NEWS &
NEW DROPS
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!
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.
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
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], 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
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
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.
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 tell 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.
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.'
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][2]
[2]: mailto: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.
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 with us to find out. 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.
WILL BERLINER AND THE CULT WINES OF CLOUDBURST
AJWM is excited to announce the first showing of Cloudburst in the Sydney trade since joining the AJWM portfolio.
Margaret River has spawned its fair share of free thinkers over the course
of its 50-year wine history, but few match the brazen and out-of-the-box approach employed by Will Berliner of Cloudburst. Renowned for his quirky, almost whimsical approach to viticulture, minuscule production and openly high pricing (a factor those acquainted with this undeniably 'cult' producer will no doubt be familiar with), Will operates almost completely outside of the Australian wine zeitgeist.
The New York native, who arrived in Margaret River in the mid-00s, claims his mission is simple: "I just wanted to make great wine". But the Cloudburst project is, in many ways, continually proving the point that to make the absolute best possible wine you need to have all the best interests at heart, from farming methods right through to scale of production. Compromise at any stage is out of the question.
"At first, the acclamation for Cloudburst took me by surprise, but now that's changed a bit," explains Will. "It's not that I'm being modest, but just that the more I involve myself in this particular way of focus, the more I realise how scattered other peoples' approaches are."
Less than a hectare in size, the organically-farmed Cloudburst vineyard is planted to chardonnay, malbec and cabernet sauvignon, three varieties Will believes are not only best suited to both the soil and the region, but also what he himself likes to drinks.
Funnily enough, when he and his wife first purchased the property, which neighbours the Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park in Wilyabrup, there was no intention of planting vines. "I knew hardly anything about wine; I initially wanted to plant trees to block the view and noise of traffic," he reminisces. "But it turned out the soil we had was great for planting vines." There is no irrigation; no tilling between the vines. Everything is done by hand, including, on average, 500 hours of hand weeding per year. There is absolutely zero synthetic input, with the exception of a small amount of sulphur at bottling. Animals are encouraged to feed and socialise between the rows. It's simply a case of letting nature do its thing – an idea central to the Cloudburst philosophy.
"It became obvious to me why things are turning out the way they're turning out and I think it's really a question of the scale," says Will. "One of the advantages I have with Cloudburst is that it's small enough that I can manage it on my own."
Each wine is made in more or less the same way, using wild yeasts and as little intervention as possible – make no mistake though, these are not 'natural' wines ("I don't subscribe to the idea of natural wines," says Will). In any case, it's a refreshing approach that results in incredibly pure, elegant wines that speak intensely of place, whose quality has been globally recognised in a very short space of time.
All Cloudburst wines are extremely limited. If you'd like to sample or secure your allocation, please get in touch.
2017 Chardonnay
97 Points – James Halliday
2016 Malbec
96 Points – James Halliday
2016 Cabernet Sauvignon
98 Points – James Halliday
**Small amounts of museum vintages are available on request.*
2017 POLPERRO SINGLE VINEYARD RELEASES
From site to bottle, the single vineyard Polperro wines represent some of the most well-thought-out, unique expressions of the Mornington Peninsula. With a pragmatic yet almost artistic approach to his craft, vigneron Sam Coverdale places a focus on everything from clonal selection to cooperage in order to obtain the best possible expression of the Polperro vineyards.
Sam oversees all the farming, utilising a mix of organic and biological farming practices, with some biodynamic principles thrown in. "From a viticulture perspective, I want everything we do have a direct benefit," he says. "It's not just hearsay or for marketing purposes – we're not going to start up a tractor needlessly or put out something I don't believe has any real benefit to the soil. The winemaking is minimal, and all about trying to express the site and vintage."
The 2017 vintage was what Sam describes as an "amazing year" – very cool with a wet, cold spring; consequently, flowering was poor which resulted in highly concentrated fruit, helped on by a beautifully cool and long summer and autumn, with acids and sugars developing in perfect balance.
The resulting 2017 range of Single Vineyard chardonnays and pinots, as well as the 2018 Pinot Gris, are some of the most significant wines Polperro has released to date, and with only around twelve dozen of each available in NSW, they won't be around long either.
2018 Pinot Gris
The Real Review – 96 Points
This is a superb gris at the rich and complex end of the spectrum. Medium to full yellow, showing some development, it has a layered, ‘worked’ bouquet of ripe fruit, honey, spices, buttered toast and roasted nuts. It’s full-bodied, deep and dense with a lasting aftertaste.
2017 Mill Hill Chardonnay
At 270 metres above sea level, the Mill Hill vineyard is currently the Peninsula's highest, and one of its most exposed. Planted in 1994 to pinot noir, chardonnay and pinot gris, the vineyard sits on volcanic red ferrosol, above a granite bedrock which Sam believes adds a "sense of minerality" to the wines.
Winemaking: 12 months in barrel (40% new oak); full MLF, full solids. "It's got everything you want in a chardonnay," says Sam. "Beautiful padding and flavour profile with great acid structure."
2017 Talland Hill Chardonnay
"This is from the warmest of our three single vineyard sites, which sits at 170 metres above sea level, predominantly on a northern slope," explains Sam. Where the Mill Hill chardonnay is instantly more expressive on the nose, the Talland Hill is more "chestnutty, pheromonal and reductive; that classic P58 flavour that is all core fruit right in the middle of the palate."
The Real Review – 94 Points
Golden yellow colour - rich. Vanilla custard, nougat, spicy oak and lemon essence. Never judge a book. Supple and fruited palate. Ethereal in its length and mineral glide. Love its trajectory.
2017 Mill Hill Pinot Noir
100% MV6 clone, this wine is very expressive of the site and conveys a similar feel to the Mill Hill chardonnay. "It has a lovely, ferrous-y minerality to it," says Sam. "Regardless of the variety, the site really comes through with this wine." The Real Review – 96 Points
Pale red colour and transparent. The bouquet shows great concentration - ripe cherries, strawberry topping and oak-spice. Red plums on the palate lead an ethereal expression of the variety. It's plush and balanced. Tannins are refined. Excellent.
2017 Landaviddy Lane Pinot Noir
The Landaviddy Lane vineyard has a south-westerly aspect; it doesn't receive the full arc of sun, resulting in fruit with dried, herbal edge, reflecting the cool site. "I always find that, while in the Mill Hill pinot, the tannins are very linear and sit inside the acid line, the Landaviddy tannins sit just outside its great core acidity," says Sam. "The perfume always has these kinds of middle eastern spices, very savoury and herbal."
2017 Talland Hill Pinot Noir
The Real Review – 95 Points
Medium red colour with crimson edges. A brooding, savoury and spicy bouquet - rhubarb and toasty oak. Instantly shows width when sipped. Subtle and self-assured. Soft red berry fruits with length driven by tannins.
2018 SALO CHARDONNAY RELEASE
Salo is the vinous lovechild of Giant Steps’ Steve Flamsteed and Arfion’s Dave Mackintosh, two of the Yarra Valley’s most respected and innovative winemakers. Though their respective day jobs focus on producing vastly different styles, Salo is a reflection is of the pair’s joint ability to craft complex yet approachable wines from extraordinary sites in the Yarra, with an evident focus on minimal intervention.
The 2018 Salo Chardonnay is the sixth Salo release from the Full Moon Vineyard in the upper Yarra Valley. The vines, now 18 years old, sit in deep red volcanic soil, resulting in fruit showcasing great acid structure and exceptional balance of flavour.
The 2018 chardonnay saw relatively simple winemaking: whole bunch pressed then gravity-fed with full juice solids to 500 litre puncheons; wild yeast fermentation and partial malo. It’s a beautifully balanced expression of cool-climate Yarra chardonnay.
With just under 250 cases produced, these wines sell out every year and our allocation is tiny. If you’ve not yet sampled the incredible Salo wines, please get in touch.
The Somerset vineyard on Oakey Creek Road in Pokolbin is undeniably one of Australia’s great shiraz sites. Planted between 1956 and the mid-70s, the vineyard entertains a magical combination of diverse row orientation and rich volcanic soil over a beautiful, chalky limestone subsoil; couple that with low yields, decent vine age and the expert management of local viticultural legend Glen Howard, it’s no surprise that Somerset remains one of the region’s most sought-after sites.
Young Hunter Valley winemaker Angus Vinden is consistently charmed by the shiraz he sources from his small horseshoe-shaped lease at Somerset. Though the Vinden family has for years relied on the estate for great quality fruit, it wasn’t until 2016 that Angus, upon tasting a single barrel of shiraz blended from his three Somerset blocks, decided to bottle and release a wine that fully expressed the ultra-special nature of this vineyard.
What started as a “cool little experiment” has been taken to the next level for the 2018 release, with three different bottlings – one representing each unique block of vines.
“There aren’t many vineyards like that in Australia, let alone the Hunter,” says Angus on the Somerset shiraz plantings. “You know – those vineyards with ‘true’ limestone subsoils; for me that helps produce beautiful natural acidity with a lovely, more delicate minerality.”
But rather than showcasing just the site’s terroir – as he did with the 2016 and 2017 Single Barrels – Angus wanted to provide drinkers with a real glimpse of the variations between the blocks in 2018.
“I’ve made all three wines in more or less the same way, and it’s quite remarkable how different they are,” he explains. “The east block is quite light, floral and pretty; the north shows this lovely sort of balance with more density and plush fruit on the palate, and the west block has deeper, more brooding characters with a rich tannin profile.”
Each wine was basket pressed, whole-bunch fermented in open concrete vats and spent about ten days on skins. They were hand-plunged twice a day, aged for four months (during malo) in old neutral oak then further aged for ten months in second use 500 litre barrels. “Racked once, no fining, no filtration, all gravity-fed into bottle.” The result is 1,923 compelling bottles (641 each) of beautiful, medium-bodied single block Hunter Valley shiraz.
“The Somerset site is all old Busby clones and the phenolics develop a lot earlier than other sites,” explains Angus. “All the fruit is picked sub-13 Baumé; I’m looking to produce those softer, more expressive medium-bodied styles of shiraz which I think is what the Hunter does best.”
2018 LIGNÉE SHIRAZ PINOT NOIR**
Angus Vinden’s other new project is Lignée, a collaboration between himself and young Mudgee-based winemaker Will Gilbert (of Gilbert Family Wines), aimed at crafting classic blends utilising Hunter Valley and Orange fruit and thoughtful, hands-on winemaking.
The first release is the 2018 Lignée Shiraz Pinot Noir, comprised of 50% Gilbert pinot sourced from a fourth-fill pinot noir barrel with around 20% whole bunch, and 50% Vinden shiraz from a six-year-old barrel filled with Somerset shiraz from the northern site.
It’s unfined and unfiltered and was hand-bottled and sealed (with wax, naturally) by the boys into just 400 magnums. The result is a unique, multi-regional blend, approachable in nature but still quite structured.
AJWM + FRIENDS WINTER TRADE DAY 2017
TUESDAY, AUGUST 15, 12-4PM,
GOLDEN AGE CINEMA & BAR
80 COMMONWEALTH ST, SURRY HILLS
We've gathered some brilliant friends from near and far to ensure you'll discover something delicious at our Winter Trade Day on Tuesday August 15 at Golden Age Cinema & Bar in Surry Hills.
On the wine front, there will be Tassie's Moorilla, South Australian gems Michael Hall and Izway Wines, as well as some Italian-flavour from Barolo and Brunello importer Nebbia Wines. The cheeky Betoota Bitter and Yulli's Brews boys will also be there to pour some beers and spin some yarns.
AJWM producers that will be showing their wines on the day include Damo from Hart & Hunter, Mr Mike Boudry from MOON Wines and Neil Prentice from Moondarra and Holly's Garden. What's more, we're very excited to be introducing some fresh brands including Simão & Co., dalla Mia Finestra as well as two new Primavera Vineyard estate labels - Yarra Peaks and Evviva. Please join us for what should be a fantastic event. We are all looking forward to seeing you and your team there.
RSVP: james@ajwm.com.au or call 0451 434 701.
VINTAGE 2017 - BAROSSA
A quick conversation with a busy, exhausted but very excited Dave Lehmann of David Franz wines about vintage 2017 in the Barossa.
JK: “G’day Dave, can you run me through this year’s vintage? Are you all done?”
DL: “Just about, yea. Waiting on a little bit of cabernet coming in pretty soon, apples for Scrumpy and some monte for a mate.”
JK: “Very good. So how was the bulk of vintage 2017?”
DL: “Bloody terrific top-to-bottom in the Barossa.”
JK: “Nice, so no dramas then?”
DL: “We just had such a nice, wet winter which was great for the vines. But then quite a wet spring was a bit problematic. The flood put some disease pressure on, but it wasn’t too bad at all. The vines were just set up so beautifully, they were so healthy.”
JK: “But the rain managed to all clear off for a nice dry harvest?”
DL: “Yea, pretty much. We had a little bit of rain, but that just freshened up the grapes nicely – it allowed for flavour ripeness to catch up with the sugar levels.”
JK: “Looks like it was all a bit later than the last couple of years?”
DL: “It was. Healthy and late. Not unexpectedly late though – I’ve always worked off Easter. A late Easter means a late harvest. Vines don’t take notice of the date, they just know the moon.”
JK: “And yields, were they healthy?”
DL: “Yea. A bit like 2006, it was monster vintage. We’ve upped our tonnage [intake at the winery] naturally from larger crops off each block we were sourcing from, and then extraction rates have been 20% higher as well. Luckily we were nice and organised with bottling previous years wines and had plenty of empty tanks and barrels at the winery.”
JK: “So the high yields haven’t affected quality?”
DL: “You look at the wines and they’re awesome. It’s proving this mantra of happy vines makes happy wines. When they’re naturally going well on their own, everything just comes together nicely. I mean look at the Loan Vineyard, an amazing dry grown vineyard, managed organically and biodynamically, they’re basically bush vines. There was no crop in 2015 or 2016. But this year we got 2000 litres. It’s now ticking through malo, and pretty exciting.”
JK: “So Semillons looking good then. Anything else really taking your eye at this stage?”
DL: “It’s an amazing vintage across the board really, one of the most fragrant and lifted. Bordeaux varieties are off the hook. As was shiraz – it’s just singing this year. But, as usual for me, those Bordeaux varieties just speak to me above everything else. Aromatic range is incredible.”
JK: “And in the winery, anything different, anything new to report on?”
DL: “Broadly, my philosophy has evolved a lot in the last 7-8 years. I’m going for a more refined, elegant, aromatic style; a lighter style. I’ve been drinking a lot of gamay and pinots at home; wines with a lighter touch. Aromatic, food friendly. Trying to do grenache with a Burgundian sensibility; the 2015 is about to reach your warehouse I think, and called grenache noir to hint at that. In saying that, I’m still staying true to the core of Kid’s wines [Georgie's Walk, Alexander's Reward and Benjamin's Promise] with that intensity, but even with those I’m evolving; raining back the oak, making sure the fruit is front and centre. No two vintages are ever the same, and you change the way you make it depending on the fruit each year but always with that overriding quest for the balance. And 2017 is really helping with that.”
JK: Sounds exciting, looking forward to coming down and tasting some barrels and seeing the wines a bit further down the track.
DL: Yea, it is. Hopefully we’ll have our cellar door ready by then, construction is set to finish in a fortnight – it's coming together nicely. Need to organise a time to get to Sydney soon, too, with the new batch of 2015 releases. Have you wrapped your lips around them yet? They look unreal. Anyway, better go – I’ve gotta call a bloke to check on where that cabernet is at.
VINTAGE 2017 - MCLAREN VALE
They're done and dusted, down in the Vale. And what a vintage it was - our friends at Inkwell have just finished their largest ever. One press, one, destemmer, one tractor and one devoted couple - Irena and Dudley Brown - were worked to the bone for seven weeks, generously aided by a swathe of big-hearted helping hands.
After a cool and wet winter, with record rainfalls, the clouds parted and sun shone brightly over McLaren Vale from veraison onwards. “Lots of water followed by lots of sunshine,” sums up Dudley. “Which for low yielding sites, like ours, was amazing. We didn’t have dense canopies so there was good airflow and no disease pressures at our site.”
Harvest kicked off a few weeks later than previous years, beginning in the last week of February for Inkwell, with viognier coming off the vines as soon as the desired ginger spice character emerged. This was followed by their grenache, mataro, shiraz, primitivo and cabernet sauvignon. “Six weeks of picking across six varieties,” explains Dudley. “And everything looks really good. It was ideal weather-wise, but a bit of a deceiving year due to a low alcohol yet high malic acid - it took courage to pick early. This means 2017 is going to produce a very fresh, acid driven style that we’re very excited about. We like plenty of fresh natural acid as we don’t add any,” he says.
The final pick came a week before easter. Late harvest zinfandel, destined for Black & Blue Late Harvest Fortified, was picked at 17 baume, let go naturally through ferment before it was stopped at 6 baume, fortified with 96 per cent pure spirit and drained into 100-litre barrels to transform into liquid pleasure.
New to the winery in 2017 is fruit from Ricca Terra Farms in the Riverland. Slancamenca bela, fiano and vermentino have all been fermented on skins. Their fate lies somewhere in the DubStyle Tangerine range, alongside the estate-grown viognier. Whether they are bottled as varietal wines or blends yet to be decided.
At the moment just about everything has completed primary fermentaion and ticking through malo. "Sometimes they shoot through, others you have to wait until spring,” says Dudley.
And then we’ll have to wait a little longer as the wines evolve in barrel, mature in bottle and begin to tell the proper tale of vintage 2017 in McLaren Vale.
For more, it's worth a read over the thoughts of the ever insightful and entertaining Philip White; Redefining Extreme: Vintage 2017
VINTAGE 2017 - ORANGE
Heading south to Orange, it was not fire but water that was the main concern for the region. But again, fortune favoured the farmer. “There were some heavy forecasts right in the middle of harvest – but luckily they got it wrong,” says Simon Gilbert of Gilbert Family wines. “After we picked sparkling base, pinot gris and sauvignon blanc came off – I think the savvy b should give The Hills a run for it’s money this year. Then chardonnay was harvested with fine flavours and good acid balance. Riesling came in after that with the TA, pH and Baumé in perfect balance – and the juice was pristine, vibrant and clean. So we're really happy with that,” he says. To the reds, “Shiraz is looking really tidy,” says Gilbert. “It was picked with baume levels in the high 12s, other components a bit higher and we’re seeing great colour and depth at this early stage... 2017 pinot noir is also exciting,” he says. “In the vineyard there were no dead pockets, or disease pressures, as the Borrodell vineyard is really high (970-1030 metres above sea level) and exposed to wind.”
So there you go, it seems a similar tale to the Hunter Valley… Pick from your region’s best vineyards, have some luck in avoiding some erratic weather – be it rain, fire or extreme heat (is harvesting relatively early the trick?), to give yourself the best shot of getting clean fruit into the winery.
Speaking of the winery, we’ve spent a fair bit of time at the Gilbert's over vintage and they certainly have a few new tricks up their sleeves. A large new concrete egg doubles the collection, another 900 litre French oak rolly barrel has come into play for whole-bunch pinot and a set of new Stockinger Austrian oak barrels is set to do wonders for the chardonnay. Some more experimental winemaking is occuring, too. Increased use of skin contact and some pet-nats will join the stable of Gilbert by Simon Gilbert's increasingly-refined and complex table whites in 2017. Keep an eye out – they’re coming sooner than you imagine!
VINTAGE 2017 - MUDGEE
We spoke to Simon Gilbert for some insight. “Mudgee has produced some pretty tidy fruit across the board, as flavour ripeness came along before sugar ripeness. Natural acidity, pH, and flavour profiles are all looking in good shape,” he says. Drama in Mudgee was caused by the Merriwa-Sir Ivan February bushfires that ripped through the towns and farms surrounding of Uarbry and Casillas, around 100kms to the north. “Yea, there was a bit of a scare with fires and smoke,” recalls Simon. “But the wind was blowing in the opposite direction to us, otherwise it could have been devastating. In the end, we didn’t smell any smoke at all and there’s no indication it tainted the grapes.” At this early stage, Gilbert’s pick of the Mudgee fruit is the sangiovese they’ve specifically grown for rosé. “It’s looking nice and crisp, awesome natural acidity and bright and fresh in flavour. This means there’s room for some old oak influence without risk of becoming flabby, or too hot. It’s more elegant than last year, yet the fruit profile is still there.” The resulting wines – as a result of a range of different treatments coming into play (think various picking dates, fermentation techniques, maturation vessels, and styles; pet-nat anyone!?) – are sure to create exciting drinking later in 2017.
VINTAGE 2017 - HUNTER VALLEY
Friday 13th January 2017, an auspicious date, was the first pick for a few Hunter Valley wineries. Any superstition that may have caused did nothing to quash predictions of "better than 2014...", or "vintage of the century...". In fact, social media has been hot with optimism as the likes of Andrew Thomas and Chris Tyrrell feed the "best since '65..." beast.
For a more tempered summary we chatted to Damien Stevens of Hart & Hunter. In short, he reckons it's set to produce some brilliant wines - particularly chardonnay and semillon - though, due to the record breaking heatwave (around 10-12 Feb), it could turn out to be a "tale of two vintages" when it comes to shiraz.
At this early stage the chardonnay is causing excitement. Relatively small fruit, due to stressful conditions at flowering and fruit set, has resulted in additional concentration of flavours, with the vines able to put more energy into each bunch through the growing season. This should result in more intensely flavoured, quality wine. Elegance is used as a common descriptor when discussing it's potential, but after tasting through multiple and varied ferments I think the words 'complex' and 'layered' won't be out of place when analysing the best of the finished wines.
The trade-off for quality? Less of it, much less. Yields are substantially down across the board, but particularly so with chardonnay and fiano. "A block that produced 22 tonne last year came in at 6 tonnes this year. A block that was expecting 10 tonnes, produced a mighty 2," explains Damien.
While the chardonnay is thrilling for it's quality, it seems the most interesting variety to keep an eye on will be shiraz. "Shiraz certainly does have potential to be better than ’14," he says. "Though it looks there will be two styles here depending on whether fruit came in before or after the heat. Before the heat wave, the shiraz had nice natural shrivel and concentration - berry size was down noticeably compared to the last two years." At this stage it will be a bit of wait and see to see how the heat has affected the fruit. But from what he can see in the winery, Damien is very happy indeed. "Tough Hunter years are bulked up to get up to 13-14% alcohol, this time nothing under 13 is coming in - yet that lovely Hunter spiciness is not lost. It's the same reason the 2014s looked good, to have that spiciness behind additional fruit weight."
While shiraz has some great early prospects, the potential of 2017 semillon is superb according to Damien. "Semillon handles and even enjoys the wet that this vintage brought," he begins. "In 2014 there was a lot of sugar development without flavour development; a lot of 12%-plus alcohols, which I don’t think really works in the Hunter. This year a lot of fruit came in at 9.5-10 baume - that will sit us in around that 10-11% alcohol. Some parcels got higher, up towards 11-11.5 baume, but flavour ripeness was running in line with that sugar development. In 2017 we're seeing plenty of traditional Hunter citrus, rather than the more tropical flavours which we got out of 2014. I think semillon is definitely going to be better."
There you have it. They're nearly done up there, with the last of the shiraz coming in as I type this, and some small parcels of varieties like fiano, sangiovese and pinot noir to filter through after that. And then? Well, watch and wait with expectation of some pretty handy Hunter wines from 2017.
POLPERRO PRAISE 12 January 2017
Gourmet Traveller WINE's tasting panel, inlcuding Huon Hooke, Mike Bennie, Andrew Caillard MW and more have taken a look at Sam Coverdale's pinot gris and noir, and like what they see.
2015 Polperro Pinot Gris, Mornington Peninsula "A serious gris... the complexity and depth are inarguable. Intense rich aromas and flavours of nutty barrel-ferment coupled with tropical fruit notes. Concentrated and powerful." 95 Points.
2015 Polperro Pinot Noir, Mornington Peninsula "Medium red-purple colour, the bouquet offers fresh herbs together with raspberry. It has a charming feathery lightness. Medium-bodied, softly textured but quite intense in its bright, deep fruit-driven flavours. It's lovely now with ageing potential." 94 Points.
2015 Even Keel Pinot Gris, Mornington Peninsula "This has a bright yellow hue and a rich, nutty, spicy aroma which suggests some barrel fermentation, while the palate has more depth and presence than most Aussie gris. Lovely texture and drinkability." 93 Points.
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IN CIDER INFORMATION 12 November 2016
It's not often you get a wine merchant kicking off an email with a cider spiel. But that's how excited we are about the latest acquisition to the portoflio, Red Sails.
Red Sails are producers of serious, and seriously delicious, Tasmanian ciders. Working with Claudio Alcorso, the founder of Moorilla, Dr Clive Crossley began the search for the best possible site to plant heritage cider apple and pear trees on the Apple Isle about 40 years ago. In the end, they stumbled across a huge, 100 year old Napolean Pear tree, and, well, you can't argue with that sort of natural selection, can you.
Now a minimum of 30 years old, the trees (40 different heritage cider apple varieties, both French and English) are unsprayed and no preservatives are used during production. Wild ferments are employed and maturation is done in French oak barrels previously used by Moorilla. The ciders gain natural sparkle in bottle, with no chemical carbonation at all. It's a laborious, time consuming, craft process - which results in exceptional products; Perry, Original Cider, Wild Cider and an off-dry Cider Gold.
If you're interested in trying Red Sails, please get in touch soon as they are extremely limited.
We've mentioned Dub Style in this newsletter previously, but the attention husband-and-wife team Dudley Brown and Dr Irina Santiago-Brown are attracting can't be ignored... So I'm using this an excuse to ramble on a bit more about what they're doing down in McLaren Vale.
The Inkwell wines they create are right up there with McLaren Vale's most elegant, refined and poised bottlings.
They're serious wines, all but made in the vineyard under the watchful and well-informed eye of Irina. As part of her Masters in Viticulture and Enology, Irina completed a thesis titled A Comparison of Costs: Biodynamic vs Conventional Viticulture in Australia. Irina then went on to gain a PhD in Sustainability Adoption and Assesments in Viticulture. To keep it simple, we like to think of her as Australia's Master of, and Doctor in, sustainable viticulture.
While it's all a team effort (it really has to be, it's just the two of them, one phase of power, one tractor, one destemmer, one press and a few small fermenters), once the grapes come off the vines responsibility is largely handed to Dudley. He handles this role with great respect to the work done in the vineyard - carefully nurturing the grapes into bottle with minimal intervention and no additions at all expect for tiny amounts of sulphur at bottling. They are the only winery in McLaren Vale to produce estate-only wines in this way.
The results are thoughtful, delicious and represent great value.
Wanting to play around outside of philosophical borders put in place for Inkwell some 10-15 years ago, Dudley and Irina created Dub Style. This newer label gives them a chance to explore other vineyards in the region (would you pass up the chance to play with a few tonnes of dry-grown grenache from 88 year old bush vines or some chenin blanc from Blewitt Springs?) and experiment with winemaking (skin contact, oxidation, 100% whole bunch, zero sulphur).
The epitome of this experimentation is Dub Style No. 1 Bubbly - the world's first skin contact, slightly sweet, sparkling viognier in a can. You don't want to like it, but you will - just ask Samantha Payne, who suggests it may be something of a magic love potion in her Broadsheet article.
Other wines from the range include the two skin contact 'Tangerines', 2016 DubStyle Tangerine No. 1 Viognier and 2016 DubStyle Tangerin No. 1 Shiraz, the single vineyard, 100% whole bunch 2015 DubStyle No. 2 Grenache, the plush 2015 No. 1 Mataro and fresh and vibrant 2016 No. 1 Preservative Free Shiraz.
There are limited cans available in cases of 24, if you'd just like a six pack you can pick one up from myself or AJ at the office.
Here at AJWM we avoid the dull and mundane, preferring to seek out seriously good, seriously interesting booze and, more often then not, the wonderful (sometimes whacky) characters who create these drinks.
Top of the list at the moment are the latest Moondarra pinots from Neil Prentice, the out-of-the-box DubStyle creations of Dudley and Irina Brown and the ability of Dave Lehmann to cram 108 Varieties into a bottle and create a damn tasty rosé...
Right off the bat, from Gary Walsh, "One thing you could never accuse these 2015 Moondarra Pinots of being, is boring." He goes on to give the wine a very solid score, waxing lyrical ("uncompromising", "headstrong", "all manner of complexity") in his WineFront review.
Ditto, Campbell Mattinson, who commented, "Pretty wine but gamey and complex too. Roses in bloom and roses, fallen. Taut finish. A flash of oak. Same score. But loved drinking it. Has a future."
More widely known for their Inkwell range, Dudley Brown & Irina Santiago-Brown have taken an adventurous leap with some new DubStyle wines. And they're grabbing plenty of attention.
In The Australian, Max Allen praises the 2016 DubStyle Tangerine, a skin-contact viognier as well as the exciting DubStyle No.1 Bubbly, saying, "A lot of winemakers overuse the “unique” claim but in this case it’s true: this surely must be the world’s first off-dry, extended skin-contact sparkling viognier in a can."
They're kicking goals with their original Inkwell range, too. On the 2014 Inkwell Perfect Day Shiraz, Gary Walsh noted, "I really like what I smell and taste here: a whole lot more McLaren Vale should take a leaf out of this book." Read the full review here.
In a bit of a coup, the 2016 Gilbert by Simon Gilbert Saignee Rosé was recently awarded the Champion Wine of Show at the Mudgee Wine Show. The wine is building a pretty good pedigree, a previous vintage took out Halliday's best rosé in Australia in 2014.
Please sing out if you'd like to try any of these wines, or anything from our portfolio.
Steve Flamsteed - best known here as one half of the dynamic Salo duo with Dave Mackintosh - has been named Gourmet Traveller WINE's Winemaker of the Year for 2016.
He joins the pantheon of great Aussie winemakers to win the award, including the Henschkes, Jeff Grosset, Virginia Willcock, Rick Kinzbrunner, Steve Pannell (video - you might recognise a familiar face catching grapes).
To quote the GT WINE magazine, "In essence, this year's accolade rewards a broad impact on the Australian wine scene and not just a suite of wines, past and present. It’s a public outing of a modest, intelligent, quiet revolutionary who has captured our hearts and minds with his exceptional winemaking, but who is also the embodiment of the ultimate wine all-rounder. We’re lucky to have him and his wines."
There's tiny amounts of his 2014 Salo Chardonnay (94 points, Wine Front review) remaining, with the 2015 having just landed and already moving quickly. The 2013 Salo Syrah from Hawkes Bay is a ripper, too (96 points, Wine Front review). If you'd like to check them out email James (james@ajwm.com.au) or AJ (andrew@ajwm.com.au) to organise an appointment.
The latest addition to the AJWM family are the wines of Yarra Valley young gun Marty Singh. They're called Precipice and they're seriously smart. The focus of Precipice is on single site, small batch chardonnay, pinot and syrah that reflect the geographical diversity of the Yarra Valley - sourcing early ripening varieties from the cooler, elevated upper Yarra (2015 Chardonnay from Willow Lake Vineyard and 20151 Pinot Noir from Lone Star Vineayrd) and later ripening varieties from the Valley floor (2014 Syrah from Hyde Park Vineyard). Having worked alongside great winemakers such as David Bicknell at Oakridge and Adrian Rodda for over a decade, Marty has gained deep insight into the art of making great wine and the confidence to do just that.
If you'd like to have a chat and check them out, get in touch with James (james@ajwm.com.au) or AJ (andrew@ajwm.com.au) to book in a time soon. These wines are in limited supply.
It was an absolute pleasure having Mike Boudry of MOON wines in town a couple of weeks ago... Thanks to everyone who made the time to say g'day, taste the new wines and have a chat to the two-time Academy Award winner and winemaker extraordinaire.
Mike was stoked with the response and has sent us up a little more to play with this year.
But when I write little, I mean it. There's only about 20 dozen each of the 2015 MOON Chardonnay and 2010 MOON Shiraz, so if you'd like a look at these complex, creative wines from the biodynamic Goulburn Terrace Vineyard, get in touch quick smart.
The other new arrival to the portfolio is from the McLaren Vale winery of Dudley & Irina Brown. 2016 DubStyle No.1 Viognier Tangerine (AKA Inkwell Laranja) is in town and ready to party! Fermented on skins for two weeks, this amazingly fresh little beauty adds textural interest to the lifted ginger-spice and structure typical of serious viognier.
It will be in hot demand if home is anything to judge by - after two sips last night, there was a dozen demanded by the girlfriend.
26 AUGUST 2016
Eddie McDougall, the man some of you may know for his eponymous King Valley wines, has traversed the globe in pursuit of cracking wines over the years - working in Piedmont (Vietti), Margaret River, Yarra Valley (Giant Steps) and the Languedoc (Mas de Mas Gassac) among others.
It's the Languedoc experience that inspired him to join forces with the Guibert family of Moulin de Gassac and create 2014 Tête-à-Tête Vin Rouge. It's an extremely limited blend of syrah, grenache, carignan and cabernet sauvignon that blends the best of the Old and New Worlds.
29 APRIL 2016
"Wines with sass, slickness and style," reads the headline to Philip White's Indaily piece on Dudley and Irina Brown's Inkwell wines. No scores were given, but high praise was bestowed on their "very cool" McLaren Vale estate. In line for typically evocative reviews from Whitey were the 2015 Blonde on Blonde Viognier ("perfectly, elegantly slimy"), 2015 Reckoner Cabernet Shiraz ("sass, silk ‘n’ velvet, slickness and sin") and Inkwell I&I Shiraz ("a really glamorous and vibrant strap of a wine"). Read the full story and reviews here.
26 APRIL 2016
And another one in the 90s. Hot off the back of some big scores for the Inkwell wines, Mike Bennie has turned his palate to Polperro and seems equally impressed. He awarded 92 point to 2015 Polperro Chardonnay.
"Sam Coverdale is shifting his vineyards to organic farming, fine tuning the winemaking, creating some good culture around his wines... Generous bouquet segues to creamy-textured, full flavoured, light buttery palate. It gives good flavour, is set on crunchy acidity, so you kind of get best both of both worlds..."
Read the full review here.
29 MARCH 2016
"Bring on the next vintage!" That's not a phrase you'll hear from winemakers and cellar rats around the country as they come off the back of a hectic 2016. Rather, it's the catch-cry of Gilbert by Simon Gilbert Rosé fans, including Colin Fassnidge who said "I do like a nice chilled rosé on the balcony – that's not very manly, is it? Simon Gilbert Rosé from Orange in NSW is a good one," in an interview with SMH last week.
29 MARCH 2016
We're big fans of the Inkwell's Blonde on Blonde Viognier, and it's sentiment which Mike Bennie seemingly agrees with. He awarded the 2015 iteration 94 points on The Wine Front, writing: "Complexity/interest to price ratio is out of control... Entices in the lover of complex, interesting white wines... It’s a wine that defies and yet defines the scope of the variety. It’s very, very good." Read the full review here.
6 JANUARY 2016
The Inkwell Reckoner Cabernet Shiraz has also been highly-rated recently, awarded 93 points by Campbell Mattinson in The Wine Companion. "First vintage of cabernet using 'Italian Clone #1', a new cabernet clone to Australia... It's an intriguing wine... harmonious and therefore immediately attractive, but it has the sinew to age..." Check out the the full review here.
15 DECEMBER 2015
Kind words from Mike Bennie on the 2013 Salo Syrah, and winemakers Steve and Dave: “Very good wines, if you’ve kept up with their trajectory. Decent humans too... This wine is from a pretty bloody good vintage in Hawkes Bay too.” Read the full write up here.
