Barely a week on the ground – that’s all I
allowed myself for Yarra Valley, Mornington Peninsula, Martinborough, Waipara,
Central Otago and Auckland. A week is not enough time to cover any single one
of these regions fully, but having just returned to Hong Kong, I’m pretty
excited still by the experience and what got packed in to those few days. In
the end, as always, it came down to the amazing generosity of the people I met
along the way. My glass is raised to all of you!
After an overnight flight from Hong Kong
via Singapore, I caught up with Australia’s Bordeaux importer specialist John Baker in central Melbourne’s Movida Aqui bar. Sardines, and a nice cold beer and I was
feeling much more in the zone. Then a
short drive to the upscale Melbourne suburb of South Yarra for din dins at
Bistro Gitan – creative, very tasty, yet unfussy, uncluttered food prepared just right.
Melbourne sets the food bar high, but I thought this was ‘worth a detour’. Very
smart bistro. I’m still thinking just how tasty that bavette was.
Next day – the 16th – and it was
time to head out to the Yarra Valley. Despite previous visits to Melbourne, I’d
never before visited its wine country, so this was all new to me. After half an
hour of easy driving on Melbourne’s superb motorways, it seemed like I would
arrive in the valley before ever really leaving Melbourne’s eastern sprawl, but
it seemed rural fairly suddenly by the time I reached Yarra Valley classic Mount Mary near
Lilydale.
John Middleton put this estate – and to
some extent Yarra Valley – on the map in the late 1970s. Encouraged by Victoria
wine producing doyen Colin Preece to plant in Yarra to make a ‘restrained’
style of wine, and having visited the classic regions of Europe, he planted
Bordeaux and Burgundy varietals. Somewhat eccentrically perhaps he planted
these in alternate rows, such that, if you wanted to pick Cabernet, you’d find
it in every tenth row or so across the whole of that first block, planted in
1972.
I was shown around by former vet, and now
second generation at Mount Mary, David Middleton. I asked him what they’d
discovered in so many harvests – did the best of each variety come from certain
rows each year? His son, winemaker Sam Middleton seemed to think that the
imprint of each clone made the bigger difference to the fruit each year and
that the block was fairly homogenous otherwise. It was a reminder – and not the
last one – of just how new winemaking is in the regions I visited. Old vines
are a new thing. And those old vines were chosen from the very limited range of
clones on offer in the late 60s and early ‘70s. Most are ungrafted – phylloxera
still at bay. Though at Mount Mary, vine disease Eutypa is gradually strangling
their ability to bear and ripen fruit.
We toured the estate, and I saw some really
beautiful Grenache fruit hanging from the new block, from very young vines.
Roussanne, Marsanne, Clairette, Syrah, Mourvèdre and Cinsault were planted at the same time, so we can look
forward to some Rhône rangers to add to
their Bordeaux (‘Quintet’ – red; ‘Tiolet’ – white) and Burgundy (Pinot Noir and
Chardonnay) range. “These are all grafted, so they offer phylloxra insurance,
and they also offer climate insurance”, explained David. “Since the first wines
[late ‘70s] we have seen an increase of potential alcohol here of more than
1.5%. We aim for wines in the 12% - 12.5% arrange. Ten years ago we might start
picking in early March and finish in mid-April. Today that would be
mid-February to mid-March.”
General climate change is not the only
issue here. The region, it seems, can suffer hail storms, frost (major loss in
’07 from an ’06 frost), and major heat spikes. The spikes might offer enough to
worry about in themselves as acids plummet, sugars soar, and berries shrivel,
but here they bring on a particularly Australian problem – bush fires. These adversely
affected harvests in 2007 and 2009. Talking with my brother David, who has
lived in Melbourne the past few years, the fires seemed to scar more than the
land, they etched their mark on the psyche of Victorians. The 2009 fires – an
event known as Black Saturday - claimed many lives, and caused enormous destruction in bush, livestock, vines
and settlements. Today, heat spikes that nudge the mercury up into the 40s Celsius
are met with warnings to evacuate. “Prepare. Act. Survive” is the public
warning mantra.
I quietly reminded myself why I am on the
drinking end rather than the growing end of this business. But I also reflected
on the awesome pioneering energy and sense of constant striving and development
I feel anytime I visit ‘New World’ wine regions. And I almost always feel that
I am spending time with the “goodies” in our world – those striving for
excellence, while looking after the people whose lives they touch – mine
included. I felt a sense of admiration for David and his family. “This place
was my Dad’s vision, and I’m looking after it now while my son takes the reins
as winemaker”.
 |
| Left to right – Kaspar Hermann, assistant winemaker; Sam Middleton, winemaker and third generation; Nick Coulthard, sales and distribution; and Dr David Middleton, proprietor, CEO, second generation, and formerly a vet. |
John’s vision for “cool climate” restrained
styled wines capable of long cellaring seemed evident in the wines I tasted
today. 35 acres under vine produce some 5,000 cases or so across four main
labels:
2008
Mount Mary ‘Triolet’
From
68% Sauvignon Blanc, 25% Semillon, 7% Muscadelle. 12.9% abv
Pale green gold; fresh hay, melon and
lightly musky nose, the muscadelle coming through on the coolish expression;
the palate is juicy, with crunchy acidity, some green capsicum – firm, quite
malic acidity [no malolactic fermentation employed – I checked], a little oak
phenolic texture [no new oak] and breadth beneath the still young linear
expression. This is still quite slender and and firm. Needs a little time to
fill texturally and aromatically, though this does feel very cool and a little
austere. 88+/100
2008
Mount Mary Chardonnay
Light green gold; fine fresh nose, a little
oak evident, fairly reserved; fine-textured, bright fresh and fleshy, a touch
of peach, pear, this is long on the palate with a lovely sense of freshness and
juiciness, good complexity. Good now, but seems ageworthy. 92/100
2006
Mount Mary Pinot Noir
13.3% abv. Light garnet showing some colour
development from bottle age, fine hue, lightish depth of colour; a sweet cherry
centre on the nose with attractive savoury overlay, spicy notes, quite cool
expression with some sous bois notes, this is a complex, open nose; mid-weight
on the palate, sappy, good red cherry fruit, a touch of currant, strawberry,
spice. The only distraction from all this pleasure is quite a cool streak of
acidity which pushes the complex finish but that stands out as a little shrill.
I don’t see that harmonizing. 89/100
2006
Mount Mary ‘Quintet’
50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Cabernet Franc,
26% Merlot, 3% Malbec, 3% Petit Verdot. 22 months in French oak barriques, 30%
new. 12.9% abv
Fine fresh ruby colour, clear; fragrant,
quite leafy nose, Cabernet-led with notes of fresh crushed blackcurrants and
blackcurrant leaf; on the palate this is brightly expressed with squishy
curranty fruit, dark plum, lively ripe acidity, a touch of capsicum crunch and
a long, fine supple finish. This is delicious now, and there is real finesse
here. Should age quite well. 90/100
I left Mount Mary with a sense of
confidence that while they are in a period of some transition, the Middletons
are here to stay. I think their continued aim to produce wines of restraint,
with alcohols below 13%, is admirable, though in the Triolet and Pinot just
tasted I wondered if they were hitting the limits of real phenolic ripeness in
doing so. It will be interesting to see the Rhône varieties come on stream in the years ahead – a reminder of the
great flexibility the ‘New World’ has in finding the right combinations of
site, grape and style.
It was then just some 12 kilometres across
the valley to another ‘anchor tenant’ of the Yarra Valley, Yarra Yering. The estate, with roots in the nineteenth century when
wine production was thriving here, was resurrected in the late sixties by
another visionary of the valley, Dr Bailey Carrodus.
Meeting with recently appointed winemaker
Paul Bridgeman (ex-de Bortoli), it didn’t take long to see that the modern day
legacy of Dr C’s Yarra Yering is steeped in individuality and innovation. “The
Doc’s” own 500kg trundler-bottomed fermenters fill the winery. In the height of
harvest there must be dozens of little ferments going on. “We use a lot of stem
and return” explains Paul. “ I smell the stems coming out of the de-stemmer and
if they smell good – free of mould and other problems – I add them in to the
fermenters using a big sieve. It’s acts like a tea bag”. A simple, clever way
to manage extractions from skins and extraction from stems separately.
“When Dr C planted the first block in 1969,
the Cabernet and Merlot vines arrived without tags, so he planted them
randomly.” Ripening at quite different times that must make for a lot of work
checking ripeness vine by vine instead of row by row in the lead up to harvest.
In 2009 I attended a major vertical tasting
of the wine based on this vineyard – “Dry Red No.1” (perhaps not quite the
romantic in wine labeling as John Middleton!). Over thirty vintages were opened
– mostly from the cellar of organizer David Wainwright and co-hosted by long-standing
winemaker Mark Haisma (now making wine in Burgundy, as you do). While there
were one or two duffers, on the whole, the vertical – back to third vintage
1975 – showed that The Doc got it right – grape and site. The second block,
planted to shiraz lent itself to “Dry Red No.2”, and the third, planted later to
Portugese varieties (!) to Dry Red. No.3. In subsequent expansion, blocks were
named after “battles the French lost”, as Paul explained. “Dr C ran out of
blocks before he ran out of battles”. Today an “Agincourt” bottling is
released. I asked if France was a major export market. “The UK has always been
a strong market for us”, was the answer.
“The expansion began in the ‘90s with the
Portugese varieties [Touriga Naςional, Tinta Cão, Tinta Amarela, Alvarelhao,
Roriz and Sousão], with the rest over 1995 – 2005. 80% of Dry Red No.2 comes
from this expansion, and 20% from the original vineyard.” Indeed, the estate
runs to a full catalogue of grape varieties, including a pretty special
Viognier I was able to taste from one of two barrels made (the 2008 is current
release at AU$162 a bottle from the winery).
The exception from this ongoing
developmental planting, is the neighbouring vineyard called Underhill, “that Dr
C bought from a mad Yugoslav” (meant affectionately I’m sure!) in 1987, and bottled
and labeled separately from 1989. “The site has more clay and gives quite
different aromatics and tannins, and the same quality level as No.2. It’s a
favourite of mine”.
It was clear with such diversity that a
tasting in the cellar with Paul was going to be a treat. We started with a
barrel of 2011 Chardonnay, with
lovely fresh apple and pie crust, lovely fruit – very fine and pure and
naturally expressed I thought. It has 100% natural acidity and full malolactic
fermentation.
With the pendulum having swung dramatically
away from the full, buttery, oaky chardonnays of the ‘80s and ‘90s, it seems
that today some producers – not just here but in California too – are pushing
too far toward a very lean and mineral style though early picking and preventing
malolactic fermentation (which converts firm malic acid into creamy, softer
lactic acid). But the results are often a bit mean and hard I think. So it was
encouraging to taste something here so in tune with a natural, ‘middle’
position.
The 2011
Viognier, (this year two barrels, usually around one and a half), seemed
more restrained and mineral in style than I expected. Those varietal floral and
apricot notes are there, but in a surprisingly restrained expression, the wine
being driven more by a rich, structured, mid-palate and long finish. I’d love
to see this again in bottle. (from a 1984 planting, the wine sees 100%
malolactic fermentation).
The 2011
Pinot Noir, from a ‘bottom block’ barrel was very pale in the glass, with
fragrant red cherry and savoury notes on the nose and a slender but expressive
red fruited, very varietally pinot noir palate. “2011 was a very cold, wet,
late year Paul explained. About 30% - 50% of the vats see stalks returned – we
don’t use whole bunches in the fermentation.” Paul had explained the various
Pinot blocks while we were out in the vineyard – the ’69 block provide
concentration and structure, the “powerhouse” in the blend; the ’81 block at
the top, provides the “high notes” and perfume, while the ’84 block provides
flesh and generosity. For the 2010 vintage they are planning to release a
4-pack with the final blend as well as a bottle from each block. I’d love to
try that.
The 2011
Touriga Naςional, which makes up around 50% of the Dry Red No.3 showed a
deep rich vibrant ruby colour with sweet vibrant currants and cracked pepper
(as much from the fragrant stems as from the fruit I imagined); the palate was
quite special – quite currant, then cloves and a distinct note a cardamom on
the finish. Delicious!
The 2011
Underhill Shiraz, which reached a natural 12.5% alcohol by volume showed a
full ruby tone, with a really quite Northern Rhône-like blackberry and white pepper nose; lovely bright fruit on the
palate, scented, finely structured, with some meaty, savoury notes on the long
finish. Lovely balance, and fine intensity. Should show Yarra elegance very
well.
Next up, a barrel of 2011 Shiraz from old vines, with a few Marsanne skins in the
ferment. The colour was more noticeably deeper in tone; a more subdued, more
deep-set nose; great fruit on the palate, tightly wrapped, layered in texture,
with lots of energy and enormous power on the finish. “We are not looking for
flesh forward-styled wine, we’re looking for a canter lever effect with the
weight of intensity delivered toward the back of the palate.” Paul seemed
rightly proud of this little parcel, “We plan to bottle it separately”. Put me
down for some please!
We followed this with some 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon from old vines.
This was quite varietally perfumed with a touch of leafy coolness, but
definitely well into the black currant register; full and quite rich on the
palate, solidly-built and itense.
I would love to have spent the whole
morning down in the cellar, but was grateful for this quite indulgent tour and
tasting. I felt Paul – in spite of his very solid CV – was quite excited to
have his hands on Yarra Yering. With some of the oldest vines in the valley, a
tradition to look after but also plenty to play with, who wouldn’t be?
Back inside with Cellar Door Manager Janine
Hellas, there was an array of goodies to try. Perhaps the most surprising – and
for me the highlight here – was the 1998
Yarra Yering Dry White No.1, late released and available for sale at the
cellar door. I didn’t note the price but I think it was around AU$100 a bottle.
Full gold and shot through with colour, the nose offered notes of baked custard
/ crème patisserie to the fore, vanillin, citrus,
steamed asparagus, and a touch of lanolin, it smelled mature, complex and zingy;
the initial impact came from the crisp core of bright, elevated acidity, this
was very juicy, coolly expressed, with lots of flavor, citrus, waxy-textured
with a very long, intense capsicum and lemon finish, and great phenolic texture
right through. I really liked this. 92/100
Janine explained that the label was
discontinued with the 2000, but will be coming back on stream in the future.
Meantime I would certainly be on the look out for older vintages on the back of
this sample tasted today.
2007
Yarra Yering Pinot Noir
AU$83
at the cellar door.
Light garnet; a savoury meaty expression of
Pinot, gamey, with noted of dark plum and fragrant cherry; the really lovely
texture was my first impression, gentle, layered and caressing, the flavours
seem fully evolved with notes of plum, smoke, and savoury meaty notes, which
make it quite morish. Long finish. 91/100
2009
Yarra Yering Dry Red No.3
AU$79
at the cellar door.
Deep garnet; fragrant nose – plenty of top
notes over dark berry fruit, spicy notes; the palate is quite bright and
fragrant in style with soft tannins that make this feel plush – very drinkable
now. Delicious. 88/100
2006
Yarra Yering Dry Red No.2
AU$88
at the cellar door.
Light garnet; a fragrant, leafy,
Cabernet-led nose, some cedar, a touch of tobacco, some chocolate notes too; a
rich mid-palate, though this feels a little disjointed between quite cool,
leafy and red capsicum notes, and a fairly plush full-bodied (14.5% abv)
weight. Complex, but not entirely coherent. n/r (must check my note from the
2009 tasting).
2001
Yarra Yering Underhill Shiraz
AU$95
at the cellar door. They also have the ’07 ($83), ’06 ($85), ’04 ($89), and ’03
($91) – not tasted. The policy, as Paul explained, is to do an early release in
May, and then put the wine away until they think it has done something
interesting in bottle. It is then re-released, with AU$2 added for every year
it spends in the cellar.
Mid, clear garnet; the nose shows some
plumminess, but this is gatecrashed by disappointingly dull notes of molasses,
dried dates – this comes across as a bit porty and tired on the nose; rich,
quite figgy and toffee, though not discernably ‘hot’ with alcohol on the
finish. A decadent style, but lacks freshness. n/r
2004
Yarra Yering Dry Red No.1
AU$92
at the cellar door.
Fine clear garnet; an immediately
forthcoming and fragrant nose, red currants and hot sweet peppers; juicy fruit,
crunchy acidity, red fruit expression with that note of hot sweet chilli
peppers (the aromatics – not the heat) recurring. Fairly complex, plenty of
reserve. Should be quite interesting. 90/100
2007
Yarra Yering ‘Agincourt’ Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot
AU$83
at the cellar door. The 2006 is also available at….. AU$85, not tasted.
Clear garnet; lifted piquant nose,
varietally expressed, green-edged aromatics; there is a lovely fleshiness here,
plump, with zingy acidity, and a touch of capsicum on the finish. This seems
more fruit-forward, satisfaction coming from a complex array of youthfully
fruity and vegetal aromatics suggesting early drinking. 89/100
2003
Yarra Yering Potsorts
Uses
the same varieties as Dry Red No.3. and used to be called ‘Portsorts’ until the
EU deemed it contravened the protection of the name Port. AU$91 at the cellar
door.
(Was ‘Portsorts’). Rich figgy nose, toffee
sweet; rich on the palate, the spirit a little hard an elevated, mature very
ripe figgy fruit, molasses-like maltiness the savoury edge of which does the
job in providing some balance to the sweet-toffeed fruit. Fun, yummy, if not
especially refined in style. 86/100
My short drive over to Yeringberg left me
reflecting on the way people like “The Doc” and John Middleton – each in the
different way – have re-energised and re-invented this once proud wine
producing Victorian Victorian valley, and in what in wine terms is an
incredibly short amount of time – some 40 years. I had expected to see the
traditional labels they created – ‘Quintet’ and ‘Dry Red No.1’ for example,
still flourishing. What came as a little more unexpected was the degree to
which the pioneering side of that energy continues today – the sheer diversity
at both properties, the ongoing experimentation with grape varieties and
winemaking.
My next stop was Yeringberg, where that line to the nineteenth century is still
plugged in, and in more ways than one. I met with Sandra de Pury, winemaker and
along with viticulturist brother David is fourth generation de Pury at
Yeringberg, an estate founded by Swiss settler Frédéric-Guillaume de Pury in
1863. The original winery and buildings he used still stand and form the
‘modern’ winery today. Along with wine, cattle and sheep have sustained the
family since the beginning on this 1200 acre station. The ascending driveway
off the Maroondah Highway was long enough for me to begin to doubt I was on a
driveway at all, but from the top I was treated to sweeping views of the valley
below. The original house was lost to a fire long ago, but both Sandra and
David have houses on the original site.
What history here. The original wooden
winery still stands, complete with hoist to take the bins of grapes in through
a second level mezzanine receiving window and onto a rather ingenious ‘rail’
system for tipping the grapes into the giant old fermenter cuves below. It looks like it must have been a high tech marvel in
its day. The room is filled with artifacts including a dust-caked horse-drawn
buggy in the corner. Clearly also a storage and overflow room today, “this you
can see is a working farm, and on a farm you don’t throw things away – you use
and re-use them. So there’s a lot stored here. But my project this year is to
get all the stored stuff out of here and make a little museum of this.”
Facing the ‘museum’ winery is a quite
beautiful stone cellarhouse, that could just as easily be converted to museum
too, except it is in full swing today as both winery and cellar for this
boutique (1200 cases) wine estate. Equipment is rudimentary but seemingly
adequate. Small stainless steel fermenters stood ready for the approaching 2012
harvest. “There’s no temperature control system built in. I run a water hose
around the fermenter when I need to and pump cold water through it, and we also
use hessian for temperature control.”
A white Northern Rhône-like blend and a Bordeaux-like blend is made. The latter was 50%
Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc, 10% Malbec and 9% Petit
Verdot for the 2008 blend. “We pick early in the morning when the fruit is
cool, and everything that comes in gets co-fermented. As soon as we have
everything we put the blend together at that point. We make the selection
decisions in the vineyard and on the sorting table. After that, its in.”
The white wines are made one level below,
where it is noticeably cooler – some 18 degrees celcius on this pretty warm
February afternoon. On this floor, juice for the whites is fed down through the
window at ceiling height. Chardonnay has a long tradition here, and the white
Rhône varieties have joined the line up in the
‘90s.
2010
Yeringberg Marsanne / Roussanne
AU$50
on the mailing list. Stainless steel ferment, no malolactic fermentation, aged
in old oak hogsheads for 9 months
Fine floral nose; crisp with great
mouthfeel, lovely balance and and length. Feels very natural. Youhtful and a
little shy but very good. Crisp finish. Should reward two or three years in the
cellar. 89+/100
2010
Yeringberg Viognier
AU$30
on the mailing list. First vintage was 2008 and has been very well received by
Yeringberg customers. Wild ferment in stainless steel with a small portion goes
into old hogsheads.
Definitely in the immediately perfumed
school of Viogner, this leaps joyfully from the glass with notes fresh cut
apricot and white flowers; round, juicy, fleshy with lively acidity (“we picked
a little of this early for acidity and some later for fruit, richness and that
fragrance”), fresh, vibrant and long. Delicious now. 90/100
2009
Yeringberg Chardonnay
AU$50
on the mailing list.
A
portion sees fermentation start in stainless steel and then run off into
barrels while another portion is fully barrel fermented. French oak barriques,
about 30% new.
Lovely nose, quite pure and expressive;
round-textured, ripe, with honeysuckle notes, a fine-focused structure, plenty
of flesh and length. Very good. 91/100
Just how much of an issue those bush fires
have been became quite start as we switched to the reds. All of what would have
been the 2009 estate Cabernet blend was ‘declassified’. To stress the point
“DECLASSIFIED” is overprinted in red on the label and the wine closed with
screwcap. “The smokey one” Sandra ventured…
2009
Yeringberg “declassified” estate red
AU$15
on the mailing list – in my view, a real bargain.
Moderate depth of ruby; fresh and currant
on the nose – no sign of trouble here; juicy, fresh, currant on the palate,
quite fleshy, fruity, then a somewhat abrupt, chewy finish. 88/100
Sandra and the team felt that that finish –
“slightly acrid” as she put it – will become more evident as the wine ages. As
many customers lay this wine down, they felt they could offer it under the
estate label and at AU$75, so they declassified it and offer it for AU$15… and
not for the first time. The 2007 went the same way. It’s easy to see that the
de Pury’s are as loyal to Yeringberg’s customers as the customers are to
Yeringberg. It’s the only way to protect a reputation, but what a cost! On the
Maroondah Highway to my next appointment I saw Victoria State signs on the road
warning of the potential for preventative controlled burn offs. Good for saving
lives I thought, but something of a perennial hazard for grape growers waiting
to harvest.
2008
Yeringberg estate red
AU$75
on the mailing list. A warm end-of-the-drought vintage.
Fine ruby; fine, beautifully fragrant
Cabernet-led nose; lovely flesh and fragrance on the palate – quite perfumed,
quite grippy and more surly on the finish. This seems to be beginning to shut
down. A little bolder and riper than some of the classic Yeringberg vintages.
Very good. 91/100
My introduction to Yeringberg’s estate red
came via a full case of the 1990 that came up for auction in the UK. A really
admired its succulent fruit and leafy coolness and elegance in spite of its
happy bottled sunshine. I have one bottle left which I am now reminded to open
– so will report on that soon…
My final journey for the day took me to the
little town of Healesville and running early I stopped for a coffee. The Yarra
Valley’s reach to deep-pocketed Melbournians enjoying their weekend was evident
by the seeming over-supply of cafés along the high street, and an art
gallery here and there, but there is still the strong impression of a rural
supplies town about the place. “Menz-Cutz” hairdressers sits next to the Maroondah
Panel Service offering “ride on mower sales”. AJ’s Bakery sits opposite the
Cherry Tree Takeaway. And on the corner, the Grand Hotel. Growing up in New
Zealand, and having stopped for a sandwich and milkshake in dozens of
smallvilles just like this, I thought I had the measure of the place (not
sneering, just saying!). That was, until the tractor beam picked me up and
deposited me a few hundred metres down the road at Giant Steps / Innocent Bystander. Innocent bystander indeed. Here stands
a monument to modern Australian life, draped in concrete slab, glass and
timber, and a triple-height ceiling. Entering I’m transported right back to achingly
cool Melbourne. Chet Baker’s voice fills the cavernous room with a vibe
immediately reconfirmed by the sight of the wood-fired pizza oven glowing in
the corner, and punters drinking coffee (in house roaster), wine, munching on
tapas and the like.
I’m quickly minded by marketing co-ordinator Zoe
Ottaway, bursting with natural and deserved pride in the whole thing. We’re
joined by marketing guru Cameron McKenzie. The whole thing is amazingly slick –
a word I’m loath to put to print here for all its pejorative connotations. For
this whole venture feels as warm, heartfelt, genuine, and fun as I might have
possibly imagined. (Have a look round the website for a sense of it). For a wine lover like me it’s like being a kid at Willy
Wonka’s chocolate factory. As our tasting begins I quickly book a seat at the
bar for dinner lest I miss what is by now making my tummy rumble.
Halfway through the tasting, proprietor Phil
Sexton arrives, and before we’ve finished I’m invited to join him, wife and
kids for dinner. Simple but exquisite pizza, fresh shucked oysters, various
tapas, and a pretty extraordinary duck pie were soon in front of me. If you
drove out here just to eat you would feel rewarded.
Oh yes, and at the back of the restaurant stands
the winery, behind a glass wall by the pizza oven. Spacious, with a modern
gravity-flow design, it has all the bangs and whistles.
Phil Sexton, trim, fit, high energy and engaging, has quite a background. A master brewer by training, he is the man behind Red Back (THE beer, as I recall, when I backpacked around Australia 20 years ago), Little Creatures, as well as the Devil's Lair winery. Giant Steps is a nod to jazz great John Coltrane's 1960 solo album of that name, and perhaps analogous too to Phil's own giant (3,500km) step from success in WA, to new beginnings in VIC.
The wines - all in bottle - provided a solid line up – the peaks
of which were as high as I experienced on this trip.
2011
Innocent Bystander Moscato
Smart wine
in a very smart package – this is in clear bottles and halves, with a crown
cap. 5.5% abv. It is also distributed on premise in pink kegs!
Just slightly pétillant, lightly and naturally
pink; a musky fresh muscaty nose; crisp apple palate, Turkish Delight
fragrance, crisp clean finish. Delicious. May I have some more? 88/100
2011
Innocent Bystander Pinot Gris
Yarra Valley fruit.
Fresh, low-key nose; crisp pears, an attractive
combination of fresh crisp acidity and a little phenolic oiliness in the
middle, finishes crisp and fresh. Good. 88/100
2011
Innocent Bystander Chardonnay
A crisp, leaner style, very fresh, verging on a
bit austere I think. 86/100
2011
Innocent Bystander Gateway Vineyard Viognier
Subltey scented style, very fresh, a touch of
apricot skin, a touch lean, fresh, crisp, quite delicious. 88/100
2011
Innocent Bystander Pinot Noir
Paleish; raspberry on the nose with some nutty
oak notes, a little reduced; zippy, red fruit expression, quite slender in
style, a touch if nutty oak and a little burnt match stick. This comes across
as a cool leaner style of Pinot, fairly stylish and aromatic. Good. 89/100
2010
Innocent Bystander Syrah
From Yarra
Valley and Pyrenees region fruit.
A really lovely fresh crushed fruit expression
on the nose – lifted, fresh vibrant aromatics; crisp, fresh, juicily-styled
syrah, lively and aromatic. Very nice! 89/100
2010
Innocent Bystander ‘Mule’ Shiraz
From
Gateway Hill, McLaren Vale
If you want a syrah lesson in site – taste this
side by side with the VIC version. Riper, bigger nose; fleshy ripe shiraz,
powdery-fine tannins and a generous, though not jammy mouthfeel. Yummy. 87/100
2010 Giant
Steps ‘Sexton Vineyard’ Chardonnay
Fine intense nose, serious and nutty; rich,
intense fruit, concentrated, high energy here, real intensity without a sense
of heaviness, some fine nutty oak on the finish. Super serious chardonnay.
94/100
2010 Giant
Steps ‘Tarraford Vineyard’ Chardonnay
An earthier nose after the Sexton; quite citrus
on the palate, full taut finish. Very fine. 93/100
2010 Giant
Steps ‘Arthur’s Creek’ Chardonnay
Fine fresh nose with a beautifully floral edge;
juicy, taut, lovely weight and texture, good flesh but this is tightly wrapped.
Love it! For laying down. 95/100
2004 Giant
Steps ‘Sexton Vineyard’ Chardonnay
Nutty nose; quite Meursault-like, finely
textured chardonnay, citrusy, nutty, high quality. 90/100
2010 Giant
Steps ‘Sexton Vineyard’ Pinot Noir
Light fresh colour; scented red cherry, a touch
of leaf, a touch of spice, very fragrant, nothing seems out of place; lovely
red cherry scented fruit, sapid acidity, very harmonious, fine long finish.
Really seriously good Pinot. 94/100
2010 Giant
Steps ‘Tarraford Vineyard’ Pinot Noir
A touch more colour than Sexton; darker fruit
expression here, a touch of plum, spice, leaf; dark cherry fruit expression,
quite sexy, scented with bright fresh acidity, some grip in the tannins here,
this is firmer, broader, though still transparent Pinot, long scented finish.
Very good. 92/100
2010 Giant
Steps ‘Applejack Vineyard’ Pinot Noir
Fine pale-fresh appearance; Beaune-like red
fruit on the nose, touch spice, quite aromatically complex; taut, juicy spine,
good mid-palate texture, some stem notes, tightly wound and long. Very good –
for the cellar for sure. 93/100
2010 Giant
Steps ‘Gladysdale Vineyard’ Pinot Noir
A vibrant nose – open fruit, a touch of
tamarillo about the fruit expression, some spicy medicinal notes; warm and
spicy tone here, a generous style in the context of this line up, but still
very finely made. 91/100
2010 Giant
Steps ‘Sexton Vineyard’ Merlot
Fine plummy nose, ripe, fleshy; juicy fresh and
fleshy on the palate. Some savouriness. Juicy and appealing. 87/100
2010 Giant
Steps ‘Harry’s Monster’
72%
Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Petit Verdot, 13% Merlot
Dark fruit, quite fragrant, leafy complexity and
notes of dark olives on the nose; juicy dark fruit, after the other wines this
feels distinctly bold, punchy, yet seemingly well-balanced for now quite
backward wine. Plenty of complexity and sits well in the glass, it will be
interesting to see how this develops. 90+/100?
Phil and his team clearly know what they’re
doing and have a feel for texturally-driven coolly expressed chardonnay and
pinot in particular. One or two of the wines seemed to be nudging out toward
the too-lean style in fashion right now, but the stars of the show – for me the
Sexton Vineyard Chardonnay and Pinot, the Arthur’s Creek Chardonnay and
Applejack Pinot – are amongst the best wines of these varieties I have tasted
from Australia. That, some fresh shucked oysters, and a slab of grilled moo,
and you wouldn’t do wrong paying them a visit.
By the time we sat down for dinner it was
absolutely tipping down outside, the room illuminated by flashes of lightening.
On the way back to my little hotel in East Melbourne I felt a sense of relief
the grape growers – that perhaps the chance of a bush fire – or controlled burn
off – might be delayed a few more days now.
Tomorrow, Mornington Peninsula…
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