10 March, 2021
ANGUS VINDEN AND THE 2021 VINTAGE + FRESH POLPERRO STOCK + NSW WINEMAKER AARON MERCER

"We're currently about 30% down (from an average year) but the fruit looks great; we're really happy," says Angus Vinden of the recent 2021 Hunter Valley harvest. "I'm really proud of myself and our vineyard crew – it's been a pretty challenging growing season."

Angus, who runs his family winery and estate, Vinden Wines, is without doubt one of the region's – if not country's – most dynamic young winemakers, and the cooler summer we've just experienced has provided him with the conditions ideal for producing the wines he likes to make (and drink).

"We haven't seen a season this cool since '15 or '16, so we're getting lots of cool, elegant characters – whites and reds look really strong," he explains. "No additional acid in the reds this year, which is the style of reds I want to make – fruit was coming in at around 13 baume – and the whites are are looking clean, post a bit of rot scare, with loads of flavour and belting, amazing natural acidity.

When you think of the Hunter, sure – the mind casts immediately to crisp semillon and savoury, medium-bodied shiraz; weighty chardonnay too, perhaps. Angus does all those – and more. When he isn't making wine he's thinking about what kinds of wines he wants to make, which has resulted in a continuous exploration of varieties suitable for both his sites and the region. Think tempranillo, cinsault, meunier, mourvedre, fiano, chenin blanc (check out his skin contact chenin, plus a sleuth of other experimental and skin contact wines – email us), grenache and pinot noir.

But for now, gamay is the big one – he'll be grafting more vines to the Beaujolais variety this year, because "it just works". "Gamay has been growing on Len Evans' property for 30 years," he says, "so we know it does well."

Angus' ode to the great old 'Hunter River Burgundy' wines of the mid-20th Century is an energetic blend of shiraz and gamay, something he believes represents far more than the sum of its parts. "Those great reds were around 12% ABV; vibrant, and light on their feet," he explains. "The Hunter should be chasing a regional identity – which is encompassed in those great wines. There's a reason some growers are still bringing in fruit from Mudgee and McLaren Vale – to achieve a bigger style than we can alone – but for me, pushing site is the most important thing." Watch this space...

Please get in touch to sample any of the current Vinden and Headcase releases.

NEW POLPERRO ALLOCATIONS
While the Victorian lockdown was tough to witness – especially for our mates in the wine and hospo industries – we're super glad to have secured a little more stock of the incredible Polperro wines from Mornington Peninsula. Good timing too, as Sam and the team have recently scored some stellar reviews from The Wine Front:

2018 Mill Hill Chardonnay
Very nice chardonnay. Pedigree and class. A purring, sumptuous, fresh and appealing white wine that feels instantly fancy, seamless and good. Smells like nougat, lemon-vanilla cream, apples, mixed citrus peel. Flavours similar, great length, persistent and quietly complex. Settle in, don’t drink too cold, feel the fruit, see the gentle seasoning and bask in a beauty. 95 Points.
- Mike Bennie, The Wine Front

2019 Polperro Pinot Gris It has weight and texture galore. When it comes to flavour this is a wine that keeps on giving. It tastes of cedarwood, nectarine, pear, flint, bran and brine; it comes at you with both barrels. If you’re looking for a full-bodied style of white wine, this is the goods. 94 Points.
– Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front

2019 Polperro Pinot Noir There’s undergrowth here. There’s black cherry, meaty, a touch smoky; the word peat came to mind. There are tobacco and twiggy herb notes, and long strings of tannin, and an appropriate flush of acidity. It’s of medium intensity; it’s not light and ethereal but nor is it pushy and powerful. There are char notes to the aftertaste but they don’t ride alone; everything which came before continues into the finish. 92 Points.
– Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front

Please get in touch to sample any of the current Polperro and Even Keel releases.

INTRODUCING: AARON MERCER

When it comes to multi-regional winemaking experience across New South Wales, you'd be hard pressed to find someone with a CV like Aaron Mercer. Possibly best-known as the group winemaker for organic powerhouse Tamburlaine, Aaron's wine industry career began in the early 2000s (January, 2000 to be exact) at the Hunter Valley's Scarborough, working in the cellar door. Two decades later – and vintages in Canada, France, California and several wineries in Australia under his belt – Aaron is one of NSW's most versatile winemakers. We caught up with him for a quick chat.

How has vintage 2021 across NSW looked so far?
AM: Off the back of three years' drought and with rains coming just too late to set crops, we'll see yields back again this year. Wines from across NSW will be lighter framed, lower in alcohol and more acid-lined than we've seen in the previous few 'generous' vintages. My personal brand and contracts includes sourcing fruit from the Hunter Valley, Canowindra (Cowra), Mudgee, Orange, Hilltops, Gundagai, Griffith and Murray-Darling. With this I get a fairly lofty look over the wines and regions of NSW – I'm really lucky for this.

You've had a lot of experience with organic/sustainable viticulture and winemaking; is this something that inspires you?
My personal drive is to progress sustainable winegrowing in NSW, which I aim to achieve through our actions – not through 'greenwashing', as seems to be the route most commonly taken. For me that means a few things. 1. Farming right – that can be organically or with progressive [uncertified] growers; 2. sourcing suitable varieties from each region and continuing to explore and promote those varieties to ensure a healthy future through climate change; 3. making wines with a smaller footprint, which excludes me from entering the concrete egg and/or clay amphora game, as they're extensively made in Europe and imported at a great environmental cost, and; 5. using domestically produced, mostly recycled glass over uber-heavy imported bottles. There's my Monday rant!

Lastly, what kind of wines are you enjoying at the moment?
I like to drink wines that are full of life that tell a story of grape, site and craft. I like whites fresh with texture; I'm fast becoming allergic to the over-fined, anaemic 'big company' wines, of which I've made so many. Reds need youth and slurp, yet have structure. I love Italian and Spanish varieties that rely less on plump, reductive fruit but rather sing with spice and resolved tannin. The kind you want to open with mates and pizza.

Aaron is undoubtedly one of NSW's hottest young winemakers to watch. We look forward to welcoming him to the AJWM portfolio later this year.

As always, please don't hesitate to get in touch to sample any of the portfolio. 11 December, 2020
FESTIVUS TRADING + DELIVERIES (AND THANK YOU)

Who'd have thought we'd see the other side of 2020? Hard to believe – but here we are; the bottles and tinnies are on ice; waves are calling; that familiar jasmine and acacia scent of a Sydney summer is infiltrating the city and really, we're just super grateful for the backing we've had this year.

To all our customers, suppliers, colleagues and friends – thank you for your support over the last 12 months. We wouldn't be here without you.

Here's how we'll be operating over the next few weeks and into the New Year (regular trading will resume January 4, 2021).

We encourage you to order within the next week, if possible – with courier demand at the standard (and always expected) 'unprecedented' high, it will just help us keep our ducks in a row over what is normally a pretty crazy period.

We can assist in pushing an invoice forward if this is a challenge for your business.

Delivery Cut-off Periods

Metro
Before December 25: next day delivery for orders placed before 1pm, up to and including Dec 23.
Before NYE: next day delivery for orders placed before 2pm, up to and including Dec 29. Regular trading hours resume January 4.

Regional
Thursday December 17, 1pm (we can't guarantee delivery before the New Year for any orders placed after this date).
The office is closed the following days:
Friday December 25, 2020
Monday December 28, 2020
Friday January 1, 2021

Emergency?
Admittedly we find tinsel pretty distracting so as a result we'll be pretty operational throughout the holiday period, save for the aforementioned closures – so if you happen to have one of those 'oh no' moments, just reach out; we hold a bit of emergency stock in the office. Just get in touch.

Thank you again for your support and we look forward to catching up for a meal/drink/feats of strength discussion at some point during the silly season.

Wishing you and your crew and families all the best for a safe and happy start to 2021!

Cheers, AJ + JMack 12 November, 2020
BRUNY ISLAND BEER CO +
NEW RELEASES FROM SALO, GILBERT, HADDOW + DINEEN

Craft beer, but not as you know it: It kind of seems like a no-brainer for one of the country's top cheesemakers to diversify into beer, doesn't it? Nick Haddow, of Tassie's cult-like Bruny Island Cheese Co, sought the expertise of brewer Luke Rutland (ex-Stone & Wood) to craft a range of ales that both perfectly complement their unique fromage and reflect their climate and surroundings.

Through the use of locally grown grain (wherever possible), Tasmanian grown hops, as well as honey and water from Bruny Island (not to mention the use of leftover cow's whey – check out the silky Whey Stout), they've managed to produce a sensational portfolio of house style beers; universally delicious yet totally unique.

We're thrilled to have four from the Bruny Island Beer Co range available in NSW. Cases are 16 x 500ml bottles.

Farm Ale: 4.8% ABV, a smooth and hazy pale ale made with wheat, oats and hops from farms across Tassie.
Bruny Black: 5.5% ABV, a full-bodied, complex style of dark ale championing roasted malt and roasted barley.
Oxymoron: 5.5% ABV, somewhere between a pale and a dark ale, this beer's both heady and thirst-slaking.
Whey Stout: 5.8% ABV, a unique milk stout augmented by the addition of organic cow's milk whey, leftover from cheese production. Waste not, want not! This is smooth, delicious and downright satisfying.

2020 HADDOW + DINEEN MÉTHODE ANCESTRALE

Launching the Haddow + Dineen wines from northern Tassie in March this year is something we won't forget in a hurry: it happened basically a week before everything started turning to s***. Some of you may remember the brilliant (albeit VERY small batch) 2019 pét-nat we had on offer; it was all gone before we could blink an eyelid.

Thankfully, the 2020 Haddow + Dineen One Hundred Days Méthode Ancestrale is now available, just in time for summer. 80% pinot noir; remainder pinot gris, from the gravelly soils of the Yorktown vineyard, near the mouth of the Tamar River. Wild yeast fermentation; no dosage. Super small allocation here so get in quick.

GILBERT TAKES OUT TOP RIESLING TROPHY

The NSW Central West’s favourite son, Will Gilbert can do no wrong. He has yet again proven his winemaking prowess after taking out the Australia Post Trophy for Best Riesling at this year’s ICC NSW Wine Awards, with the 2019 Gilbert RS11 Riesling. Sourced from the family’s vineyards in cool-climate Orange, it’s a fine and textured wine, its tense and nervy grapefruit-like acidity balanced by 11 grams residual sugar.

The 2019 RS11 was a top contender in [Gourmet Traveller WINE's recent alternate-style Aussie riesling tasting][1], and also scored favourably with GW of The Wine Front:

Sounds like the name of a car, RS11, but it’s an indicator of residual sugar here. Pretty blossom fragrance, a little spice, pie apple, aniseed and lime. Charms with sweet lime, clean acidity, a light grip and again a faint liquorice sort of character as it goes. Finish has a bit of crunch and bitterness, and solid length. 93 Points. - Gary Walsh, The Wine Front

[1]: https://app.gourmettravellerwine.com/editions/oct-nov-20/article/great-white-riesling-panel-tasting.html With only 10 dozen available to NSW (on-premise), it won’t be here for long so please get in touch to sample or secure your allocation.

2019 SALO CHARDONNAY: IT'S HERE

Feels like only yesterday we were out in the trade with the 2018 Salo Chardonnay, the stunning side project of Steve Flamsteed and Dave Macintosh. Still made with fruit sourced from the Full Moon Vineyard in the upper Yarra, the 2019 is every bit as complex and singular as the 2018, though perhaps with the savoury element dialled up more than ever. Winemaking as always was fairly minimal: whole-bunch pressed to tank; wild fermented in 500 litre puncheons, with full juice solids. No fining or filtering.

Head to our Instagram profile for hear Steve and Dave's thoughts on the 2020 vintage, and the evolution of the Salo project over the last 12 years.

Exciting wine this. As is often with Salo, savoury characters, saline minerality a feature. Strong in chalky texture, deeply flavoured ripe apple, green pear, stone fruit the mainstays, but yeah, that minerality thing is a twist and drive. Yeasty finish, salty and bright, a delight. A wine of distinct personality, charisma and high drinkability. On the edge, on its own path. Love it. 95 points. - Mike Bennie, The Wine Front 23 September, 2020
POLPERRO 2018 SINGLE VINEYARD RELEASES

We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: the single vineyard wines from Polperro offer some of the most unique insights into the diverse terroir of the Mornington Peninsula you’re likely to come across.

Owner and winemaker Sam Coverdale is widely respected for the uncompromising approach he takes in order to convey a sense of place through his wines. He maintains an extremely detailed focus on all stages of production, from clonal selection at the vineyard level right through to cooperage – the oak must match, and complement, the wine.

Viticulture involves a healthy fusion of organic and biodynamic practices to ensure both vineyard and soil health, and growing grapes that fully express the site from where they were grown. Bottling is done without fining, and minimal to zero filtration. In short, the Polperro wines are about as pure an energetic an expression of Mornington you can get, and the newly released 2018 single vineyard wines have delivered on that legacy.

“The 2018 vintage was a good – average, but good – cropping year,” reminisces Sam. “Good quality and great balance. Just really good examples of what pinot noir and chardonnay can do here – freshness and verve; great persistence.”

2018 Mill Hill Chardonnay
The north-facing Mill Hill vineyard sits at an altitude of 270 metres, meaning it’s “probably the highest in the region,” as Sam puts it. It’s also the last of the single vineyards to be picked each year. Chardonnay from the Mill Hill site results in a full-flavoured, textural wine with excellent acid and a distinctive mineral edge – a feature Sam believes is brought on by the granite bedrock underneath the vines. The wine sees full MLF, but maintains a certain leanness thanks to the northerly aspect.

2018 Talland Hill Chardonnay
The Talland Hill vineyard is the warmest of the Polperro sites, sitting at 170 metres above sea level. It’s planted to P58 clone chardonnay, reliably providing concentrated mid-palate fruit weight, as well as an intense mineral drive. It’s savoury, chestnutty and wildly complex.

2018 Mill Hill Pinot Noir
The Mill Hill vineyard is planted to chardonnay, pinot gris, and about 2.5 acres of MV6 clone pinot noir. “It behaves very similar to the Mill Hill chardonnay, in that it keeps rolling down the palate,” explains Sam. “Regardless of the variety, it’s the site that keeps coming through with this wine.” Fruit was handpicked and destemmed before going through carbonic maceration, resulting in a fragrant but seriously structured pinot.

2018 Landaviddy Lane Pinot Noir
With a name reminiscent of a place straight out of a fairytale, you almost expect wine from the Landaviddy Lane vineyard to have a sort of ethereality; and that it does. At 160 metres above sea level, this MV6-planted vineyard has a south-west aspect, meaning it doesn’t receive the full arc of sunshine, like Mill Hill. The result is a beautifully perfumed and delicate pinot noir that really reflects its cool origins, with notes of orange peel and spice, and a core of red fruit.

2018 Talland Hill Pinot Noir
Polperro’s warmest and most sheltered site is also home to the cellar door. “The vines are all north facing, resulting in more generous wines,” says Sam. The Talland Hill Pinot Noir is defined by its robust tannin structure – but still showcases the Polperro ‘house style’ elegance underpinned by red and dark fruits and a whiff of pepper.

12 August, 2020
LATEST RELEASES FROM CLOUDBURST

If you're unfamiliar with Will Berliner and his incredible Cloudburst wines, now is the time to acquaint yourself. Cloudburst saw some exceptional results in the latest edition of Halliday's Wine Companion. The wines are fantastic. The land is unadulterated and the work, painstaking. Berliner is unmatched in his attention to detail. The Cloudburst wines are, at the very least, a pristine expression of Margaret River.

Here's the thing, though. Cloudburst, Berliner will tel you, is not about Margaret River.

"That's not my game," he says, resolutely. "Cloudburst is not Margaret River. It's not even Australia."

"I'm dealing with people and friends around the world, but most of all I'm considering what's going on here in my vineyard. I'm looking at it each day and each year with different eyes; different senses. You know – flavours; why things are they way they are. What's the vineyard telling me?"

When you talk to Will Berliner, it's hard not to get caught up with his infectious zeal for the vineyard and wines, and his refreshing way of thinking – not to mention his critical eye for the way things work around him. He's deeply passionate; you can hear it in his voice. Here's a man who articulates even the most insignificant details with such conviction you hang onto every word; but he's modest, too. No wonder Cloudburst is known as 'cult' wine.

"And what about the terroir of people?" questions Will. Refreshing thinking, indeed. "You know, that's something that's never spoken about. Winemakers will always talk about the terroir of the land, but I often think, you know, was this a year of epiphany, or was it a year of hardship? I think equally a wine can be representative of a year, or a time, in someone's life too."

The latest releases are just that: a snapshot – or better yet – a reflection of life on the Cloudburst property in Wilyabrup, WA. They convey meaning and emotion, and whole lot of complexity. Singularity, even.

As always, the wines were made from organic fruit sourced from the dry-farmed, close-planted Cloudburst vineyard. This vineyard itself is a marvel, and the amount of work Will puts into it is nothing short of incredible. It's completely hand-tended – no mechanisation whatsoever – throughout the year. All weeding is done by hand, typically taking around 1000 hours per year. The property has also never seen a chemical, and the entire vineyard is mulched. It's a mind-blowing amount of labour.

2017 Cabernet Sauvignon
98 Points – Halliday Wine Companion
'Precise, alluvial ball-bearing tannins spooling cassis, sage, olive, thyme and brush across a chassis of sexy oak and moreish acidity. A prodigious finish. Sap, pulse and flow. Expands in the glass. This wine cleans up so much in its path and is destined for greatness.'
– Ned Goodwin MW

Will Berliner: 'Detailed, complex and gentle, and really... unmatched for deliciousness. Mulberry and this ethereal violet thing; but also not so ethereal tobacco leaf, earth and wild herbs. It's a wine that takes you somewhere. It's just such a gratifying tasting wine.'

2017 Malbec
97 Points – 2021 Halliday Wine Companion
'In the early days, these wines were crafted at Woodlands. Today, maker Will Berliner preens and prunes his bonsai-like vineyard to bear fruit of unparalleled depth, a magnifying glass into the minutiae involved. The craftsmanship is all chez lui. Among few great malbecs in Oz. Gushing blue fruits, a skein of hedgerow tannin, anise, mocha and soaring violet scents define a wine that alludes to full body by virtue of its reach and extract. Yet a cool etherealness feels more mid-weighted of guide. Delicious.
– Ned Goodwin MW

Will Berliner: 'It's so different. Generous – dense, but with that Cloudburst restraint. It's drier, with this damsel plum and stone aspect; it's really, really long and just so... alive. I love this wine. You know, we have stuff open at home, wine from France and America, but sometimes I think, I'm just gonna have a malbec. It just hits the spot.'

2018 Chardonnay
96 Points – 2021 Halliday Wine Companion
'This is more intensely flavoured than I remember vintages past, still with the trademark peachy fruit and riffs of dried mango billowing across seams of salubrious French oak and a creamy nougatine core. If I could sum this up in a single word, it would be 'sumptuous.' Fealty to place manifest in the vigour of flavour and palate-whetting acidity, steering a long passage.'
– Ned Goodwin MW

Will Berliner: '18 had amazing fruit, and this great level of subtlety and integration. This is a vivid wine. Roast peach and toasted almond; it's voluptuous but it has utility, so it's not fat.
I'm very proud of it... it's a special wine.

1st August, 2020
New wines from Angus Vinden & Will Gilbert


Lignée en Magnum

This year marks the second year of this collaboration between NSW winemakers Angus Vinden & Will Gilbert, where each winemaker selects one or two parcels of fruit from their respective wineries, and blend together.

"It's a bit of a piss take against me as I'm usually a single region winemaker, so using Will's fruit from Orange along with my fruit from the Hunter goes against my usual winemaking ethos." - Angus Vinden

Due to the success of last year's debut (2018 Shiraz Pinot given 94+ points by The Wine Front), the two decided to produce two wines together this year.

NV Lignée - Semillon | Sauvignon Blanc
400 magnums produced
50% Semillon from Somerset Vineyard, Hunter Valley & 50% Sauvignon Blanc from Belmont Vineyard, Orange.

Sauvignon Blanc hand picked from the Belmont Vineyard at an elevation of 1010 m above sea level. Fruit was de-stemmed and fermented on skins for 9 days with very gentle extraction. Basket pressed to neutral oak at 3 baumé and kept on full lees for its maturation in oak. Partial malolactic fermentation occurred before the completion of primary ferment, stirring every two weeks for the duration of time in oak to allow for increased texture and mouthfeel.

The Semillon is sourced from the block planted in 1969 on ultra fine sandy loam soil the consistency of talcum powder. The fruit is handpicked and whole bunch pressed. The wine is gently settled in tank to remove heavy solids. The juice is then split in old neutral puncheons and tank where it is fermented at cool temperatures (sub 18 degrees) on fine lees. The tank and barrels are stirred regularly post ferment to give added texture and weight combining with the natural minerality of the fine sandy loam soils. The wine is amalgamated after 4 months and settled in tank before being blended with the Sauvignon Blanc.

Unfiltered and gravity fed to bottle. This is their take on the classic Bordeaux blend.

"For me, the inspiration for this wine is the amazing white blends of Mount Mary Triolet and Sorrenberg Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc and those sensational whites from Graves, Bordeaux." - Will Gilbert

2019 Lignée - Shiraz | Pinot Noir
400 magnums produced
50% Shiraz. Somerset Vineyard, Hunter Valley & 50% Pinot Noir. Borenore, Orange.

Two small parcels of MV6 Clone were blended together to form the small cuvée of 85% whole bunch Pinot Noir, and whole berry for the Shiraz. Shiraz was sourced from the Howard family Somerset Vineyard. The barrel chosen to blend with the Pinot Noir was a blend of 3 blocks, which were planted in 1968, 1970 & 1972 on red volcanic clay soils, over a limestone hillside in Pokolbin. Made in traditional methods; cold soaked, fermented wild in open concrete fermenters for 6 days, hand plunged twice a day and aged in a French foudre and puncheon for 15 months. No added tannin, no fining and no filtration. Both parcels were fermented and matured separately with gentle extraction through ferment, basket pressed to neutral oak and kept on full lees for its 14 month maturation - stirring occurred monthly for the duration of time in oak to allow for increased texture and softness. The wine is unfined & unfiltered and represents a somewhat modern take on the famous blend created by Maurice O’Shea.

Lignée Rouge sold out at the Vinden Wines Cellar Door in less than a week, so please contact us to secure your allocation.


The Vinden Headcase 2019 Single Barrels

Somerset was originally planted in the 1890’s, however unfortunately it was ripped up during the second World War, as demand for grapes reduced suddenly - those being the vines that had supplied grapes to O’Shea. The vineyard was replanted by Glen Howard and his father Ivan in the 1960’s, beginning with Shiraz in the great year of 1965 - considered the region's best vintage in history. There are now 40 acres of immaculate vineyard grown on its own roots.

Somerset is a famous site, with the fruit being sold to Lindeman's from the mid-sixties for 27 years, going into many iconic Bin wines. After Lindeman's was sold to Southcorp, the fruit was later sold to Len Evans at The Rothbury Estate and later at Tower Estate.

Angus was mentored at Somerset by the late grower Glen Howard. Today Angus continues Glen's legacy and winemaking techniques, where he leases and manages the whole property along with part of the team who worked with Glen in maintaining the vineyard. The Vinden Headcase Single Barrels are all hand selected by Angus from the Howard family Somerset Vineyard - 2019 being the last vintage Angus and Glen produced in collaboration.

The reds are separated by the three aspects of the vineyard; Easterly, Northerly and Westerly to explore the terroir. The Chardonnays are separated by the diversity of soil profiles: fine sandy soils on the flats and red volcanic on the hill.

Each block is picked, fermented and vinified separately - creating the perfect opportunity to produce single barrel bottlings.

2019 Single Barrel 73 Block Chardonnay
641 bottles produced

The vines were planted in 1973 over red volcanic clay with limestone bedrock. The fruit was Basket Pressed and juice transferred directly into one year old oak, where the wine underwent 100% barrel fermentation in French oak. During the 8 month élevage, bâtonnage was conducted every two weeks. A modern Hunter ‘Chardy’, balancing fruit and minerality with texture and beautiful lees weight. Minimal Sulfites added.

"Heaps of toasty spicy oak, mint and cream, peach and honey. It’s slick, creamy and powerful, toasty and savoury, waxy and fleshy..."
93 points Gary Walsh, The Wine Front

2019 Single Barrel 87 Block Chardonnay
641 bottles produced

The vines were planted in 1987 over fine sandy clay loam soil. The fruit was Basket Pressed and juice transferred directly in 100% new oak, where the wine underwent 100% barrel fermentation in French Oak. During the 8 month élevage, bâtonnage was conducted every two weeks. Minimal Sulfites added.

"It’s tight and spicy, drives along with juicy acidity, a burst of stonefruit and citrus flavour, runs warm and cool at once, flint and creamed honey, and a long zesty finish of excellent length."
94 points Gary Walsh, The Wine Front

2019 Single Barrel Shiraz #1 Northern Slope
1,282 bottles produced

The Northern Slope was planted in 1968 on red-orange volcanic clay soils, over weathered limestone in Pokolbin. The fruit was fermented in open concrete fermenters with wild yeast, hand plunged, basket pressed and aged in a new 2,300L French Oak foudre for 14 months on lees without racking. Unfined, unfiltered and gravity fed to bottle.

2019 Single Barrel Shiraz #2 Western Slope
641 bottles produced

The Western Slope was planted in 1970 on orange volcanic clay soils, over weathered limestone in Pokolbin. The fruit was cold soaked, fermented in open concrete fermenters with wild yeast, hand plunged, basket pressed and aged in a second use 500L French oak puncheon for 14 months. Unfined, unfiltered and gravity fed to bottle.

Due to the very limited nature of these wines, they are sold on an allocation basis.

Please get in touch if you’d like to secure an amount of either the Lignée Magnums, or Single Barrel wines.

An AJWM Update

Thank you all for your continued support over the past few months. It's definitely been a ride and I'm hoping you're all faring well through this uncertain period.

• We are still delivering regular delivery hours
• We are still facilitating SOS orders as best we can
• Split cases are 50% off if required, or you’re welcome to collect stock from the Surry Hills office
• Regional freight is still 50% for orders less than 5 dozen Please call if we can help in any way at all We have a few more new and exciting things coming up, so keep an eye on your inbox for future updates.
• Welcome Johnny Mackinnon to the team! Johnny had a pretty lengthy hospitality career in Canada before trading in skis and snow tyres for beaches and Rugby League. Alongside 5 years looking after all things wine at the Shangri-La, he took off for some winery work in 2017, across both hemispheres, before coming to his senses and returning to Sydney in 2018 where he has been trying not to drop bottles for a few venues across the Solotel group before COVID-19 gave him some time off. He can be reached in the office Tuesday-Thursday on John@ajwm.com.au
  
  

Please drop us an email if you’d like to catch up in person or via FaceTime, and AJ will come and see you.

1st of May, 2020
An AJWM Update

Hello everyone. It’s hard to know what to say, but our sentiment is similar to the echoes throughout the wine industry. There’s a strange sort of dust lingering in the air, a sort of fog that is there throughout all the decisions we have to make day by day, where previously everything was quite clear. Everyone has felt the tug. That aside, we’d like to take this opportunity to share our sentiment; the fostering of community has never had as much impetus as it does now. As such, our love to you and your loved ones. We’re here for you, we understand and we’ll endeavour to make things as calm and easy for you as possible throughout these difficult times. We are on the phones, emails, anytime you need and for whatever reason.

Okay! Here are some updates on where AJWM is sitting currently. As before, business as usual here. We can be contacted via. phone or email, anytime. There are plenty of deals on offer. These are dependent on location or quantity, so get in touch. We are waiving minimum case orders and facilitating same-day delivery without extra costs where possible. As we’re all conscious of being out and about, we can send samples out to you if you’d like to taste something. Otherwise, contact us to arrange a tasting.

Additionally, we’ve had some crackin’ reviews on some wines in the portfolio. You may have seen Mike Bennie’s reviews of Neil Prentice’s wines; the Moondara Conception Bianco, Moondara Studebaker Bianco and the Holly’s Garden Gris. Generous scores circumnavigating the mid 90’s and an unreal wielding of words as per usual; great praise for some great wines. Check it out here.

We are also welcoming some Italian imports to the portfolio. The Cascina Delle Rose wines have struck like lightning, again receiving incredible point scores from Gary Walsh on the Wine Front. That Barbaresco Tre Stelle is singing like a tenor, tending to his vibrant garden on a Sunday morning. Quiet, shimmering, powerful, beautiful!

Last but certainly not the least, we will touch on Wine Aid. Wine Aid is an initiative between AJ, Connor Sainsbury-Graham and Dan Simmons, curating six-packs of wines for sale whose profits go directly to those in hospitality most hurt by the pandemic. Thanks again everyone for taking the time to read this.

Stay well and speak soon.