineyard wines." AvailabilityAvailable to Retail. Winery DetailsPhone/Fax: 08 8564 8248Open: No Cellar Door. Address: Saw Pitt Gully Road, via Keyneton, S.A., 5353. | |
JUNIPER ESTATE MARGARET RIVER SEMILLON 2006Winemaker Mark MessengerWinemakers NotesPale green in colour, the fruit characters on the nose reflect the cool summer offering grapefruit, lemon, mandarin, pear and honeydew melon with added complexity of flint / mineral & nut meal from the natural yeast component and lees stirring while the barrel fermentation characters show as a smoky, toasty vanillin combo. The fine structured palate has a smooth creamy texture from maturation on yeast lees brought in check by spicy savoury oak and citrus fresh acidity. This style of wine is best served slightly chilled with your favourite seafood. Cellar"With careful cellaring the 06 Juniper Semillon has a long future of 10 plus years." Additional Notes"Margaret River Semillon is very distinctive and at Juniper Estate we are aiming to produce a fine elegant complex wine with medium term cellaring potential. Barrel fermentation and maturation on yeast lees is used to build texture and structure along with a touch of smoky complexity without dominating the fruit characters and maintaining elegance in the wine." There have been a few positive comments about this wine since its last appearance in the August 2005 Dozen with the 2003 wine. Recognizing the Margaret River style, this may be another wine to follow. "The 2006 vintage was the coolest on record, which resulted in delayed picking. The flavours and sugars developed quite slowly and the grapes showed a good overall range at slightly lower than normal picking levels, resulting in finer wines with lower alcohol." AvailabilityAvailable to Retail. Winery DetailsPhone: 08 9755 9000 Fax: 08 9755 9100 Open: Daily 10 to 5. Address: Harmans Road South, Cowaramup, W.A., 6284 | |
MURRAY STREET BAROSSA CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2006Winemaker Andrew SeppeltWinemakers Notes“The colour is deep plum red with brick red rim. The nose shows forest floor and savoury winter spices. Red jubey sweetness complemented by cedary oak. The palate shows a well constructed, cool climate Cabernet. Soft, herbal characters with lifted, curranty fruit sweetness on the finish.” CellarExcellent drinking now and another three to five years journey developing in the bottle. Additional NotesI found this a most interesting and attractive wine which according to the Notes is a blend of 97% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Shiraz sourced from both the Eden and Barossa Valleys, hence no doubt the ‘cool climate’ call. The reliable practice of “small batch ferments from separate vineyard parcels allowing for greater complexity, and ageing (18 months) in new and old French oak.” Winemaking all done with great care and at a very modest alcohol of 12%, something that went unnoticed at first. But there was something else happening. Perhaps it is in the four lines that head all the Murray Street Wine Notes where they say they make wines “that honour the past.” This wine reminds me of those 1970s Seaview Cabernets, wines that were held quite rightly in high regard, before discounting let such beauties fall into the hands of irresponsible “brand managers.” Oh those Music Hall days. AvailabilityAvailable to Retail. Winery DetailsPhone: 08 8562 8373 Fax: 08 8562 8414 Open: Daily 10 to 4.30 Address: Lot 723 Murray Street, Greenock S.A., 5360. | |
PD CHIME HOOP COONAWARRA CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2004Winemaker Peter DouglasWinemakers NotesThe colour is deep red with some purple in the edge. The nose shows a very fresh undeveloped bouquet of blueberry, mint and stalky cabernet fruit and mocha oak just jumping out of the glass. The palate has a soft and juicy structure with plenty of cabernet berry flavour up front and spicy oak influences on the finish. Cellar“Time in the bottle will see the development of cedar and chocolate characters.” Additional Notes“It’s a myth that you should have to wait many years for a great wine to become drinkable. Great Wine is great wine from the beginning. It’s just a matter of how much character and complexity you prefer.” “Peter Douglas has been making wine in Coonawarra for over twenty years, with fifteen years at the helm of acclaimed Wynns brand. Known around the traps as the ‘Mayor of Penola,’ Peter is proud to present his personal selection of wines that reflect the unique style of this world renowned region.” I remember reading it as big ‘Industry News’ when Peter Douglas left Wynns for adventure elsewhere, and later, of his eventual return. I came across this wine in Glen Brereton’s new portfolio at Rutherglen Wine & Spirit Co, with a 90/100 in James Halliday’s 2009 Wine Companion. I thought it would be an interesting inclusion. I also looked Peter up in the 2008 Wine Industry Directory, and it seems he is the Winemaker at Di Giorgio Family and Reschke Wines. AvailabilityThrough its Supplier, RW&S, his wines are ‘Available to Retail.’ Winery DetailsThe Peter Douglas label doesn’t hang on a winery as such, so there is no Cellar Door or Winery Details. | |
RICHFIELD VINEYARD SHIRAZ 2007Winemaker John CassegrainWinemakers NotesRich fruit - driven aromas of blackberry, raspberry and mulberry combine complex notes of peppery spice and a subtle cedar like character derived from the sensitive use of oak. Fermented on skins for around four weeks giving this wine a lovely fine long tannin structure this wine shows all the hallmarks of cooler climate Shiraz. It fills the mouth with ripe berry fruits, complex spice and subtle oak notes. Cellar"Drink now or age to develop further wine complexity." Additional Notes We first had a visit from the Richfield stable with the 2006 Chardonnay in the February 2008 Dozen. As mentioned in the Notes then, there were various high profile Wine Industry people involved in the establishment of Richfield Vineyard in the early 1980s. But the most interesting and enduring fact is it's unique location at 700 to 740m (depending which source you read from) "at the foothills of the Great Dividing Range in the Northern Slopes wine growing' region. Positioned on the crossroads outside of Tenterfield, this 'pocket of gold' produces exceptional Shiraz." A fascinating wine, not only because of its 'early' quality, my curiosity was further enhanced while talking to Nicholas Gibson from whom it was supplied, at a price! He spoke enthusiastically of plans to develop this style with future vintages. AvailabilityAvailable to Retail. Winery DetailsPhone: 02 6737 5488 Fax: 02 6737 5598 Open: Daily 10 to 4. Address: Bonshaw Road, Tenterfield, NSW, 2372. | |
STAETE LANDT MARLBOROUGH CHARDONNAY 2006Winemaker Ruud MaasdamWinemakers NotesThis wine was aged in 100% French oak barrels the majority of which were older than five years and approximately 25% were new. This has produced a complex yet subtle wine that has intense, ripe nectarine, leesy aromas overlaying a creamy almond, vanilla character rather than overt fruitiness. This is a full bodied and elegant wine with a dry and crisp finish. Cellar"Drinking well now. If cellaring the wine, medium term 5-6 years is recommended." Additional NotesSeasonal conditions "gave us rich, full and expressive clean fruit with great concentration and complexity in an earlier than usual harvest. The grapes were all hand picked from four different Chardonnay parcels, each clone and rootstock combination is mirrored on different soil types within the Estate vineyard giving fruit from each of these parcels great individuality." As is the practice, the grapes were whole bunch pressed with half the juice allowed indigenous yeast fermentation adding complexity and extra mouth feel to the wine. After alcoholic fermentation the barrels were stirred regularly until completion of the secondary malo lactic fermentation. Aged on lees, racked, blended and slightly fined before bottling. This is the third Estate Chardonnay from Staete Landt in the Dozens and a wine that easily fits the bill of a wine that lends itself to following up on future vintages. AvailabilityAvailable to Retail. Winery DetailsPhone: 03 572 9886 Fax: 03 572 9887 Open: Daily. Address: 48 Jeffries Road, RD2, Rapaura, Marlborough N.Z. | |
VINIFERA WINES GRACIANO 2007Winemakers Tony McKendry & Frank NewmanWinemakers NotesGraciano, the variety is a small percentage of the blend in Rioja (north eastern Spain), and generally not planted much lately in Spain, unlike Tempranillo, as it is a shy bearer. Here in Mudgee it is a late budburst and late bearer, mid to late April. It was bottled early and with minimal oak influence to let the varietal nature define itself. Paradoxically it has a smokey nose with florals and plums prominent. The palate has plenty of spices, initial aniseed and peppery plummy features with a long finish. Cellar"We suspect that Graciano will develop over many years into a 'Shiraz like' style." Additional NotesThe Gran Tinto (a blend of Grenache, Cabernet Sauvignon and Tempranillo) from Vinifera Wines in the November Dozen was the first of many their wines planned for future Dozens. At the time Tony asked me if he should quarantine some of the last of the Graciano for a later Dozen. Naturally I agreed saying to him "you're reading my mind." Since then I have seen more of their wines and it's a pleasure to report there are many more wines at Cellar Door that will impress. Two good Semillons: a dry and an outstanding Desert style and a newly released Cabernet Sauvignon come straight to mind. All this and Spain too. AvailabilityCellar Door or please contact me. Winery DetailsPhone: 02 6372 2461 Fax: 02 6372 6731 Open: Daily 10 to 5.30 Address: 194 Henry Lawson Drive, Mudgee, NSW, 2850. |
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