SWTD February 2021
Fruit was handpicked from old, dry grown vines from the Churinga Vineyard in the Clare Valley's Watervale subregion. Finely structured with citrus and floral notes alongside more unique hints of botanicals and tonic water with pronounced minerality, the 172° Riesling represents the pinnacle of our Riesling production.
“It is an 'exciting' wine to be enjoyed now and will develop typically along the lines of good Watervale Rieslings for up to 10 years+.”
I remembered tasting an earlier vintage of this Riesling at a lunch some time ago, and so thought to check out what the current version showed. From the Notes: “Adam Barton and wife, Amy Lane's vision for Atlas was pretty simple: to produce great wines from the highest quality fruit from vineyards with exceptional provenance. The 'pinnacle' of Atlas 172° Watervale Riesling is to produce this single vineyard wine only when the vineyard's fruit is worthy of celebration. The approach is to nurture the grapes through the winemaking process with attention to detail and minimal intervention.” I found the answer in the acid, edgy and racy, supporting varietal descriptors as noted above.
Available to Retail.
Phone: 0419 847 491
Open: No Cellar Door.
Address: PO Box 458, Clare, S.A., 5453.
Web: www.atlaswines.com
100% Nero d'Avola. Grapes were manually harvested in the first week of September and then fermented. After fermentation the wine was aged in barriques for eight months, then followed by a further maturation in stainless steel tanks and in bottle. Intense ruby colour with violet hints. The taste is velvety and structured, with a persistent finish. Perfect with pasta, roasted or grilled meats.
“Released to enjoy early and will develop over the medium term of five to eight years.”
I don't remember when the varietal Nero d'Avola wines hit the local Retail shelves. They just seemed to be there at some stage. In recent times Eldorado Road (and Nomads Garden) versions have been included in the Dozens and have attracted good write ups. Curious as to its history, I checked out a couple of well known Wine Dictionaries and found nothing. A small entry in the original Oxford Companion to Wine was the first evidence. A fine production: The Wine Dine Dictionary by Victoria Moore, another informative English writer give us: “Nero d'Avola thrives in Sicily where it makes red wines that taste of plums, mulberries, dried cherries and cranberries and sun baked earth.” It goes on to talking about it being blended with other varieties, which also sounds interesting. Cheers Sicily.
Available to Retail.
Local Distributor (Sydney): Bacchus Wine Merchant
Phone: 1300 309773
Web www.schenkitalia.it/en/brand/boccantino/
The 2017 Upwelling was predominantly Wrattonbully and Mount Benson fruit with a focus on varietal expression. It was kept on skins for 10 days and pumped over three times a day before spending 15 months in French oak. Rich and generous. This accessible style has a little bit of extra bottle age to help the fine tannins mellow. Approachable Cabernet with dill, dried rosemary, cassis and bright blue fruit.
“We have carefully aged this wine in the winery so it is drinking well now but could easily be enjoyed for 10 years if you are patient enough.”
I was surprised upon checking, that the first Upwelling Cabernet was in the February 2017 Dozen, and it was the 2015. So, in reference to the point made above, four years later but the wine is two years older. And this is my side of the point as well. Limestone Coast Cabernet Sauvignon is an attractive thought, and I remember the 2015 being a concentrated wine four years ago, a bit early for me, then, was my thought, later, if that makes sense. What happened, I tried it again 12 to18 months later, and from memory on both occasions, the later visit saw a lovely developing wine. The same wine, always a goodie, was all the better for the rest. It's what a lot of them do as we know, but I thought it was some travel. I think this wine is slightly lighter in structure than the 2015.
Available to Retail.
Phone: 08 8768 5053
Open: Daily 11 to 4.
Address: 459 Limestone Road, Mount Benson via Robe, S.A., 5276.
Web: www.capejaffawines.com.au
Typically, warm days of summer were moderated by cool nights and ample canopy, which protected the fruit. Shiraz was picked from 9th to 14th of February, a very early season indeed. The grapes were fermented in open and static fermenters, plunged and pumped over twice daily, pressed and matured in French oak for 10 months (15% new). After 11 months maturation on lees, with some stirring of the solids, the wine was bottled. This Heathcote Shiraz displays lovely notes of violets and blackberries with earthy plums, red berries and spices. Subtle French oak is intertwined, as fine tannins give good length and balance to go with the intense dark Shiraz fruit characters.
“Enjoy now, or cellar carefully for three to five years.”
“Galli Estate adopts the principles of organic viticulture through the use of natural fertilisers across both of our vineyards. This together with our utilisation of 100% recycled water for the Sunbury vineyard reinforces our commitment to sustainable vineyard practices resulting in more natural finished wines. These natural practices are also carried out in the winery with a more minimal approach to the winemaking through the adaptation of traditional methods focused on the use of indigenous yeasts. Alisdar, prefers to use natural wild yeasts, some or no natural malolactic fermentation and limited filtration.”
Available to Retail.
Phone 03 9747 1444
Open Daily 11.00 to 5.00
Address: 15074 Melton Highway, Plumpton, Victoria, 3335.
Web: www.galliestate.com.au
Picked at relatively low brix (Baumé) for elegance and site expression, this is a dry style of Pinot Gris. Pre-pressing maceration of five hours at ambient temperatures, before settling for two days. Fermented mainly in tank at low temperatures through to dryness. Minimal lees stirring post ferment allows the minerality to feature and a five percent barrel fermentation allows different layers of texture and complexity. Bottled on site without fining. Elegant, finely balanced nose of nashi, rock melon and cinnamon. Palate shows plenty of green pear and apple, harmoniously intertwined with lees influenced brioche and fresh pastry flavours.
“Drink and enjoy now and over the next three or so years.”
“Wind blown loess over clay and limestone deposits, sit on the gentle North West facing slopes of the vineyard. An excellent growing season and long ripening period coupled with careful bunch and shoot removal, resulted in beautiful fruit with balanced acidity, ripe skin and seeds. A dry autumn meant fruit stayed disease free and ripened evenly. Fruit was machine harvested in the cool of the early morning to retain freshness and acidity.”
Available to Retail
Phone: +64 3 314 6100
Open: “Booking advised”
Address: 376 Omihi Road, Omihi, Waipara, 7483.
Web: www.greystonewines.co.nz
The Shiraz fruit was harvested in the cool of the night and came into the winery in pristine condition. Fermentation was in a combination of small open fermenters which we plunged daily. The wine underwent malolactic fermentation on skins before being racked into oak barrels. The wine matured for 12 months prior to final blending and bottling. Deep ruby red with violet hues, this Shiraz displays elegant and uplifting fragrant aromas of red plum, dried cranberries with a hint of nutmeg. The finished wine is medium bodied with a soft and engaging palate, displaying savoury cocoa and boysenberry notes. The palate exhibits lovely persistence of length thanks to the grippy tannins layered over well integrated oak characters.
“Eight to ten years.”
The Notes finishing: “it is a very engaging wine to enjoy now and will develop with further cellaring.” Welcoming the Krinklewood Chardonnay in the previous Dozen, so too is the 2018 Shiraz, pretty much in recognition of all the good publicity recent Hunter vintages have attracted. Then the bushfires in 2020, a non-vintage. At a recent lunch I couldn't get to, a list of wines, all of which rated highly in 2020, were purchased and enjoyed at the time. The wines “were all fantastic,” as quoted, but the one singled out was a 2018 McWilliams Mount Pleasant Shiraz.
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
Selected blocks in the Lot Three vineyard were handpicked at optimum tannin and flavour ripeness. Crushed and destemmed with a small percentage of whole bunch, the fruit was warm soaked for one day. Fermented on skins for eight days, the free run juice was then drained and allowed to settle before racking into barrel to finish primary and malolactic fermentations. Matured in a combination of new French oak demi-muids (600l Oak Barrel) and puncheons, and seasoned French puncheons for 14 months before bottling. Dark purple in colour with a bright crimson hue; the nose is complex with the typical Blewitt Springs blue fruits and plum, but it also has a savoury edge with wet slate and oak lift. The palate is seamlessly integrated, structured and long. Plum and blue fruit flavours work well with oak derived complexities and subtle coffee and dark chocolate.
“15+ Years.”
“Our vineyard at Lot Three Elliott Road, Blewitt Springs was planted to Shiraz in the 1960s on the ancient 56 million year old soil known as North Maslin Sand. An elevation of 156 metres, sandy free draining soil and mild to warm climate create an ideal growing medium for our old vines... A cool spring with high rainfall meant soils were wet and flower development was delayed, the catalyst for a late vintage. Warm, dry conditions with a few bursts of heat through the ripening period and into autumn allowed fruit to develop full colour with good flavour characters.”
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
With this release, the winemaker's intent was to capture more of the typical essence of the Tuscan style of Montepulciano wines. The wine was matured for 10 months in three year old barrels, 80% French oak and 20% American. This release was bottled slightly earlier than previously, for a slightly lighter, more crunchy style. Bright ruby / purple colour, with cherry, blackberry fruit and pepper on the nose. A fuller bodied more 'Barossa style' than one would experience in Italy. The palate shows hints of plum and spice with chalky tannins and a firm, dry finish.
“Can be enjoyed over the next three to five years.”
As a reminder: “A varietal with origin being the Abruzzo region of east – central Italy, the fruit for this fourth release Montepulciano was sourced from a very special Eden Valley vineyard where this varietal has been grafted to 25+ year old Riesling vines. The yield was approximately 2.5 tonnes / acre with about a third of the crop dropped at véraison (when the grapes change from green to black) in order to maximise concentration of flavour in the vineyard. Grapes were harvested later than ever before, in May, as this region, with its cool nights and high elevation, is perfect for slow ripening and intense flavours.”
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
Hand harvested from a meticulously farmed vineyard in Macclesfield, the grapes were very flavourful on the vine and has certainly expressed the same flavours in the bottle. Basket pressed by hand, settled and racked off with heavy grape solids to one year old French oak puncheons and older barriques, the wine went through the primary and malolactic ferments naturally. The wine sat on lees for 12 months in barrel before we racked it out of barrel into tank before it was racked a final time prior to bottling. Unfined, unfiltered and bottled by gravity with minimal sulphur dioxide added. On the nose you can pick up a hint of buttered popcorn, lemon curd and flint and it is luminescent in the glass. White stone fruits, mandarin tones spiked by a line of fresh acidity and a hint of caramel make this a delight to drink. There is also an edge of oyster shell salinity to give this wine a savoury and food worthy edge. This is a zesty, lively Chardonnay true to its Upper Yarra Valley provenance.
“Ready to go now and over the next couple of years.”
I had called in to see Nicholas Gibson and get some information on a wine book he was rabbiting on about, and he asked me if I wanted to try some wines he had been 'showing' around that day. At that stage I was looking for a Chardonnay, which along with a Riesling is my usual starting point with a Dozen. It has developed that way. To the point, this Six Acres Chardonnay had done a lot of kilometres that day and I was impressed with the “line of fresh acidity” as the Notes put it. We agreed, that by 6.00pm, slightly 'bruised' but still nicely held together. And we had a Chardonnay.
Available to Retail.
Phone: 0408 991 741
Open: Saturday & Sunday 10.00 to 4.00
Address: 20 Ferndale Road, Silvan, Victoria, 3795.
Web: www.sixacreswines.com.au
Ruby red in colour. 3Drops 2019 Great Southern Pinot Noir has an elegant nose of wild strawberries, red and black currants, and a hint of savouriness. On the palate, it is juicy and succulent with a fine tannin structure, smooth and creamy texture, and a lively spiciness on the finish. The high quality French oak is in the background and integrates beautifully with the tannin structure.
“Ready to drink now, or you can cellar it over the next eight to ten years to further develop those savoury earthy characters.”
Once again, I was doodling through Portfolios for Pinot Noir inspiration, and I came to the Bacchus lot and eventually the 3 Drops section. Proprietor, Jo was big on the Chardonnay as I remember. And again, surprisingly that was 2017. And there were the Riesling and Cabernets since, both good inclusions. So, I contacted Jo and asked her how the Pinot performed amongst the Olive Trees. As expected, it was two raised thumbs. Also in the Notes: “If wining and dining, we'd recommend matching our Pinot with grilled salmon, braised duck or an afternoon of cheese, charcuterie, and good company.” Good Idea!
Available to Retail.
Phone: 08 9315 4721
Open: No Cellar Door
Address: PO Box 1828, Applecross, Western Australia, 6953.
Web: www.3drops.com
Harvested over two separate nights, with nice crunchy natural acidity in the first pick, and more butterscotch and tropical notes in the latter. Grapes were pressed quickly with a dash of enzyme with pressings pumped to separate tank and fined to remove coarse phenolics. The clean juice was racked off gross lees to a concrete tank where ferment commenced naturally. Kept on light lees till July when the wine was filtered then bottled in August. Primary fruit characters of white peach and apples are followed with a hint of spice and honeysuckle, offering layers of depth and intrigue. The palate is juicy, round with a creamy textured finish. More honey and pear notes are followed with a slight hint of crisp natural acidity which keep the wine fresh and vivacious.
“Enjoy as a young wine, now and the next two to three years.”
“With a later flowering in 2019 due to a cooler than average spring, the 2020 vintage was always going to be slow to start. The poor flowering conditions also contributed to lower number of bunches and smaller berries. This held throughout the season, giving a very low yield (in all varieties). Fruit quality was great as we look forward to see how the wine evolves in the bottled future.” This wine was unplanned, as I had asked for a Western Australian Pinot Grigio. Stock in Sydney was a problem and so the Austin's Wines 6Ft6 was called in. And so, we have two interpretations of Pinot Gris in this Dozen.
Available to Retail.
Phone: 03 5281 1799
Open: Monday to Friday 9.00 to 5.00
Address: 870 Steiglitz Road, Sutherlands Creek, Victoria, 3331.
Web: www.austinswines.com.au
Pale yellow in colour with fresh stray, grass and citrus notes. The palate has a fine citric backbone with fine minerality weaving through. Young Semillon is not normally known to have such a presence, but this wine displays enormous length and complexity already. This is a very fine wine with enormous cellaring potential. A classic in the making.
“Drink over the next 20-25 years.” Review by: The Wine Oracle
I saw this Semillon in Cuttings Wine Merchant Portfolio and straight away took notice as it was from the highly rated 2017 vintage. I asked for winemaking and tasting notes hoping, as usual, words from those nearest to it, but could only be given the review above. However, we have the wine.
Available to Retail
Cellar Door Details
Tasting is available at Hunter Valley Gardens
Address: 20 – 21 Broke road Pokolbin, NSW.
Phone: 02 4998 7460
Open: Daily 10 to 5.
Web: mounteyre.com/three-ponds
