SWTD August 2020
60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay from Tumbarumba. Base Vintages 2011, 2012 and 2013. Disgorgement December 2017. Under “Comments” in the Notes: “A combination of exceptional parcels of fruit, from three consecutive vintages and then approximately five years on lees, is something quite rare in today's Australian sparkling offering. An alluring bouquet of lemony citrus, meringue and toasted hazelnuts. As generous as it is superfine. The drive and precision carry fresh citrus, lemon curd, hazelnut paste and toasty notes onto what is a vibrant, long and complex finish.
Drink up
General Note from the Cuttings Wine Merchant Portfolio. “The Coppabella wines have a purity, expression and elegance that speak of their origin. There's a delicacy and refinement that can only be achieved in a very cool climate. Tumbarumba is one of the very few places in the Southern Hemisphere where such wines can be made. The Coppabella Vineyard is nestled in the foothills of the Snowy Mountains and is one of Australia's most remote wine regions. The grapes are grown at high elevation, in some of the coldest viticultural land on mainland Australia. This in itself, is essential for making world class expressions of early ripening varieties such as Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The objective for owner / winemaker, Jason Brown, is to express this unique terroir by keeping his winemaker imprint as transparent as possible, with an emphasis on balance, elegance and purity over power.” I read this in July, and it sounded too interesting to ignore. I was concerned the wine was disgorged almost three years ago, but when you taste the fruit in its full elegance (the correct word), you tend to forget about that worry. Do drink up.
Available to Retail.
Phone: 02 6382 7997
No Cellar Door.
Web: www.coppabella.com.au
The grapes for this wine come from two vineyards, both on white granite soils in the famed Beechworth GI. The first at an elevation of 550m and the second at 400m. Fruit from the higher elevation makes up 70% of the wine and brings purity and minerality akin to the best Chardonnays coming out of the Yarra Valley. The second parcel brings the funk along with that trademark Beechworth generosity. This wine shows the opulence and purity for which Beechworth Chardonnay has become renowned.
“Very good drinking now and over the next three to five years.”
Winemaking: “Once in the winery we took a back seat and let this spectacular fruit do all the work. Gently whole bunch pressed to French Oak barriques, 1,2,3 and 4 year-old, as well as one new specially selected 500L Puncheon. About half the barrels were fermented naturally by the yeast indigenous to the vineyard. Several different cultured yeasts were used in the other barrels. In 2019 we didn't allow the ferments to get as warm as previous years, this coupled with the growing season resulted in a tighter, finer boned Chardonnay. Post fermentation the wine spent 10 months in oak on full lees, stirred semi regularly. Malolactic Fermentation was restricted to 25% of the barrels.”
Available to Retail.
Phone: 03 5725 1698
Open: No Cellar Door.
Address: 1317 Eldorado Road, Eldorado, Vic., 3678
Web: www.eldoradoroad.com.au/
The fruit was crushed with only the premium free-run juice being used. Fermentation took place in stainless steel tanks under cool conditions. The wine was bottled early to retain freshness of the primary fruit characters and underwent minimal filtration prior to bottling. Pale straw green in colour, this wine displays delicate notes of green apples along with summer stone fruit and lemon sorbet. It has a fine and delicate palate with an elegantly structured acid backbone and a more-ish zesty finish.
“Up to eight years.”
“The 2019 vintage was another hot dry summer, which resulted in low yields but very high quality grapes with a lovely intensity of flavour.” It has been four years 'to the Dozen' since a Krinklewood wine was included. Incredibly August 2016 with the Shiraz 2014. With a sort of Hunter Valley theme here, as a rare result of three very good vintages (2017, 18 and 19), I went looking for a 2019 Lower Hunter Semillon and by chance, a new release Krinklewood. I remain curious about the cellaring potential in that, I thought this wine would kick on nicely from seven or eight years and beyond
Available to Retail.
Phone: 02 9986 1644
Fax: 02 9986 2154
Open: Weekends 10 to 6.
Address: 712 Wollombi Road, Broke Fordwich, NSW, 2330.
Web: www.krinklewood.com
The grapes were harvested by hand and vinified in stainless steel tanks under monitored temperatures. Traditional maceration lasts 15 days. 10% of the wine is aged in new oak barrels for added complexity. This elegant, ruby coloured wine tinged with red, boasts a spicy nose with hints of liquorice and notes of red and black fruit. It is soft and well structured on the palate with solid fruity flavours and fine tannins that gives this wine its elegant length.
Enjoy medium term of three to five years.
Fantastic Notes: Under “Origin:” 'Malbec is said to have originated in France's Quercy Region and the vineyards of Cahors. It was then introduced into the Gironde and Touraine regions around 1810. It resulted from a cross between Magdelaine Noire des Charentes and Prunelard. It is the main varietal used in the Cahors area of appellation as well as being cultivated in the Bordeaux region. “Character:” This early-ripening grape yields very fruity, aromatic, deeply coloured wines that are rich in tannins and well suited to ageing. This rather capricious varietal needs to be able to reach full maturity. It expresses its full potential when grown in poor soils, and with limited yields. “Terroir:” Malbec is rare in the Languedoc region. However, we found two very different vineyards whose 30 year old vines produce low yields of high quality grapes.'
Available to Retail.
Distributor Sydney: Winestock
Phone: 02 9331 3671.
Web: www.les-jamelles.com
Colour is purple garnet, and the nose shows blackberry, blueberry and violets. Partial maceration results in a complex but approachable red wine with velvety smooth tannins. Intense blue fruit flavours framed in subtle oak ends with a crisp lingering acidity. Black forest, Cocoa Bean and Crème de Cassis.
“15 to 20 years.”
“Hot dry summers here in the Hunter provide perfect ripening conditions for beautifully ripe, medium bodied Shiraz. Our 50 year old one tonne to the acre vineyards on the volcanic earth of the Fordwich Hill gives up plenty of opportunities to select our best block of Shiraz to hand pick, ferment and bottle on it's own under our prestigious White Label. Limited quantities of this wine are produced in only the best vintages. The 2018 Hunter vintage produced outstanding quality wines that we are very excited to share. The hot dry ripening conditions provided us with clean, ripe flavoured fruit. These grapes were selected from our Fordwich Hill Vineyard, a small seven acre block within our 200 acres of estate grown fruit. This wine was placed in a mixture of one and two year old French Barriques for 12 months.”
Available to Retail.
Phone: 02 6579 1317
Open: : Daily 10.00 to 5.00.
Address: 1238 Milbrodale Road, Broke, NSW, 2330.
Web: www.margan.com.au
This excellent quality Pinot Noir from the cooler sites of Limoux (South Eastern France toward the Spanish border), in the high valley where the influence of both the Atlantic and Mediterranean make for a more temperate climate, slower ripening and better levels of acidity. Red ruby colour. Aromatic nose of black cherries with elegant floral notes. On the palate, this Pinot Noir is silky and well balanced, with smooth tannins.
“Made for medium term development and will drink well now and throughout three to five years.”
“Burgundian methods are used for the vinification with a gentle extraction by punch down of the cap. Low temperature vating (24°C) to preserve the fragile and subtle notes of the Pinot Noir. Maturation in Stainless Steel vats on fine lees with 10% aged for three months in new French Oak.” This is the sibling of the Chardonnay in the last Dozen, and as a reminder of the course set by the winemaking: “The wines of Monstable are inspired by the desire to craft elegant Burgundian varietals from Southern France. Working with growers in the cooler, lower vigour sites, they seek out fruit that delivers clean fruit flavours and great balance. The Pinot Noir positively sings with lifted cherry and wild strawberry fruit.”
Available to Retail.
Distributor Sydney: Vinsight
Phone: 1300 048 114
The main objective of this wine was to capture the true essence of vintage and place in a bottle, so timing was everything. The Grenache was crushed over the intact whole bunches of Pedro Ximenez (PX). The wine was pressed after six days of open fermentation, when the desired tannin balance was achieved. Once the wine had finished fermentation it was prepared for bottling only 40 days from harvest to bottle. The first thing that hits you about this wine is the bright purple colour. Then when the glass nears your nose it's the intensity of the aromas that take over. Fresh red fruits, berries and cherries are rarely so vibrant in a red wine, then it's the complexity and spice from whole bunches of Pedro that take this wine from a fruit bomb to something quite serious. In the mouth it's so soft but the fine structure, juiciness and freshness make it deliciously drinkable.
No mention of the unintended. Fill your glass.
To get this wine here is a bit of a coup. With only 2700 bottle produced, it is sold through Cellar Door and online with small amounts sent to interstate distributors. And Nicholas Gibson saw to it here. The Grenache coming from the Marion Vineyard, a suburb of Adelaide, planted in 1907 and the Pedro Ximenez off a vineyard planted in the 1960s at Sturt Creek, also in Adelaide.
Available to Retail
Phone: 08 8296 8261
Cellar Door: Monday to Saturday 9.00 to 5.00.
Address: 13 – 23 Clacton Road, Dover Gardens, S.A., 5048.
Web: www.patritti.com.au
Generally, wines from the Barossa and Eden Valleys' 2019 vintage will be of very high quality but of limited supply. With a very dry winter and spring; frost events in September and November disrupted bud burst and flowering; hot dry conditions in January and February also contributed to 2019 being recorded as the lowest yielding Barossa harvest of the past decade. The four vineyards blocks were harvested between the 12th and 22nd of March and the batches of fruit were processed and fermented separately. Final blending and bottling in early July. As a young wine, this 2019 Riesling is delightfully aromatic, displaying delicate rose floral and musk aromas on the nose. The wine has a good acidity with vibrant lemon / lime citrus and Fuji apple flavours that linger really well on the palate.
“Vibrant, crisp and fresh upon release, it will also reward those who are able to wait for the wine to develop.”
“Eden Valley Riesling is prized for its vibrancy and longevity and the region has produced many of Australia's great Rieslings. This is another outstanding release from Christa Deans, known worldwide for her expertise with this varietal.” The Dozens have explored the world of the Vickery Rieslings lately. The last four lots in fact. And a few weeks ago I had the opportunity to look again at the 2018, included as a 'just released' wine previously. It's a fantastic drink now, developing beautifully, and the 2019 having had a little 'time' in the bottle is perfect for this Dozen.
Available to Retail.
Phone: 08 8562 3300
Open: Mon to Sat 10 to 4.30
Address: Cnr Stelzer & Seppeltsfield Roads, Tanunda, S.A., 5352.
Web: www.rolfbinder.com
58% Mataro, 22% Cinsault and 20% Grenache sourced from Blewitt Springs in McLaren Vale. The Mataro was hand picked and sorted at the winery before being tipped into an open fermenter, with 60% whole bunches and the remaining 40% destemmed on top. Cold soaked for five days, and then allowing its temperature to rise, letting fermentation to start naturally. Cinsault was fermented separately into plastic. The Grenache saw the most attention. From bush vines (circa 1964), it was fully destemmed and cold soaked for a week, inoculated and finally left on skins for eight weeks post fermentation. The result is a wine with incredible depth of flavour, meatiness, earthen spice and gravelly edged tannins. MCG shows lifted raspberry pip and boysenberry aromatics backed by 'ferrous bloody' hints. There's leather, anise like spice sitting neatly under a fruitful but complex package. The palate is mid-weight, with bright acidity balanced by jube like fruit and earthy tannins.
Essentially made for early to medium drinking to enjoy a bright, juicy and nervy wine, with fine savoury edges. Three to five years.
Jo from Bacchus described the wine as 'beautiful ...and juicy.' A good start, and as always I take her recommendations on board. This, and the fact it was a blend, and an interesting one, launched it. I get a little nervous when I read 'the grapes were sourced from so and so' because it gets away from the Dozen's main course. But a blend hangs a sweaty shirt.
Available to Retail.
No Cellar Door.
Sydney Wholesaler: Bacchus Wine Merchant
Web: www.rouleurwine.com
The fruit was cold soaked for four days to extract maximum colour before the start of fermentation. The alcoholic fermentation lasted 10 days in stainless steel tanks, with twice daily pump overs. Following completion of malo lactic fermentation, the wine was transferred to 30% new French oak, with the remainder going to four year old French hogsheads. The wine shows aromas of Blackberry, Juniper berry and hints of salt bush. The palate shows typically grainy Cabernet tannins with a core of intense dark fruit with great length and persistence.
“Up to 10 years.”
“Cabernet Sauvignon is regarded by many as the Clare Valley's premier red variety and the region's significant plantings support this view. Fruit for the 2018 Inigo Cabernet Sauvignon was sourced from three estate grown vineyards with an average vine age of 20 years. Each vineyard's high elevation contributes to cooler nights during the ripening period, giving the fruit more time to develop great depth of flavour.” When I met Nicholas to taste the Barbera for the last Dozen, he pulled out the Cabernet, and at the time said, it had been open for tasting on his travels for three days, I think. At least two, anyway. My first thought after 'welcome to South Australia,' was, August.
Available to Retail.
Phone: 08 8843 5900
Open: Monday to Friday 9 to 5 & Weekends 10 to 5.
Address: 111 College Road, Sevenhill, S.A., 5453.
Web: www.sevenhill.com.au
This wine was fermented at a temperature range of 18 to 25 °C for seven day on skins. During fermentation, it was pumped over skins every six hours to impart colouring and flavour. The wine was racked several times, clarified and transferred to selected French and American oak barrels for 18 months prior to blending and bottling. The philosophy behind the Vigneron's Reserve Label is simple. All production at Two Rivers is done with attention to the terroir to produce wines that display distinct varietal and true regional character. The 'Reserve' is as a result of isolating the best blocks, in this case the Shiraz. It is well balanced, medium bodied wine made in the classic Hunter style that shows the rich diversity of the region.
“This wine can be enjoyed in its youth and will reward those who cellar carefully. Up to eight years.”
“This wine is the spectacular 'Inglewood Vineyard' located in the upper reaches of the Hunter Valley. The name Two Rivers was drawn from the Vineyard's unique position nestled on the banks of the Hunter River near its confluence with the Goulburn River.” This wine was included as part of the Hunter River theme. While noting it is from the Upper Hunter, it shared the quality conditions of the outstanding Vintages with its more famous Lower Hunter cousin, and produced, as seen here, terrific Shiraz.
Available to Retail.
Phone: 02 6547 2556
Fax: 02 6547 2546
Open: Daily 11 to 4.
Address: 2 Yarrawa Road, Denman, NSW, 2328.
Web: www.tworivers.com.au
100% Estate grown Cabernet Sauvignon, harvested at its optimum maturity. Fermentation occurred over seven days under controlled temperatures in a combination of rotary and static fermenters. Maturation for 16 months in small French oak barrels has assisted in the development of a wine that shows vibrancy and richness. The colour is ruby red, and the nose shows classic varietal aromas of blackberry and violet. A rich, full palate of mulberry and blackcurrant complimented by soft chalky tannins, subtle menthol and well integrated French oak. Complex and well balanced with an elegant silky finish.
“Well structured with outstanding depth of fruit, this wine while drinking well now will continue to gain complexity and offer excellent cellaring potential 10+ years.”
Jo Newton of Bacchus Wines merely mentioned there was a new vintage of Zema Cabernet Sauvignon just released. That was enough. I continue to 'study' the Cabernets from Coonawarra after the aforementioned article of a 60 Vintages Tasting of the Wynns Black Label Cabernet. The article prior to that one was all about the work done by the Winemakers led by Sue Hodder and Vineyard Manager, Allen Jenkins, where after years of machine harvesting and pruning and all the sins caused by that technology, it was 'off with their scarred woody heads' and back to simple hand caring methods. The result, elegance is back in black. Coonawarra must be the most attractive piece of flat land in the country.
Available to Retail.
Phone: 08 8736 3219
Open: Daily 9 to 5.
Address: Riddoch Highway, Coonawarra, S.A., 5263.
Web: www.zema.com.au
