Small Winemakers Tasting Dozens |
The Classic February Dozen | |
| CABLE BAY WAIHEKE ISLAND FIVE HILLS MERLOT MALBEC CABERNET 2008Winemaker Neill CulleyWinemaker’s Notes46% Merlot, 31% Malbec, 17% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Cabernet Franc. The grapes were hand harvested and gently crushed into small open top fermenters. During fermentation, hand plunging is used to ensure the gentle extraction of colour and tannins from the fruit. After a period of post fermentation maceration, the free run wine only is was run into French oak barriques for 14 months maturation. The final blend is a reflection of both the growing season, and the character each variety contributes to make an elegant, balanced wine. An elegant blend of the classic Bordeaux varieties, displaying ripe fruit and a touch of wild herb, balanced by fine, supple tannins. Warm, rich plum and classic characters give rise to hints of mocha and cedar. Additional complexity will develop over time. Cellar“Enjoyable upon release, this wine will reward cellaring of up to seven years.” Additional Notes“This wine is produced from grapes grown on five hillside vineyards located at the western end of Waiheke Island. The sub-drenched slopes and clay soils provide the ideal terroir for producing ripe, flavoursome Bordeaux grapes. The vineyards are managed using traditional techniques including shoot thinning, green harvest and hand leaf-plucking. The yield from these vines is low, typically 1.5 to 2 tonnes/acre, resulting in excellent concentration and length in the finished wine.” AvailabilityAvailable to Retail. Winery DetailsPhone: + 64 9 372 5889 |
| CHANSON PERE & FILS VIRE-CLESSE 2011Winemaker Jean-Pierre ConfuronWinemaker’s NotesA wine made from Chardonnay grown in soil made up of clay and limestone. Pale gold in colour with green tinges. Floral fragrances mixed with lemon and fresh honey enhanced by a beautiful minerality. Crisp, well-balanced and with well integrated acidity, it has a long refreshing, dry finish. A fine dry aperitif, great with light seafood and raw vegetable hors d'oeuvres. CellarDrinking very well on release and will develop nicely over the next several years. Additional Notes“The grapes for this wine were grown in the heart of the Macon grape growing region, south of Burgundy. The two villages Vire and Clesse form a unique terroir on slopes facing south-east. This is one of the best white wines of the region combining suppleness and minerality. After a very cold winter and a very warm spring, the weather at the start of the 2011 summer was quite demanding. It became fine again at the end of August. The harvest commenced in mid-September in perfect conditions under an Indian summer. Careful selection of grapes in the vineyard and winery has produced a very pure white wine, well balanced with fantastic acidity.” I was talking to Nicholas Gibson in Sydney, who is now with Terroir Selections (August Dozen) which is based in Adelaide about this Dozen, one that so far didn't have a Chardonnay. And this was his suggestion. AvailabilityAvailable to Retail. |
 | CHATEAU DE FONTAINE-AUDON SANCERRE BLANC TERROIR SILEX 2011Winemaker Michael Lefevre (Vineyard and Winemaking)Winemaker’s Notes100% Sauvignon grown in a 15 hectare vineyard surrounding one of the rare castles in Sancerre, in St Gemme to the north west of the Appellation. (An interesting stat: @ 2200 litres per acre). Harvesting was undertaken both by hand and mechanical methods, then pressed and finally with juice selection. Fermentation was in small temperature controlled stainless steel tanks, and the wine was matured on lees until bottling in Spring. The finished wine has a very expressive nose, perfectly typical of the variety, with citrusy and exotic fruit notes. On the palate, very good balance and freshness and a wine representative of the Sancerre Appellation. Serve with goats cheese or as an aperitif. Cellar“Enjoy when young to experience and savour the aromas (within three years). Additional NotesMany of the wines in each Dozen often present themselves while working on a previous Dozen, if that makes sense. I write them down in a book as a reminder, and add to them along the way. When I finally get myself up and running there is usually one or more short of the twelve. At this point ( I would definitely have heard from Jackie Osborne!) I ring a few people to see if anything is new. As mentioned I spoke to Nicholas Gibson about a Chardonnay and he pulled a wine from Burgundy 'out of the hat.' Working with Terroir Selections he seems to be 'swimming' in suggestions, which is really good and this Sancerre was one. “I've got a ripper Sancerre for the next Dozen that fits all the criteria.” It did. AvailabilityAvailable to Retail. |
| CHARLES STURT UNIVERSITY “R” RIESLING 2012Winemaker Andrew DrummWinemaker’s NotesThe wine has an attractive floral character to the nose - reminiscent of apple blossom with hints of citrus. The zesty, lime and citrus character follows onto the palate. The wine has a positive grip which gives structure to the balanced mouth-feel. A wine that can be enjoyed with lighter seafood dishes and white fish. Cellar“Will develop in the bottle over the next few years.” Additional Notes“This wine was made from Riesling grapes grown at the University's vineyard in the cool-climate region of the Orange tablelands of NSW. The vineyard is 900m above sea level. The 2012 vintage was cool. The growing season was marked by difficult conditions at flowering, which restricted the crop for this wine. There was also above average rainfall for the season. The fruit was hand-picked to avoid any fruit affected by the weather.” I was talking to Justin from CSU in November about sparkling wines and he was very keen on a couple he had, including a Blanc de Blanc from their Orange Chardonnay vineyard, which sounded very interesting. Currently out of stock, he played the Orange Riesling card, one he knew to be a winner. It was chosen as a favourite in a Riesling bracket in a Blue Mountains wine club, a group he knows well. AvailabilityAvailable to Retail. Winery DetailsPhone: 02 6933 2453 AddressOrange Campus, Leeds Parade, Orange, NSW, 2850. |
 | DANDELION PRIDE OF THE FLEURIEU CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2010Winemaker Elena BrooksWinemaker’s NotesAn intense, regal purple with bright edges. A good indication of what is to follow. Scented blueberries and hints of cassis over dark fruitcake-like fruits and spicy cedar, blackberries and cream. Rich, deep, full-flavoured blueberry, black plums and red berry flavours. Cedar, spice and classic Cabernet tannin softened by smooth mouth-filling fruit before a really extended finish. CellarExcellent drinking now and responds well to a little 'airing.' Will reward cellaring and decanting five to eight years. Additional Notes“Selected bunches were hand-picked by family and friends in late March and gently crushed into open fermenters. After 14 days the wine was then basket pressed into some new, but predominately older French barriques for 18 months maturation and then bottled without filtration, capturing the essence of the vineyard. This 'Pride of the Fleurieu' Cabernet was grown in the family's pride and joy, overlooking the Finniss River wetlands. The Stranger's Reach vineyard is cooled by the Southern Ocean and Lake Alexandrina where low rainfall and deep alluvial soils encourage Cabernet to 'populate or perish.' ” I purchased this wine from a bottlo in January. There doesn't appear to be a Cellar Door. AvailabilityAvailable to Retail. Winery DetailsWeb: www.dandelionvineyards.com.au Postal: PO Box 138 McLaren Vale S.A., 5171. |
 | FABER VINEYARD SWAN VERDELHO 2011Winemaker John GriffithsWinemaker’s NotesThis wine is pale straw and brilliant in appearance. The nose has a lifted enveloping aroma of sweet ripe nectarines. The palate is fresh and thick and very flavoursome. Honeysuckle and nectarine and sherbet flavours jump out. It has crisp acidity and excellent length. The wine finishes rich and warm and clean. This wine is a classic Swan Valley Verdelho – fragrant, crisp and full. Delicious. CellarMade to drink young so as to enjoy those flavours as described. Additional Notes“Verdelho is our signature white wine. We believe it has a special affinity for the Swan Valley and well made is an exceptional wine. We take our Verdelho very seriously. Swan Verdelho is an early ripening variety and thus it was exposed to less of the February heat than other fruit. That said the fruit was picked quite ripe to ensure full varietal flavour. All the fruit was hand-picked from our vineyard on 22nd January and the Caversham fruit 5th February. The fruit was chilled overnight and crushed and pressed the next morning. We taste the fruit as it flows from the press and collect it. As soon as the juice starts to show skins character and loses freshness we direct this to a separate tank. Only the fresh green free-run is then used to make this wine. The juiced is settled for three days and the bright clear juice racked off the lees. The juice is then fermented and then fined, then stabilised and filtered for bottling. We bottled this wine on 10th June.” AvailabilityAvailable to Retail. Winery DetailsPhone: 08 9296 0619 |
 | KINGSTON SHIRAZ BAROSSA VALLEY CLARE VALLEY 2010Winemaker Brett DuffinWinemaker’s NotesA deep crimson colour with a slight purple hue this wine shows a wonderful blackberry and pepper spice with a hint of fruitcake and menthol on the nose. The palate is superbly full bodied with lifted sweet fruit of blackberry, plum, mulberry and a eucalypt and charred oak finish. The tannins are firm and compliment the lingering fruit and spice. Cellar“In ideal cellaring conditions this wine will develop further flavour complexity up to five years.” Additional Notes“The 2010 vintage grapes were sourced from the Barossa Valley and Clare Valley. The Barossa grapes offer big, iconic plum and dark berry flavours and these are enhanced by the Clare Valley's spicy characters and held beautifully together with fruit cake oakiness. The grapes were harvested at optimum night temperatures and baumé with individual vineyard selections kept separate throughout the processing. Yeast was then selected to conduct the fermentation on its ability to maximise colour and flavour. Fermentation was in rotary and static fermenters between 24 to 26˚ C producing a seven day ferment which was drained off and pressed. Maturation in French and American Oak the wine was then blended before stabilisation and filtration.” AvailabilityAvailable to Retail. Winery DetailsPhone: 08 8243 3700 |
 | LIEBICHWEIN THE WHOLE SHEBANG NVWinemaker Ron LiebichWinemaker’s NotesPetit Verdot 40%, Cabernet Sauvignon 20%, Merlot 20%, Pinot Noir (splash) and Tempranillo (splash): so we call it The Whole Shebang. Ron has expertly blended a super smooth, easy drinking non-vintage red from various aged barrels of our own grape varieties. This wine is a blend of five varieties from wines Ron has made following the usual traditional methods. The wine is a blend of wines in barrel from vintages ranging between 2004 and 2011. 'A woody Pinot (Barossa) style,' are Ron's words. CellarMade to drink now. Additional NotesI received an e-mail from Janet in January about this wine and thought it initially interesting, but left it thinking, I will get back to that. Eventually I rang and got Ron who told me the above details and that he wanted a wine he could sell at Cellar Door. He was happy with the result, but it did take along time to get the blend right. And it was on saying this and its inexpensive asking price, I ordered some. Like a lot of winemakers, Ron likes to dabble or fiddle around with wines. His fortified range is grand testament to that. The Shebang is interesting and different and drinkable. It reminds me of wine I have tasted before and some would call it 'old fashioned' or 'shed' wine. It certainly isn't 'formula pink cabernet.' AvailabilityCellar Door or please contact me. Winery DetailsPhone/Fax: 08 8524 4543 |
 | LINDSAYS RESERVE CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2003Winemaker Jill LindsayWinemaker’s NotesThis wine comes from a period of ever increasing drought, the third year of what we now know was 10 years of continuous low rain fall, at this time we had no supplementary watering solutions at Woodonga Hill and had been growing that way for the previous 20 odd years. I have long held the belief that the best Cabernets come from less stressful times and for some reason the very old vines. ’78 plantings, seemed to hang on in that year. Whereas the younger, later plantings, were suffering severely. Picking by hand was done over two day 17and 18 March 2003. This wine was made from grapes only from the original plantings and in fact two other Cabernet Sauvignon wines were produced that year. This was open top fermented and racked into some new French and some two year old French hogsheads and matured in these for some 20 months. The wine was then retuned to stainless and racked a further 3 times off settlement. Final filtering and bottling was in 2006 and the wine first released in 2009. Our intentions were to produce a long term cellaring wine, meant to accompany Food; in the case of Cabernet Sauvignon full flavoured beef dishes. The wine was bottled with “Oneo Diam” processed cork, which has to date proven to be free of the problems associated with raw cork, yet allows the slow maturation of the wine in the bottle. CellarTen years plus. Additional NotesNot having had a Lindsay wine for some time I rung Phill a few weeks ago and he said they hadn't made wine for two years, due to a lot of rain! “Incidentally it is bucketing down now,” as we spoke. This Cabernet is their current Cellar Door wine. AvailabilityCellar Door or please contact me. Winery DetailsPhone/Fax: 02 6382 2972 |
 | MINNOW CREEK THE SILVER MINNOW ADELAIDE HILLS SAUVIGNON BLANC 2012Winemaker Tony WalkerWinemaker’s NotesBrilliantly clear with tints of pale green. The nose shows complex aromas of passion fruit and white nectarine with hints of almond creaminess. The palate is rich and enticing on entry, showing light tropical fruits, stone fruits and a wonderful depth of flavour, resulting from a portion of the wine being wild yeast fermented in French oak. The finish is long with fresh acidity. Cellar“Will benefit from further (short-term) cellaring." Additional NotesAs mentioned in November, I had just visited Adelaide and while there I made a point to catch up with Tony Walker. With his contract work he sees a lot of growers in regions around Adelaide and this enables him to purchase small parcels of quality fruit whereby he can make the wines he would otherwise struggle to do. He has projects and one of them is Sauvignon Blanc. So in November among others he gave me a sample of this wine with instructions to drink it with a mutual friend, one whose family I was staying with. Like me, the mutual friend wouldn't reach for a Sauvignon Blanc first if there were two wines to choose from. Chris is a South Australian and I reckon he looks at this variety as a bit of a 'gringo.' It's very funny. Anyway, like the Down to Earth wine, this is a nice one, away from the commercial 'offerings.' I told Tony he will have to ask Chris his opinion next time he sees him. AvailabilityCall Tony direct or call me. Tony Walker (m) 0404 288 108 |
 | PHAEDRUS PINOT NOIR 2010Winemakers Ewan Campbell and Maitena ZantvoortWinemaker’s NotesFermented in small open fermenters, foot crushed and hand plunged. Minimal time on skins; aged in new and aged French barrels for 11 months. Intense raspberry and plum fruit with toasty vanillan oak aromas. The palate is rich and full-bodied with luscious fruit sweetness on the middle palate. The tannins are incredibly fine-grained and silky but with great length. CellarDrink now and medium term 5 to 8 years. Additional Notes“Phaedrus Estate is a small innovative winery situated on a ten acre vineyard on the Mornington Peninsula. It was established in 1997, and the vision was to make benchmark Australian Pinot Noir. Half of the vineyard is planted to five different clones of Pinot Noir and the rest is planted to Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Shiraz. Pinot Noir is the most responsive variety to changing vintage conditions and the way it is grown and made. Our Pinot is all grown on the Moorooduc sub-region which is warmer and drier than the elevated slopes. The growing conditions were perfect during the 2010 season resulting in gradual but full ripening. All five clones were used in this wine (MV6, G5V15, D2V5, 114 and 115). The style we like to make is one that has a lifted aroma, big mid-palate, fruit weight and a long, supple tannin structure.” AvailabilityAvailable to Retail. Winery DetailsPhone: 03 5978 8134 |
 | STEVENS GRENACHE METHODE TRADITIONELLE BRUT 2011Winemakers Graham and Carolyn StevensWinemaker’s NotesFree-run juice only, was taken a few hours after the harvest and chilled to 0˚C for clarification before fermentation. Inoculating was with a premium yeast to commence a slow, temperature controlled fermentation. Fermentation to total dryness, the base wine for this fantastic sparkling is salmon in colour. Tirage filled four months after harvest, and bottle fermented using the traditional French methods. Matured on lees in the bottle and disgorged after 18 months to reveal a fruit driven, dry Methode Traditionelle with a lovely yeasty complexity. CellarFill your glass now! Additional Notes“Graham Stevens grows all his own Grenache vines on the Stevens Estate on Ingolby Road at McLaren Flat, S.A. Meticulously managed by Graham himself, he and Carolyn hand prune the vines and cultivate regularly to ensure adequate moisture reaches the roots of the vines and the crop develops to its best potential. Graham has been working with the Grenache grape in the McLaren Vale region for over 50 years. Planting the vines himself in 1996/97, his experience ensured that the quality of the wine produced from this vineyard typifies the excellence of the McLaren Vale Region. Grenache for this Methode Traditionelle Brut was hand picked slightly earlier in the season by the whole family: three generations.” I was talking with Carolyn at their Cellar Door last November when she told me about this soon to be released wine. It was the way she said it that made me take extra notice. They're very pleased with the result. Grenache has always been 'gold' to Graham's generation, and for a long time underrated in more modern times. This wine soars. AvailabilityCellar Door or please contact me. Winery DetailsPhone/Fax: 08 8383 0997 |
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