fermentAsian wine list
th
28 September 2016
Is this list a little overwhelming?
Feel free to request our Vino Espresso abridged wine list.
100 delicious wines matched to our cuisine. Sans commentary.
table of contents
foreword: ‘Vini Odyssea’
water, beer, cider and soft drinks
spirits, liqueurs and dry madeira
aperitifs: sherry
sake
wines by the glass
half bottles, sparkling, white and red
sparkling wine, champagne
riesling
fifty shades of gris
gewürztraminer, grüner veltliner & muscat varieties
semillon
sauvignon blanc
chenin blanc
chardonnay
viognier, marsanne, roussanne and blends
italian, spanish & other regional white varietals and blends
‘turbidity inc.’ natural / amber wines selected by Geoffrey Hunt
vin jaune
ganevat: Jurassic alchemist
elevenses: an admission of guilt
rosé
blaufränkisch
gamay
pinot noir
grenache and blends
mataro (mourvédre, monastrell) & blends
red wines from sun-drenched mediterranean isles (& a canary or two)
red wines from alpine regions of eastern france (jura, savoie)
cabernet, merlot, malbec & blends (including the holmes suite)
shiraz & blends
zinfandel / primitivo
nebbiolo
barbera, dolcetto, sangiovese et al
tempranillo, carignan, mencia et al
wine for grownups: the big bottles
dessert wines
fortifieds by the glass
super-rare sherry by the bottle
other fortifieds by the bottle
digestives and end-of-meal spirit lifters by the glass
Appendices
2
3
4
5
6
7-8
9
10 - 17
18 - 24
25
26
27
28
29
30 - 37
38
39 - 40
41 - 42
42
43 – 44
45 - 46
47
48
48 - 49
49 - 56
57 - 60
61 - 62
62
62
63 - 64
65 - 72
72
73
74
75 - 76
77 - 79
80 - 81
82
83 - 84
84
85
86 - 90
1
Vini Odyssea
This list serves as a beacon to pilgrims of the palate whose questing brings them to the Barossa in
search of vinous exploration, evocation and education.
My hope is that it also represents a valuable resource for the local wine fraternity, many of whose
collective snouts are stuck within barrels, tanks and amphorae as they practise the gentle art of
raising local wines during the working week. Many winemakers have expressed appreciation, and
indeed joy at being able to dip their olfactors regularly into a constantly evolving list of delicious,
interesting and often rare and ancient bottles.
The list unashamedly offers international context; an opportunity to recalibrate Barossa palates by
tuning into wines in which the incremental details are sometimes etched in a finer font. It
acknowledges that (with obvious exceptions) many of the wines for which our region is best known
simply overwhelm the subtly-spiced, perfumed flavours that Tuoi Do so expertly presents.
If you believe that ‘a list is a list’ and any accompanying text represents an irritation, or if the scope
and diversity are rather more than you feel comfortable with in the time that you have available,
please request our abridged ‘Vino Espresso’ version which limits itself to 100 wines carefully
matched to the cuisine, sans commentary.
But for you pilgrims on the long wine road, let the crusade begin!
Curator & Lybrettist: Grant Dickson
Sommelier & Cocktail Composer: Geoffrey Hunt
Wine Bar Manager, Sommelier, Aperitif & Digestif Librarian: Cassaly Fitzgerald
…Others have written glowingly about chef Tuoi Do's exceptional cooking. Less well-known, but
for me just as compelling a reason for visiting Tuoi's restaurant, is her partner Grant Dickson's
exceptional wine list. No wonder this is a favourite hangout for the local winemaking
community: they come for the food and stay for the booze.
…Two things lift the list from the good to the wonderful: the unusually reasonable, extremely
attractive prices and the detailed, evocative descriptions that accompany almost every wine on
the list. Oh, and the fact that the restaurant also accepts BYO at $15 a bottle.
BY: MAX ALLEN From: The Australian August 18, 2012 12:00AM (Full article in appendices)
… A quick flick through the wine list convinced me that it was put together by a global
winemaker having the time of his life. Wrong again. Tuoi Do’s partner and partner Grant
Dickson did it. A musician. What’s gone wrong with the world?
BY: John McGrath From: The Adelaide Review June 2012
Can't live without: Our weekly visit to fermentAsian in Tanunda. Chef Tuoi Do's Vietnamese
fusion food is lively, clean and fresh, and Grant Dickson's wine list is deep, cerebral and
completely underpriced (just don't tell Grant this).
Short Order: Jeremy Holmes The Australian October 05, 2013 12:00AM
While our elite city restaurants are dragged towards the esoteric in their wine lists, this
excellent Barossa venture – an Asian-focused kitchen at that - is intent on making wine an
increasingly important, tangible and yet openly entertaining aspect of its total experience.
Novices are welcomed without prejudice, while the Barossa’s winemaking community,
international experts and fully immersed local wine fans can’t help but be impressed.
Ask co-proprietor and sommelier Grant Dickson for a mystery wine-pour. Most importantly,
sit in a corner and read his heartfelt writings and reviews from an expansive and enlightening
publication others may call inadequately a wine list but here we like to think of as an
extraordinary celebration… The Advertiser Food Awards 11th November 2015
Organic, Biodynamic, lutte raisonnée: Throughout this list, wines from vineyards grown
ethically and sustainably without the use of chemicals are indicated thus.
2
fermentAsian beverage list: water, beer, cider and soft drinks
water
Antipodes Sparkling: 1 litre
Antipodes Still: 1 litre
9
9
australian & new zealand beer (330ml)
Barossa Valley Brewing ‘Bee Sting’ Honey Wheat Beer (cans)
Knappstein Reserve Lager
Pirate Life ‘Throwback’ Session IPA (cans)
Lord Nelson Brewery ‘3 Sheets’
Stone & Wood ‘Pacific Ale’
Prancing Pony Pale Ale
Prancing Pony Amber Ale
Pikes Cherry Kriek
Barossa Valley, SA
Clare Valley, SA
Adelaide, SA
Sydney, NSW
Byron Bay, NSW
Adelaide Hills, SA
Adelaide Hills, SA
Oakbank, Adelaide Hills, SA
8
8
8
9
9
10
10
14
Clare Valley Brewing Co, Extra Stout
Clare Valley, SA
9
333 Premium Lager
Trumer Pils
Moritz (cans)
Vietnam
Salzbrg, Austria
Barcelona, Spain
9
10
10
Hitachino Nest White Ale (Belgian Style White Ale)
Iberaki, Japan
13
imported beer (330ml)
Aroma of orange and citrus fruit fills the nose, along with coriander. Very classic wit aroma. A refreshing mildly hopped Belgian
styled beer with a complex flavour of coriander, orange peel, nutmeg. The finish has taste of orange peel, spicy clove, and ginger
all mixed together along with a slight malt sweetness.
Hitachino Nest Red Rice Ale
Iberaki, Japan
13
Complex sake like flavours with malt sweet notes. Hints of strawberries on the nose and palate. An intriguing mix of sake, malt
and bitter notes in the finish.
lower alcohol beer
James Boag’s Premium Light
Pikes Tonic Ale
Tasmania
Oakbank, Adelaide Hills, SA
7
9
Barossa Valley
Yarra Valley, Victoria
Yarra Valley, Victoria
8
9
9
cider
Kellermeister ‘Boots Apple Cider’
Napoleone & Co Apple Cider
Napoleone & Co Pear Cider
soft drinks
Coke
Coke Zero
Fruit Juice (Apple, Orange)
FEVER-TREE Lemonade, Lime & Bitters
FEVER-TREE Soda water, Lime & Bitters
5
5
5
6
6
3
fermentAsian beverage list: spirits, aperitifs, liqueurs and dry madeira
spirits et al
Bombay Sapphire Gin
Absolute Vodka
Chivas Regal
St Agnes V.S.O.P
Jack Daniels Old No 7
Hendricks Gin
Jensen’s Old Tom Gin
Applewood Spring Gin
Applewood Salt & Sake Gin: Limited Edition
(Adelaide Hills, SA)
(Adelaide Hills, SA)
Campari
Pimms
Applewood Økar (Adelaide Hills Aperol substitute: native riberries, blood orange, et al)
Applewood Red Økar (Campari substitute; native riberries, blood orange, et al)
FEVER-TREE mixes
Premium Indian Tonic Water
Premium Lemonade
Premium Lemon Tonic
Premium Soda Water
Premium Ginger Ale
Premum Ginger Beer
30 ml
30 ml
30 ml
30 ml
30 ml
30 ml
30 ml
7
6
7
6
7
10
10
30ml
30ml
12
14
45 ml
45 ml
45 ml
45 ml
6
6
8
10
5
5
5
5
5
5
please request cassaly’s dessert & digestif list for a complete list of spirits, bitters and digestifs.
liqueurs (60 mls) fantastic poured over ice with or without fevertree soda water
2010 Laurent Cazottes Aperitif aux Noix du Pays d’Oc
South West France
15
2010 Laurent Cazottes Guignes et Guins
South West France
25
Beaujolais, France
15
Madeira, Portugal
14
(Green Walnut)…our elixir unveils fresh nuts with healthy and tonic virtues. Laurent Cazottes
(Wild Cherries)
Pierre Marie Chermette Crème de Cassis
madeira (dry) (60 mls)
Henriques and Henriques 10YO Sercial (Dry)
4
aperitifs by the glass
The Spanish do Apéritifs better than most. We have made many customers happy as they have kicked off their fermentAsian
experience with a glass of Vallformosa Cava. But within certain special small-scale Bodegas in Jerez and Cadiz they seem to have a
unique understanding of the innate sensuality associated with that first glass sipped during a special meal. Jamie Goode of
wineanorak.com wrote: "Equipo Navazos make mindblowing Sherries. I’m drinking one at the moment, and it’s a life-enhancing
experience." I think that if you try the Fino or Manzanilla from Navazos, you will understand that these don’t merely stimulate the
appetite; they actually make you ‘cachondo por la comida!’ See Appendices for more information on Equipo Navazos
sherry (60 mls)
NV Navazos ‘I Think’ Manzanilla en rama (Saca de July de 2015) Sanlucar de Barrameda, Andalusia, Spain
12
NV Navazos Fino en rama
Jerez de la Frontera, Andalusia, Spain
11
Jerez, Andalusia, Spain
20
“You often hear about manzanilla having a light sea-spray freshness. This example is more like licking oyster shells in rolling
surf: its deeply savoury tangy dryness is just a stunning match with, well, oysters.” Max Allen, Australian Gourmet Traveller
“Bottled Feb 2013 from a single cask, 900 bottles only. Medicinally salty and iodine infused. Really surprisingly fresh acidity.
Herbal and scrubland by the sea. Really mouth-watering like a salted almond.” Julia Harding, www.jancisrobinson.com
(Saca de October de 2014)
NV Navazos La Bota de Fino No 54 ‘Macharnudo Alto’
DO Jerez-Xérès-Sherry 15% alc Origin: Valdespino, Jerez de la Frontera
Equipo Navazos’ “Macharnudo” Alto bottling – drawn from Valdespino’s Inocente solera – needs little introduction to fans of
Navazos. This is the same solera that bought you the fabled La Bota’s 2, 7, 15, 18, 27 and 35. This time around it's a selection of
the Solera (the oldest casks) for complexity and the second criadera, for freshness, resulting in an average age of approximately
ten years. It’s a thrilling follow up to No. 35; seemingly even more complex and flor-rich than the previous bottling.
This is a single vineyard wine, extremely rare in the world of Fino these days, from a revered vineyard to the North of Jerez.
Macharnudo is one of the four great pagos, or vineyard areas, that lie to the north and west of Jerez. It is composed of a number
of contiguous ‘terroirs’ and the most celebrated is that of Macharnudo Alto, which is the parcel with the highest altitude and the
one considered to have the purest albariza (chalk rich) soils. This wine was fermented in bota (again truly a rarity these days).
93+ points, Luis Gutierrez, eRobertParker.com #216, Dec 2014
NV Navazos La Bota de Manzanilla No 55 ‘Macharnudo Alto’ Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Andalusia, Spain
20
(2010) Navazos La Bota de Palo Cortado ‘Sanlúcar’ No 52 Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Andalusia, Spain
24
This truly delicate, engaging Palo Cortado (a style of sherry half way between Amontillado and Oloroso) is not only a wine that is
truly wondrous in the glass, it is also a type of sherry that is beyond rare because, firstly it is a brilliant, authentic Palo Cortado!
And then because it is both a single-vineyard and a single vintage wine. this is a remarkably, fine, pure and yet complex Palo
with citrus peel, roasted nuts and racy minerality. Super refreshing. Equipo Navazos
NV Navazos La Bota de Amontillado ‘Sanlúcar’ No 58 (Saca June 2015) Hijos de Rainera Pérez Marín, Sanlucar, Andalusia, Spain 28
For the real Sherry tragics, there is a small listing of VERY RARE small bottles available on pages 77-78
5
sake by the glass (60 mls)
For a long time, I would hear ‘Un bel di’ from Puccini’s Madama Butterfly and feel like a glass of chilled sake. The haunting aria conjured up very
particular scents that were distinctly Japanese, and as such were linked exclusively in my culinary imagination with the enjoyment of feather-light
tempura or delicate sashimi clumsily twirled through a mash of wasabi and soy.
But recent exposure to Matt Young’s Black Market Sake portfolio has opened my eyes to incredible food matching possibilities that lie outside the
veiled world of fine Japanese cuisine. We have established a tradition now within our Chef’s Menu Degustation of using the Mukai Shuzo ‘Ine
Mankai’ with the first small dish: the betel leaves topped with caramelised Berkshire Pork. The flavours of red rice sake and sticky pork mesh
together splendidly and this deliciously unique sake’s narrative is particularly compelling.
Our next step is to offer different sakes to accompany each dish of the degustation, thereby highlighting the incredible range of both subtle and
more powerful tastes that this beverage presents. Amazingly rich and smooth aged sake are very rare but can work as effectively as an aged Shiraz
in matching the more robust fermentAsian dishes.
sake degustion (7 x 30ml)
68
2014 Chiyo Shuzo ‘Shinomne Chokara’ Junmai Muroka Nama Genshu
Nara, Japan
12
2015 Mukai Shuzo ‘Ine Mankai’ Junmai Genshu (Red Rice Sake)
Kyoto, Japan
17
We are very excited to receive an allocation from Chiyo Shuzo of this great sake. Due to its cult status locally, all of the sake Chiyo
makes sells out very quickly, so we have been working with the brewery to secure an annual allocation for Australia. The
Japanese word ‘kara’ means dry and name ‘chokara’ means this sake is extra dry style. Even though this is a dry sake it also has a
lovely freshness, making it an incredibly drinkable and very versatile sake. Shinomine Chokara has an aroma of fresh melon and
honeysuckle. When opened this sake has a light spritz with a refreshing palate of fresh green herbs and melon and a finish that
is long and dry. MATT YOUNG, BLACK MARKET SAKE
Kuniko Mukai constantly experiments with unusual rice and yeast combinations producing new and unique types of Sake, most
of which are made in minuscule amounts. Ine Mankai, the result of one of these innovations, utilizes an ancient variety of red
rice in part of its fermentation. Complex smokey cherry and vanilla aroma with a unique savoury, umami rich palate with sweet
and tart cherry and pomegranate flavours. MATT YOUNG, BLACK MARKET SAKE
2015 Moriki Shuzo ‘Suppin Rumiko no Sake’ Junmai Ginjo Muroka Nama Genshu Arabashiri Mie, Japan
15
This sake was named after Rumiko Moriki, one of the first femaile brewers. Suppin means to go ‘bare-faced’ or withount make up
tells us just how natural this sake is. Made without pressing this sake is allowed to free-run to create a sake with real delicacy.
2000 Mukai Shuzo ‘Natsu No Omoide’ Junmai
Kyoto, Japan
20
2010 Akishika Shuzo ‘Okushika’ Junmai Ginjo Yamahai Muroka Nama Genshu
Osaka, Japan
18
Another unique sake from Kuniko Mukai. The Natsu no Omoide has been made with a unique and rare strain of yeast called the
‘100 year old’ yeast that Kuniko propagated from a strain stored at Tokyo University of Agriculture where she studied
fermentation and brewing. The Natsu no Omoide has been aged for 14 years and has an aroma of wood shavings and rich dried
apricot. Umami rich palate with sweet and sour apricot, prune and vanilla followed by a long finish with bitter caramel and wood
nuances. The Natsu no Omoide is unlike any other sake and we have nicknamed it our “Jura-zake” as it reminds us of wine from
the Jura with its almost oxidative flavour. So unique! MATT YOUNG, BLACK MARKET SAKE
The Okushika is Oku-san’s signature sake and is truly one of the best sake made today. Oku-san has specially aged this sake at
the kura until its release in 2014 at the start of its best drinking condition. This sake has a rich, complex palate with layered
nuances of sweet spice, vibrant acidity and a long dry finish. An exceptional sake! MATT YOUNG, BLACK MARKET SAKE
2014 Uehara Shuzo Soma No Tengu Junmai Ginjo Muroka Nama Genshu Usunigori
Shiga, Japan
16
The Soma no Tengu is a usunigori sake. Sake that is nigori means that the sake is ‘cloudy’ because it has fermentation sediment
either left in (or in some cases added to) the finished sake. In this case ‘usu’ means ‘lightly’ cloudy, where the lightest part of the
sediment is left in from the soft pressing of the sacks filled with fresh sake [liquid and solids together]. Soma no Tengu should be
gently shaken before pouring so that the sediment is distributed evenly. This sake has a beautiful silvery colour with a fresh
aroma with hints of Jasmine rice and almond. A delicious sake with a creamy, sweet front palate, lightly tart side palate and a
long dry finish. Delicate and refined. MATT YOUNG, BLACK MARKET SAKE
1999 Inoue Gomei ‘Biden’ Junmai Yamahai Koshu
Fukuoka, Japan
16
Biden is an elegant Koshu (aged) sake, made from locally grown ‘Itoshima’ Yamada Nishiki rice, that is predominantly used in
brewing Daiginjo level sake. The aging has produced a beautiful medium bodied sake with caramel tones typical of aged sake
but with fantastic savoury and earthy elements. MATT YOUNG, BLACK MARKET SAKE
1991 Kidoizumi Shuzo ‘Kokin’ Junmai Ginjo Yamahai Genshu Koshu
Chiba, Japan
A complex aroma of cocoa, coffee, caramel & spices. The palate is full bodied and complex - toffee, bitter chocolate, salted
caramel along with sherry-like oxidative/nutty characters. A truly stunning example of koshu Sake! . MATT YOUNG
40
Unlocking the Sake code:
Junmai: Pure Rice Sake
Yamahai: Traditional Yeast Starter Method
Daiginjo: Highly Polished Rice, 50% or less
Ginjo: Highly Polished Rice, 60% or less
Muroka: No Charcoal Filtration
Nama: Unpasteurised Genshu: Undiluted
Usunigori: Lightly Cloudy
Koshu: Aged Sake
6
wine by the glass
Ask sbout our ‘Mystery Wine’ challenge. $12 per glass and you could be drinking Rioja, Soave, old Barossa Shiraz, or even Burgundy. Put your
sniffer to the test!
sparkling (125 mls)
MV Irvine Meslier ‘Brut Royale’
Eden Valley, Barossa, SA
Forbes & Forbes ‘Red Letter Day’ Sparkling Red
Menglars Hill, Springton, Eden Valley, SA 14
NV Agrapart ‘Terroirs’ Blanc de Blanc Grand Cru
25
9
Petit Meslier is one of the rarest sparkling wine varieties, still used traditionally in Champagne where its reliable acidity proves
useful within blends from warmer seasons. Characterised by light, lively and lifted green apple, fruit and tingly acid are more to
the fore rather than leesy, vinous flavours. This is an aperitif style that works brilliantly with all our lime juice-dressed entrees.
Sparkling Red: Shiraz, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. I’ve enjoyed an intimate pas de deux with this style of
wine for decades, since O’Callaghan foisted a glass of the first disgorgement of Black on me back in 1988. Colin Forbes’
expression bubbles with a different sentiment. From an idea hatched during a chat with Bob McLean in Bob’s big shed atop
Mengler’s Hill, the Shiraz component came from Bob and Wilma’s vineyard. Unfortunately, Bob missed out on tasting the
finished wine, but I have no doubt that a Bob-sized smile would have lit up his face as he inhaled the earthy red-fruited goodness,
sensed the pared-back dosage and siphoned a sensible fizzy schluck. Thanks Colin for the wine and for the memories.
From a range of older vine Grand Cru sites in Avize, Oger, Cramant and Oiry, this is a brilliant demonstration of the quality and
finesse that may be found in grower Champagnes. A blend of equal parts 2009 and 2010, the wine is vivid and intensely focused.
Like many of the greatest grower releases, it’s more an expression of site than fruit and with just 5g/l dosage, is reassuringly dry.
white (150 mls)
2016 Poonawatta ‘Valley of Eden’ (off-dry)
Eden Valley, SA
11
2015 Henschke ‘Joseph Hill’ Gewürztraminer
Adelaide Hills, Eden Valley, SA
13
The fermentAsian wine room represents a valuable reference library for interested winemakers: to be able to gauge different
viticultural and oenological approaches being taken in other jurisdictions and tap into examples from the ancestral homes of the
grape varieties grown here in the Barossa. Andrew Holt dipped into this library and ordered a bottle of Willi Schaefer Kabinett. A
few weeks later he gleefully presented us with a bottle: his interpretation of a great off-dry Mosel Riesling, made from grapes
grown in high Eden. I love that we can subtly inspire and influence winemaking in our region. The Teutonic influence is apparent
in the exciting interplay of electric acidity and (slight) sweetness. Prawns and citrus please!
All the texts proclaim the superior credentials of Gewürztraminer as a match with spicy Asian food. I’m not nessarily sure that it
does a better job than Riesling, but I do recognise the delicious balance that the Henschkes manage to achieve with their
‘Joseph Hill’. The assertive floral aromatics are constrained; instead, an utterly compelling amalgum of rosewater and galangal
flowers feathers the nostrils, before driving the crisp dry flavours rapidly towards the back of the throat.
2014 David Franz ‘Long Gully Road’ Ancient Vine Semillon
Barossa Valley, SA
2015 St. John’s Road PL Chardonnay
Wilton, Eden Valley, Barossa, SA
“Whattaya mean, there’s no savvy on the list?” Occasionally a disgruntled customer is unwilling to consider alternatives to their
usual methoxy-laden drink of choice. Here’s a wine that sums up our position at fermentAsian, from a remnant patch of ancient
Barossa Semillon, representing a clone of the variety that no longer exists elsewhere. Due to the national lust for Sauvignon
Blanc, fifth and sixth generation farmers of these precious vineyards have struggled to sell their fruit and are grubbing vines that
have been part of the Barossa’s vinous landscape for well over a century. Taste the lemon-scented freshness that bursts from the
glass, especially when the wine is fashioned by a Lehmann. And do your bit to save the Sem.
11
13
I’m not sure if Phil Lehmann’s always done everything backwards. Perhaps he walked before he crawled, mastered the art of
slipping on his trousers before his undies. I must ask his mother Margaret… But he definitely makes his Chardonnays backwards,
malolactic fermentation preceding the alcoholic ferment. This apparently has several advantages, especially if you’re keen to
suppress buttery development and keep structures lean and tight. Having said that, there’s a welcome unctiousness here, a
custardy vanilla ‘fullness’ that speaks of the vintage, the flavours from the vineyard and the quality of oak regime. If I might use
the economic parlance, it’s more ‘stimulous package’ than ‘austerity measure’, but saline, energetic and tasty nevertheless.
2015 Cordero di Montezemolo Arneis
La Morra, Langhe, Piedmont, Italy
13
2015 Bera Moscato D’Asti
D’Asti, Piedmont, Italy
12
th
Giovanni Cordero is the 19 generation direct descendant of the Marquise Luigia Falletti, head of the ancient Falletti family that
has owned the Monfalletto Estate since 1340. Although Arneis is one of the traditional varieties of the Langhe, plantings of
international varieties including Chardonnay now threaten the viability of Arneis cultivation within the region. This is a great pity,
as the heady and virile flavours of this Arneis will certainly attest. Rich, textured and uniquely flavoured, it stands as a beacon,
warning of increasing homogenisation in the market place. Bees’ wax, parsely, chamomile and crushed apricot kernels lead to a
long and pleasantly bitter marzipan close. Absolutely terrific with food.
It’s a delight to introduce customers to the delights of real Moscato from its ancestral home, D’Asti in northern Italy. At their best,
these are wonderful wines that pirouette lightly across the tongue, pleasantly prickling the delicate oral membranes with the
finest of airy bubbles and finishing with a rare melding of exquisite saline minerality and frangipani sweetness.
7
more wine by the glass
rosé (150 mls)
2015 Torzi Matthews ‘Vigna Cantina’ Rosato di Sangiovese
Mount McKenzie, Eden Valley, SA
10
2015 Bieler Père & Fils ‘Cuvée Sabine Rosé
Coteau d’Aix-en-Provence
12
Mount McKenzie can be a bleak place for agricultural pursuits. When you select a landscape for a serious quality and expressiondefined viticultural project, the risks associated with working in such a marginal pocket are part and parcel of both your
endeavour and your narrative. You need to feel deep in your bones, (after the chills associated with winter pruning are exorcised)
that the purity and worthiness of expression will be enhanced by the proximity of possible obliteration. Great memorable wines
are often etched from such environments. This Rosato communicates the chill, the isolation. It’s sapid with wild-grown
strawberries and cool sucking-on-a-cherry-stone tang. A seam of smokiness and crunchy acidity keep it tidy across the tongue.
40% Grenache; 25% Syrah; 25% Cabernet; 7% Cinsault; 3% Rolle. Dry racy and precise, this is set to fuel a summer of lovin’, life
without a care. After just the first sip, I’m already loosening my collar and ditching the jacket. Blissful, pheromonal and decidedly
birthrate-stimulating rosé! You know you want it!
red (150 mls)
2015 Roots Nero d’Avola
The Riverland, SA
11
2015 Giacomo Borgogno Dolcetto d’Alba
Barolo, Piedmont, Italy
15
Roots… I wanted to write a tasting note that could be sung to Joanie Sommers’ ‘When the Boys Get Together’. Vintage ‘62 and
plumbs similar depths of sophisticated horseplay. Yet there’s some formidable pedigree at play here: Ben Duval, Alex Schulz,
Ben Carwyn. Who wouldn’t get excited about a passion project initiated by the sons of some of the most regal winemakers in the
land? There’s no denying the juicy deliciousness: pomegranate, morello cherry, heady hibiscus and a splash of old Balsamic.
Flavours coaxed from Nero d’Avola lovingly grown by Ashley Ratcliff at Ricca Terra Farm. Wild ferment, partial whole cluster.
Ideal food match (though not on this menu): braise of marinated ox tongue wrapped in beef cheek. It’s that kind of wine.
Crunch time. This is a premium Dolcetto, selected and imported by d’Or to Door’s Jeremy and Heidi Holmes who have eaten
enough of our food over the last five and a half years to confidently suggest brilliantly synchronistic wine matches. This is all fruit,
brightly lit, tangy and appealing. There’s definitely a saline inertia within the wine that encourages increased productivity from
the saliva glands. When there’s a bottle of this open in front of you, you suddenly understand why so many Piedmontese happily
sacrifice their Nebbiolos to the export market and contentedly swill their beloved Dolcetto.
2011 Cirillo ‘1850’ Grenache
Light Pass, Barossa Valley, SA
16
2015 Green Road ‘Happy Days’ Shiraz / Cabernet Sauvignon
McLaren Vale, SA
10
2014 Tscharke ‘Estate’ Shiraz
Marananga, Barossa Valley, SA
12
This is one wine from our region that categorically demonstrates that misgivings about difficult vintages (like other prejudices)
shouldn’t prevent open-minded impartiality. You read about wines being great DESPITE being from 2011; this wine is great
BECAUSE it’s from 2011. And because the fellow who made it is comfortable with his craft and lives and breathes his patch. This
has Grenacity – pure essence of the variety, without confected sweetness, without heat. It suggests that the varietal flavours that
we are most familiar with in the Barossa are legacy of a ‘bridesmaid’ tradition, whereupon Grenache grapes hung out until Shiraz
ferments were dry and fermentation space became available in cellars. In contrast, Marco’s Grenaches are the cornerstone of his
ouvre. The vitality, crunch, clean lines, whole bunch innuendo and herbal raspberry-leaf red fruit are intrinsic to the wine.
Jake Greenrod began his hospitality journey under the rich tutelage of Ian Bickford during the early heady days of neighbouring
‘1918’. With his brother Martin, Jake has gone on to be one of the big players in the transformation of the Adelaide dining scene,
especially with their Goodlife Modern Organic Pizza joints. Their glam-whimsy approach to dining has always been backed up by
solid cooking, big flavour, warm service and an approach to seasonal chemical-free sourcing of ingredients that was rare back
when they started, but much more prevalent now. I was excited when Jake informed me that they had added a vinous string to
their bow, and that local friend and regular customer, Ian Hongel, had crafted this wine. The Shiraz Cabernet is primary, juicy,
red-berried and dangerously slurpable.
It’s a good time to be visiting the Barossa. Over the last decade, with few exceptions, the region has shaken off the one-trick-pony
expectation of being a region renowned for high-octane soupy wines fashioned from grapes picked so ripe that any semblance of
shape through the mouth was achieved only with significant additions of tartaric acid. Don’t get me wrong, I’m no zealot when it
comes to additions; some of my favourite Barossa reds have had acidity added, at least to some degree. But I sense an
incongruous disconnect when you taste within a glass, sweet, sur-maturité shiraz flavours together with ‘vitamin-C-tabletflavoured’ acidity. Grapes just don’t taste like that on the vine.
This Shiraz tells a different story. It’s savoury, dark-fruited, smoky and intensely spicy. Painted in minute brush strokes Georges
Seurat would be proud of. There’s serious precision and mineral detail, outstanding balance between brooding kalamata olive
and damson fruit, a whiff of whole-bunch smokiness, ristretto and a long amaro finish. Plenty for the grey matter here. GD
dessert (75mls)
2013 Eric Bordelet Poire Granit
Charchigné, Normandy, France
15
Barossa Valley, SA
12
A beautiful, petillant (just slightly sparkling) pear cider, produced from 300-year-old pear trees. 80g residual sugar is offset by a
pleasant tug of gentle tannin and racy acidity. Try this as a pre-dessert cleanser or with the pannacotta!
Jo Irvine ‘Mistelle’ Fortified Semillon
8
half bottles (375 ml)
sparkling
2015 Bera Moscato d’Asti
2015 Bera Brachetto (frizzante)
d’Asti, Piedmont, Italy
Piedmont, Italy
38
40
NV Francoise Bedel Cuvee Brut (2008 Base)
Crouttes-sur Marne, Champ, France
74
NV René Geoffroy ‘Rosé de Saignée Brut’ 1er Cru
NV Bollinger ‘Special Cuvee’
Cumières, Champagne, France
Champagne, France
75
98
Adelaide Hills, SA
Moreau-Naudet
Rheingau, Germany
Sancerre, Loire Valley, France
Martinborough, New Zealand
Hubert Lamy
Mosel, Germany
Domaine William Fevre
Lauren Tribut
Domaine William Fevre
Marc Morey
Mosel, Germany
Bonneau Du Martray
42
45
55
62
69
78
76
66
82
104
110
130
172
white
2011 Shaw and Smith ‘M3’ Chardonnay
2012 Chablis (Chardonnay)
2013 Robert Weil Trocken Riesling
2013 Alphonse Mellot Sancerre ‘La Moussière’ (Sauvignon Blanc)
2014 Ata Rangi ‘Craighall’ Chardonnay
2011 St Aubin ‘Les Frionnes’1er Cru (Chardonnay)
2008 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Spätlese Riesling
2011 Chablis ‘Vaillons’ 1er Cru (Chardonnay)
2011 Chablis ‘Côte de Léchet’ 1er Cru (Chardonnay)
2011 Chablis ‘Les Clos’ Grand Cru (Chardonnay)
2010 Chassagne 1er Cru ‘Virondot’ (Chardonnay)
2012 AJ Adam ‘Hofberg’ Auslese Goldkap (Riesling)
2009 ‘Corton Charlemagne’ Grand Cru (Chardonnay)
red
2011 Vissoux Fleurie ‘Poncié’ (Gamay)
2013 Rockford ‘Rifle Range’ (Cabernet Sauvignon)
2013 William Downie Mornington (Pinot Noir)
2013 William Downie Yarra Valley (Pinot Noir)
2013 Ata Rangi Pinot Noir
2012 Benjamin Leroux Savigny-lès-Beaune (Pinot Noir)
2006 Irvine Grand Merlot
2006 Domaine de Marcoux (Grenache, Mourvèdre, Syrah, Cinsault)
2010 Dom Henri Gouges ‘Clos Des Porrets’ 1er Cru (Pinot Noir)
2010 Dom Faiveley 1er Cru ‘Les Cazetiers’ (Pinot Noir)
2009 L’Arlot Nuits Saint Georges 1er Cru ‘Clos De Forets’ (Pinot)
1967 Fontanafredda Barolo (Nebbiolo)
Fleurie, Beaujolais, France
39
Barossa Valley, SA
50
Mornington, Victoria
58
Yarra Valley, Victoria
58
Martinborough, New Zealand
74
Savigny-lès-Beaune, Burgundy, Fr
88
Eden Valley, SA
98
Châteauneuf du Pape, France
95
Nuits-Saint-Georges, Burgundy Fr. 98
Gevrey-Chambertin, Burgundy, Fr. 110
Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France
111
Serralunga d’Alba, Piedmont, Italy 200
9
wine by the bottle
sparkling wine (australian)
MV Irvine Meslier ‘Brut Royale’ (Petit Meslier)
2014 Torzi Matthews Prosecco
Eden Valley, Barossa, SA
Eden Valley, Barossa, SA
39
39
This first release of a Barossa Prosecco is deliciously effervescent and bursting with pulpy tropical fruit. We continue to enjoy the
unfolding of Torzi’s portfolio of Barossa interpretations of classic Italian wine styles. GD
2015 La Prova Prosecco
King Valley, Victoria
42
White Hut, Clare Valley, SA
65
Piccadilly Valley, Adelaide Hills, SA
Granton, Tasmania
Lenswood, Adelaide Hills SA
68
68
85
The winds of change have gusted through the King Valley in alpine north-eastern Victoria, transforming the main agricultural
pursuit from tobacco growing to premium viticulture. Italian migrant families like the Pizzini’s and Dal Zotto’s have planted the
gentle slopes of the valley with vines: Sangiovese, Nebiollo and Glera, varieties native to their ancestral homeland. Enter
Adelaide Hills winemaker Sam Scott. Sam’s ‘La Prova’ label was essentially established to ‘road test’ Italian varietals in Australian
conditions. Drier than many Proseccos, mineral and ever so slightly saline, Sam’s delicious King Valley fizz bursts with orange
blossom, Granny Smith and honeydew. GD
2014 Rieslingfreak No.9 ‘Sekt’
(Riesling)
We had been itching to try this, ever since John Hughes teased us with news of its conception. A Méthode Traditionelle modelled
on a Germanic ‘Sekt’. We are thrilled to have been the first restaurant to get our hands on the stuff. Everyone knows that we love
John and deeply admire his full range of wonderful wines; so no, we’re not just using him for Sekt.
2011 Ashton Hills ‘Blanc de Noirs’
NV Stefano Lubiana ‘Sparkling Brut’
NV Henschke ‘Johanne Ida Selma’ Blanc de Noir
The Henschke’s never do anything by halves. It is a testament to their integrity that they waited until they had nine vintages of
sparkling base material resting on lees deep in the cellar before contemplating a first blend. Subsequent releases have been
very small, but all exhibit the complexity that such a range of blending possibilites makes possible. You’re going to be
impressed. GD
Forbes & Forbes ‘Red Letter Day’ Sparkling Red
2006 Soul Growers ‘Black Cellar’ Sparkling Shiraz
2015 Disgorged Rockford ‘Black Shiraz’
Menglars Hill, Springton, Eden Valley, SA 69
Barossa Valley, SA
Barossa Valley, SA
79
120
sparkling wine (french: méthode ancestrale: single ferment sparklings)
2012 Sébastien Brunet ‘Le Naturel’ Petillant
Vouvray, Loire, France
65
2014 Philippe Balivet ‘Bugey Cerdon’
2013 Robert & Bernard Plageoles Mauzac Nature Sparkling
Savoie, France
Gaillac. S.W. France
68
70
Too many sparkling wines deliver zilch in the way of flavour or personality. It’s almost as if the intended customer has a stated
preference for bland innocuousness, a pallid under-ripe fruit stream and a nose-tickling assault of rising bubbles. If this is your
style, stand well back when this is being poured on a nearby table. A Méthode Ancestrale from one of the rising stars of Vouvray,
the wine exhibits dry appley freshness with intriguing undercurrents of truffled honey, Gorgonzola dolce and fluer de sel. GD
The Plageoles boys are archaeologists; seekers of ancient vinous truth. They rifle the archives to build a body of historical
knowledge based on the traditions that saturate the long winemaking history of their region. They have resuscitated almostextinct grape varieties (see Duras on page 68: Yum!) and revived ancient winemaking procedures.
This lightly frothy petillant is made from the local variety Mauzac. Using the single ferment method (known locally as méthode
Gaillacoise) developed by local monks 500 years ago, the wine is a delicate and delicious amalgam of stone fruit and citrus. It’s
off-dry and slightly hazy, increasingly so as you work your way through the bottle. GD
2010 Vincent Carême Vouvray Ancestral
2007 Domaine Huet Petillant Brut
Vouvray, Loire, France
Vouvray, Loire, France
72
85
Although this has essentially been made using the single-ferment ‘méthode ancestrale’ method since the 2002 vintage, the
wine maker Noël Pinguet has adapted the technique, by adding yeast when the chilled half-fermented wine is put in bottle, and
dosing the wine after disgorgement with a potion consisting of demi-secs from the vintages 2001 and 2002.
The wine is delicately fizzed, intensely perfumed with all manner of orchard fruit, honeysuckle and dry-spice and an alluring
mineral edge. The palate is at once nervy, tensioned and precise with all the lemony acidity that one might expect from the
appellation. Expect this evolve beautifully, the longer it graces this list. GD
10
sparkling wine (italian, spanish, french - other than champagne)
NV Babo Prosecco
Friuli, Italy
Crafted by South Australian wine maker Justin Bubb. This is deliciously frothy and delicately peachy.
45
NV Vallformosa ‘Brut MVSA’ (35% Macabeo; 30% Xarel-lo; 35% Parellada) Cava, D.O. Penedes, Spain
45
NV Vallformosa ‘Classic’ Rose (80% Garnacha; 20% Monastrell) Cava, D.O. Penedes, Spain
NV Céline & Laurent Tripoz Crémant de Bourgogne ‘Nature’ (Chardonnay) Mâconnais, Burgundy, France
2007 Raventos i Blanc ‘Gran Reserva de la Finca’ (50% Xarel-lo; 40% Macabeo; 10% Parellada) D.O. Penedés. Spain
2010 Colet-Navazos Extra Brut Sparkling (Xarel-lo)
D.O. Penedés, Spain
45
74
99
110
Fresh with granny smith purity and that characteristic Cava almond-meal complexity. This will certainly liven up your palate
before you deposit your first spring roll! GD
A collaboration between the brains behind Equipo Navazos sherry house and Sergi Colet Cava house. The base wine is from 40year-old Xarel-lo vines. Ongoing experimentation with secondary aging using flor yeasts and dosage with Palo Cortada and
Amontillado from jerez is producing wines that are attracting a whole lot of attention. This Extra Brut has enjoyed an aging
process of 30 months. The wine is bone dry and bursting with a wide spectrum of flavours, not all of which are familiar, but
definitely characterful, appealingly acidic and very attractive. Disgorged October 2013. GD
2011 Dominique Belluard Vine de Savoie AOP Brut Zero ‘Mont Blanc’ (Gringet) Ayse, Savoie, France
2010 Colet-Navazos Extra Brut Reserva Sparkling (Chardonnay)
D.O. Penedés. Spain
115
130
2007 Agusti Torello ‘Kripta’ (45% Macabeo; 32% Parellada; 23% Xael-lo)
209
(Disgorged October 2014) This 2010 Extra Brut has undergone an even longer ageing period of 40 months. The base wine here
is Chardonnay. Again the secondary fermentation has been fueled by flor yeast. Dosage is with Manzanilla Pasada. This
contribution is keenly felt within the aromatic profile. Bone dry, with gunpowder, reductive complexities and pronounced
minerality. Is there a more thought-provoking fizz than this? GD
D.O. Penedés. Spain
Most folks will buy this wine because of the beautiful bottle. Designed by Rapael Bartolozzi, it pays homage to amphorae of old.
But the contents are equally ravishing, making this one of the greatest méthode traditionnelle wines from anywhere, including,
of course, Champagne. Depth of flavour and aged complexity are enhanced by an aging period of more than four years. There is
still a profusion of fruit, a leesy creaminess, a fine, persistent bead and a raft of the savoury aromas and flavours that are more
uniquely Cava: toasted almonds and warm buttered brioche come to mind. This is seriously delicious! GD
11
champagne: NM : négociant manipulant (the big houses)
NV Bollinger ‘Special Cuvee’ (375ml)
Champagne, France
NV Pol Roger ‘Brut Cuvee’
NV Gosset ‘Grande Reserve’
Champagne, France
Ay, Champagne, France
130
180
2009 Roederer Vintage Rosé
2008 Pol Roger Vintage Blanc de Blancs
2002 Pol Roger Cuvee ‘Sir Winston Churchill’
Champagne, France
Champagne, France
Champagne, France
200
240
360
2009 Bollinger ‘James Bond 007 Spectre Edition’
1996 Henriot ‘Cuvée des Enchanteleurs’ Brut
2002 Bollinger ‘RD’
Champagne, France
Champagne, France
Champagne, France
420
480
590
Champagne, France
Epernay, Champagne, France
Champagne, France
Epernay, Champagne, France
390
420
650
680
The relationship between Champagne Pol Roger and Sir Winston Churchill dates back to a providential meeting at a luncheon
given by the British Ambassador to France some months after the liberation of Paris at which was served the sumptuous 1928
vintage of Pol Roger. Attending the lunch was the beautiful Odette Pol-Roger as well as Winston Churchill, with whom she struck
up an instant rapport. A friendship was born which continued until Churchill’s death, creating links between the Pol-Roger and
Churchill families which are still as strong to this day.
The pressures of his post sadly prevented Churchill ever paying a visit to 44 Avenue de Champagne, the home of Pol Roger, but
he nonetheless proclaimed it “the most drinkable address in the world”. Champagne Pol Roger created their Prestige Cuvée in
homage to Sir Winston Churchill mindful of the qualities that he sought in his champagne: robustness, a full-bodied character
and relative maturity. The exact blend is a closely guarded family secret but it is undeniable that the composition would meet
with the approval of the man to whom it is dedicated: “My tastes are simple, I am easily satisfied with the best”. Pol Roger
website
98
from the vault (mature bottles)
(1970s) Laurent Perrier ‘Cuvée Grand Siècle’
1985 Besserat de Bellefon Brut
2000 Billecart-Salmon ‘Cuvée Elizabeth Salmon Rosé’
1964 Champagne de Castellane Brut
12
champagne: RM : récoltant manipulant (the growers)
little rituals…
There exists a very pleasing affinity between Tuoi Do’s delicately spiced food and Grower Champagne, hence
the focus here.
These offerings are WINES before they are CHAMPAGNES. They have much in common with the greatest white
Burgundies in that they usually represent specific sites. Sometimes they throw focus on tiny patches of
vineyard, where the characteristics of a particularly chalky patch of dirt or the intensity of a particularly old
planting of vines might offer a unique expression. It’s TERROIR writ large. The manner of small-scale
production enhances the terroir-uniqueness of each of these wines.
There is a feeling amongst many of the récoltant manipulant winemakers that Champagne’s traditional bead
of lively bubbles can pull focus and diminish the ‘terroir’ experience that these wines offer.
We love to offer the same ritual suggested by Cedric Bouchard and many of the other Growers. An ‘aeration’: a
vigorous splishy-splashy decant and presentation of the wine in larger glasses, such as those typically used for
the service of white or red Burgundy.
This little ritual completes the RM experience. The wines will evolve in the glass over the course of your meal.
The initial austerity and tightness, often due to zero or negligible dosage (the final ‘sweetening’ of traditional
Champagne) is softened by this exposure to air.
Of course, if your preference is for a traditional flute and for retention of the sparkle, we will happily oblige!
Agrapart
Avize, Côte des Blancs
NV Agrapart ‘Terroirs’ Blanc de Blanc Grand Cru
NV Agrapart ‘Complantée’ Extra Brut Grand Cru
138
190
2007 Agrapart ‘Minéral’ Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru
2009 Agrapart ‘L’Avizoise’ Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru
2006 Agrapart ‘Venus’ Brut Nature Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru
220
340
390
2005 Agrapart ‘Vieux Millesime’ Extra Brut Grand Cru
2007 Agrapart ‘Expérience’ Brut Blanc de Blancs Brut Grand Cru
550
580
This is a blend from a 2003 ‘co-planted’ vineyard containing six varieties: Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, Pinot Blanc, and
Chardonnay as well as the "heirloom" Arbane and Petit Meslier varieties. Principally 2010, with a portion of 2011. GD
The small Chardonnay vineyard ‘La Fosse’ was planted back in 1959. This wine is named after the Boulonnais mare that first
ploughed between the rows of vines. The section of the vineyard ‘harnessed’ for this rare wine lies on the very chalkiest portion
of the slope. An abundance of white flowers dominates the aroma but the most memorable feature of the wine is the extreme
length. This rings of the class and forearm-hair-raising electric pulsations that only the greatest zero dosage Champagnes can
deliver. And all that flavour and explosive finesse has been derived from the vineyard and the earth beneath the vines, rather
than from NM Champagne’s traditions of process and manipulation. A remarkable wine. GD
A bloody expensive Champagne to be sure, but the price represents long years of negotiation with Champagne’s governing
bodies and years of patient experimentation, in an effort to create a Champagne that is a product (only) of the vineyards from
which the fruit comes.
In 2002 Pascal Agrapart received permission to experiment with a wine that would be crafted without ANY additions: no liqueur
de triage, no liqueur d’expédition. In other words, a wine with no added sugar, even for the secondary fermentation. Instead of
sugar, Pascal was granted permission to use natural must (grape juice) as the liqueur de triage, allowing him to make a wine that
is made only from grapes. This 2007 wine was ‘dosed’ with 2008 grape juice from the same vineyards to start the secondary
fermentation in bottle. There was no addtion of yeast and the wine was neither fined nor filtered.
A bottle of this was sacrificed for my Spicy Club brethren and it knocked our collective socks off with its unique deliciousness.
Stone fruits, white flowers and fresh aromatic herbs entwined and leapt out of the glass. Exotic, eccentric vinous purity. GD
13
more champagne: RM : récoltant manipulant (the growers)
Champagne Aubry
Jouy-les-Reims, Montagne de Reims
NV Champagne Aubry Brut 1er Cru 45% Pinot Meunier, 25% Pinot Noir, 25% Chardonnay, 5% Arbanne, Petit Meslier, Fromenteau 122
The Aubry family has been growing grapes in Champagne since 1789. Their vineyards showcase some of the ancient local grape
varieties, some of which (Petit Meslier, Fromenteau and Arbanne) find their way into this wine where they add complexity to the
Pinot Meunier-dominant cépage. Pretty and primary-fruited, the wine explodes with aromas of fresh nashi pear, finger lime,
ozone and sea spray, which course through the nasal passages, propelled by a vigorous and persistent mousse. When the wine
eventually settles in the mouth, fruit and flower flavours are counterpointed by the sweet brininess of succulent scallop sashimi.
Francoise Bedel
Crouttes-sur Marne, Vallée de la Marne
NV (2008) Francoise Bedel ‘Cuvee Brut’ (375 ml)
Cedric Bouchard
74
Troyes, Aube
(2012) Bouchard Roses de Jeanne ‘Côte de Val Vilaine’ B de Noirs
(2006) Bouchard Roses de Jeanne ‘Côte de Bechalin’ Blanc de Noirs
2010 Bouchard Roses de Jeanne ‘Les Ursules’ Blanc de Noirs
2010 Bouchard Roses de Jeanne ‘La Haute Lemble’ Blanc de Blancs
2010 Bouchard Roses de Jeanne ‘Presle’ Blanc de Noirs
160
250
360
320
360
2009 Bouchard Roses de Jeanne ’La Bolorée’ Brut BdB (Pinot Blanc)
390
2009 Bouchard Roses de Jeanne ‘Le Creux d’Enfer’ Rose de Saignée
520
In 2007, ten different Burgundian Pinot Noir clones were planted on a quarter hectare of clay and limestone, rich with bands of
the same Kimmeridgian that brings the sea-spray complexity to the best wines of Chablis. The hand-picked fruit is crushed by
foot and wild fermented before aging sur-lie for 36 months. Unfined, unfiltered and zero dosage, the wine exhibits all the rich
expressiveness that one might expect from such pedigreed Pinot. GD
This is perhaps the most talked about recent wine from Champagne. From a rare patch of 50-year-old Pinot Blanc vines planted
in uber chalky soils, the wine is a unique experience of lemon verbena and tropical fruit with piercing minerality. Plaudits from
esteemed commentators have created a frenzy for a wine from a producer whose total production is only 500 cases. If you’re
planning to drink it here tonight, perhaps ask for some of the bubbles to be knocked out of it first! GD
Charlot-Tanneux
Mardeuil (just west of Epernay)
NV (2011) Champagne Charlot-Tanneux
We will undoubtedly be hearing a whole lot more about this biodynamic producer. The wine encapsulates an expression of
Champagne that perhaps (unusually for a grower) celebrates winemaking more than expression of site. There is richness and
texture courtesy of barrel work and a varietal mix of 70% Pinot Meunier, 20% Chardonnay and 10% Pinot Noir. 7.5g dosage fills
out the frame. A flavour profile rich in beurre noisette, roasted hazelnuts, (Geoff suggested Nutella) and dried flowers is
counterpointed against the briskness of red apple skin and saline, chalky minerality. Equally delicious as an aperitif or with food.
Chartogne-Taillet
135
Merfy, Montagne de Reims
2008 Chartogne-Taillet ‘Les Orizeaux’ Pinot Noir
278
2008 Chartogne-Taillet ‘Les Barres’ Pinot Meunier
352
Despite the zero dosage, this 100% Pinot Noir from 50-year-old vines offers a surprising richness across the palate. Thanetian
sands over sandstone bedrock contribute elegance, warmth and as well as nervy saline minerality. GD
This rare wine comes from a patch of very old-vine Pinot Meunier, planted on its own roots and never touched by the scourge of
Phylloxera. As you might expect from these disciples of Anselm Selosse, the CT website recommends ‘aeration’ to encourage the
wide range of flavours and aromas, all of which will ‘reflect the history and origin’ of the site’s specific terroir. GD
Marc Chauvet
Rilly la Montagne, Montagne de Reims
NV Marc Chauvet ‘Brut’ Blend Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier
98
14
Ulysse Collin
Congy, Sézannais
(2008) Ulysse Collin ‘Les Pierrieres’ Blanc de Blancs
190
(2008) Ulysse Collin ‘Les Maillons’ Blanc de Noirs Extra Brut
220
30 year old Chardonnay vines are planted in depleted soils laced with chalk and black silex. These contribute to a palate that is
both savoury and spicy. I have experienced first-hand (thank you Rob Walters!) the outstanding development of flavours in the
glass after the wine has been vigorously decanted. Brilliant! GD
From 40 year old Pinot vines planted in heavy clay and chalk in Barbonne-Fayel in the Sézannais and harvested at ridiculously
low yields, ‘Les Maillons’ is riper and denser than many of Olivier Collin’s oeuvre. A decant and a nice big goblet will combine to
bring the various components into focus and present you a palate that is at once stony and agile, polished and precise. GD
(2008) Ulysse Collin ‘Les Roises’ Blanc de Blancs
Roger Coulon
250
Vrigny, Montagne de Reims
NV Roger Coulon Brut 1er Cru ‘Réserve de L’Hommée’
150
NV Roger Coulon Brut ‘Les Coteaux de Vallier – Héritage’
250
Equal parts old vine-Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier from the 2010 vintage, with just 5gams dosage.
This is a reminder that great winemaking is as much about emotion as it is about calculation. This wine seeks to honour the
efforts and philosophies of a previous generation. Fruit (c.80% Chardonnay, 20% Pinot Noir) from a gnarled, low-yielding old
patch in Vrigny, ‘Les Champs Chevalier’ (previously farmed by Roger Coulon’s Grandfather) is vinified in his Grandfather’s old
barrels, many of which pre-date WWII. There’s a certain ‘Robert O’Callaghan-ness’ about this sentimental attachment to a slower,
rose-tinted yesterday that resonated with me. And this disgorgement, based on the 2002 vintage backs up the sentiment with
engaging complexity and personality. GD
Marie-Courtin
Polisot, Côte du Bars, Aube
(2011) Marie-Courtin ‘Résonance’ Blanc de Noirs
160
2009 Marie-Courtin ‘Efflorescence’ Extra Brut Blanc de Noirs
220
2009 Marie-Courtin ‘Éloquence’ Blanc de Blancs
235
Pure, bracing, laser-like expression of 100% Pinot Noir from 40-year-old vines, raised in stainless steel. Zero dosage, zero
sulphur, citrus and stony acidity cleaves a passage over your tongue and balances even the most robust and rich food flavours.
Decant and a big glass! GD
The bigger riper vintage and aging in old oak puts a smile of richer opulence on a wine that in cooler vintages can be
challengingly mineral and austere. This is lovely, layered, textured and deeply expressive. GD
DeMarne-Frison
Ville-sur-Arce, Aube
NV DeMarne-Frison ‘Lalore’ Blanc de Blancs
100% Chardonnay from the ‘Les Cotannes’ vineyard, planted on Portlandian limestone. It’s earthy and intensely mineral. One for
a decant and a big glass! GD
Egly-Ouriet
172
Ambonnay, Montagne de Reims
NV Egly-Ouriet ‘Les Vignes de Vrigny’ 1er Cru Pinot Meunier
NV Egly-Ouriet Grand Cru ‘Brut Tradition’
150
168
NV Egly-Ouriet Grand Cru Brut Rosé
250
2002 Egly-Ouriet Grand Cru Millesime
366
Old vine, low yielding Grand Cru Pinot Noir. 50% from the 2006 vintage with 20% 2005, 20% 2004 and 10% 2003. 20% of the
wine is fermented in oak casks. Dosage is a low 3 to 4 grams per litre.
An absolue favourite amongst the RM collection here. Anselme Selosse buys his Pinot Noir from Fancis Egly to make the Selosse
Rosé. Enough said! But Egly’s own version edges it. If there is a better Rosé made anywhere in Champagne, I’m yet to taste it. GD
70% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay from 40 year old vines in Ambonnay, barrel aged (25% new), sans malo, negligible dosage.
2004 Egly-Ouriet Grand Cru Millesime
70% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay from 40 year old vines in Ambonnay, barrel aged, sans malo, negligible dosage. Francis Egly
noted ‘A beautiful vintage with great complexity and lots of fruit’. Built to make a great old Champagne.
350
15
more champagne: RM : récoltant manipulant (the growers)
Christian Etienne
à Meurville, Aube
NV Christian Etienne Brut Tradition
René Geoffroy
90
Cumières, Vallée de la Marne
NV René Geoffroy ‘Rosé de Saignée Brut’ 1er Cru (375 ml)
75
100% Pinot Noir, from the 2012 vintage. Rich and vinous but with beautifully balancing mineral acidity, this is utterly
convincing! GD
NV René Geoffroy ‘Expression’ Brut 1er Cru
Pierre Gerbais
120
Celles-sur-Ource, Côte des Bar, Aube
NV Pierre Gerbais ‘Grains de Celles’ Extra Brut
120
50% Pinot Noir, 25% Pinot Blanc, 25% Chardonnay. Certainly exhibits all the mineral complexity that the marl and limestone
Kimmeridgian soils promise. The tang of lemon verbena and citrus resonates very smpathetically with the fermentAsian flavours.
Benoît Lahaye
Bouzy, Montagne de Reims
NV Benoît Lahaye Brut Nature
NV Benoît Lahaye ‘Violaine’
An equal blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay sourced from two of Benoît’s patches in ‘Les Argentières’ (Tauxières) and ‘Les
Monts des Tours’ (Bouzy). The shallow, well drained, chalk soils and wind-swept aspect keep yields painfully low and contribute
to an uber-mineral flavour profile and piercing fruit presence. A great candidate for a decant and a Zerruti Pinot glass, tenacious
swirling will encourage the multi-dimensional evolution of both fragrance and palate. GD
Larmandier-Bernier
168
362
Vertus, Côte des Blancs
NV Larmandier Bernier ‘Latitude’ Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut
125
2009 Larmandier-Bernier Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru ‘Les Chemins d’Avize’
320
Piercing, graceful and grapefruity Côte des Blancs Chardonnay, with a surprising cantus firmus of textural richness derived from
clay-rich Vertus soils. The inherent richness is amplified by elevage in neutral barrels and foudre and an ever-decreasing use of
stainless steel tanks. There’s no kick-starting of alcoholic or malolactic fermentations, and no fining or filtering. After two years on
lees, the wines are disgorged and dosed with just 3-4g/l. This is many of my Champagne loving friends’ favourite fizz! GD
The most recent addition to the Larmandier stable, this is a great example of Grower Champagne’s new Burgundian desire to
highlight the characteristics of miniscule patches of vineyard and showcase the uniqueness of specific mono-terroir. Smaller
barrels are used for fermentation (due to the micro-size of the blend); wines are left on lees in bottle for almost twelve months
before disgorgement and dosage of a mere 2g/l. This is very pure, succulent and almost painfully intense. It is quickly making a
name for itself as one of the world’s greatest Champagnes. GD
David Léclapart
Trepail, Montagne de Reims
2006 David Léclapart Cuvee ‘L’Artiste’
2004 David Léclapart Cuvee ‘L’Apôtre’
2010 David Léclapart Cuvee ‘L’Astre’ Blanc de Noirs
2006 David Léclapart Cuvee ‘L’Alchimiste’
250
390
440
290
A very singular, unusual expression. It’s more about Pinot than it is about Champagne. Quite dark coloured, dry and vinous, with
a palate that folds tangerine peel, morello cherries and unusual tropical fruit notes into a long mineral-acidity hewn finish. It’s
great decanted! GD
16
more champagne: RM : récoltant manipulant (the growers)
Jérôme Prévost
Gueux, Montagne de Reims
2009 Jérôme Prévost La Closerie ‘les Béguines’
Montagne de Reims, Champ. Fr.
2009 Jérôme Prévost La Closerie ‘Fac-Simile’ Rosé
Montagne de Reims , Champ. Fr.
Jacques Selosse
Avize, Côte des Blancs
NV Jacques Selosse V.O. ‘Version Original’ Blanc de Blancs
Avize, Champagne, France
Vouette et Sorbée
Buxière-sur-Arce, Champagne-Ardenne, Aube
2009 Vouette et Sorbée ‘Fidele’ Extra Brut Blanc de Noirs
Aube, Champagne, France
“Today there are a handful of wines from elite, artisanal grower-estates in Champagne that have attracted a nearly cult-like
following. One of the most sought-after of these is the meunier of Jérôme Prévost... Selling a Prévost wine, or ordering one at a
wine bar or restaurant, has become almost a badge of honor, a secret sign that affirms your initiation into an exclusive club of
those in the know. Unfortunately, with an annual production of only about 13,000 bottles, Prévost’s wine is not always easy to
obtain...Needless to say, if you do happen across a bottle you ought to buy it, as Prévost’s champagne is an experience not to be
missed.” Peter Liem, World of Fine Wine & www.champagneguide.net
I love the fact that Rosés from Champagne now come in so many shapes and colours. The long era of pink fizz based on the
Billecart-Salmon template (not that there is anything less than delicious about that) has transitioned into a brave new world of
wondrous variety, a world of wines based on the Burgundian model, where they are wines first, Champagne second.
This painfully rare rosé was made for the first time from the difficult 2007 vintage. It is made with the addition of red wine made
from a section of the Les Béguines that is occasionally affected by court-noué, a degenerative vine virus that stunts flowering and
concentrates the juice in the remaining berries. Capable of long aging, the wine has the concentration and the dryness to match
food brilliantly. I can think of few wines that I would rather match with the gently spiced fermentAsian palate. GD
“Drop all preconceived notions about what Champagne is and can be in order to fully experience the wines of Anselme and
Corinne Selosse, as these are Champagnes like no other.” Antonio Galloni (The Wine Advocate)
197
235
500
176
Bertrand Gautherot famously stopped supplying Dom Perignon and started bottling his own wines after his friend Anselme
Selosse subtly encouraged him: “release your own wine or I will shoot you!” NEVILLE YATES
….there are flavours and aromas here that don’t fit into the preconceived pigeon holes that Champagne as a brand has laid on
the table before us. There’s oak, there’s funk, there’s texture, tension and spunk…..more than enough to keep the old grey
matter busy when enjoying a bottle with friends. …one of the most complex Champagnes I’ve had the pleasure of
drinking…..white Burgundy-like with an endless array of complexity. Seek it out….go to the cupboard immediately and sell
some shit on eBay….just do it. DAVE BROOKES, VINOFREAKISM
2009 Vouette et Sorbée ‘Blanc d’Argile’ Extra Brut Bl de Bl
Aube, Champagne, France
192
This expression of Kimmeridgian-soil-grown-Chardonnay is closer in style and spirit to the best old-school Chablis. Briny oystershell characters play shotgun to the richer yellow fruit characters evident, courtesy of a warmer, easier vintage. GD
2010 Vouette et Sorbée ‘Saignée de Sorbée’ Rosé
Aube, Champagne, France
220
Here’s a Rosé for adventurous pinot pilgrims. It’s vinous, dry and drum-tight and really demands a vigorous aeration before
serving. And then a looooong night ahead to enjoy the slow unraveling of various diverse elements within a big glass: a Zerruti
Pinot Noir glass might be just about big enough. Wine from Champagne rather than Champagne as it has traditionally been
presented. GD
17
riesling (barossa and adelaide hills)
2015 Forbes & Forbes
Eden Valley, SA
2015 Rieslingfreak No. 4
2015 Chaffey Bros. TRIPELPUNCT ‘A Riesling Tessellation’
Eden Valley, SA
It was a number of different Rieslings crafted by Colin Forbes during the late 80’s and early 90’s that put the Riesling hook deep
into me. Delicious and profound wines adorned with the Craneford label, I still remember the sense of regret as I eased the cork
from my last bottle. It is clear that Colin has lost none of his touch with this grape during the intervening years. I am excited to
offer this 2015 expression that glimmers with powerful lemony austerity. GD
42
43
Springton, Flaxman Valley, Angaston Hills, SA 45
The perfumes of an exotic Viet-French oriental boudoir are folded though feathery layers of lacey lingerie in this beautifully
seductive wine. Asian potpourri. Or is it a fragrant masterstock bouquet garni? There’s certainly dried mandarin peel and heady,
balmy-late-night jasmine. These aromatics follow through into a refreshing but surprisingly fulsome palate. Deeper mandarin
and pomelo notes are cut with quinine and bath salts. Old vine Riesling from three disparate sites in Eden Valley has been
woven together via whole bunch pressing and 18 hours on skins, adding phenolic richness and mouth-filling texture. GD
2014 Radford ‘Quartz Garden’
Eden Valley, SA
45
2015 David Franz Riesling
Eden Valley, SA
45
2016 Poonawatta ‘Valley of Eden’ (off-dry)
2015 Tim Smith Riesling
Eden Valley, SA
Eden Valley, SA
48
48
Here’s as deep-fruited, textured and deliciously complex a Riesling as you are ever like to encounter. The vineyard that formerly
supplied Siegersdorf Riesling made by Jim Irvine here contributes fruit for a wine that sits near the peak of Australia’s Riesling
Pantheon. It’s an engaging, involving wine that might make you think you must exercise some care in choosing dishes to match.
But relax, the luscious wash of lime and pink grapefruit will harmonise brilliantly with everything here. GD
Certain wines resonate with cuisine-appropriateness at first sniff. This is one such wine. Pitch perfect Eden Valley Riesling, awash
with lime juice aromatics, mouthcoating texture and an unobtrusive line of acidity that effectively harnesses a scintilla of residual
sweetness. This will bring a smile to those who feel that too many Rieslings have become rather joyless recently. GD
A delicious Riesling with nervous ‘front of the beat’ energy, as if Tony Williams on drums was driving Miles and the whole lime
and pink grapefruit ensemble relentlessly forwards. Of course Tim Smith knows a thing or two about drumming. Recognises that
acidity is the beat that the other flavour elements revolve around. Drink this with prawns while E.S.P. spins on your turntable. GD
2015 Hutton Vale Riesling
Eden Valley, SA
58
2009 Forbes & Forbes ‘Cellar Release’
Eden Valley, SA
64
2009 Pewsey Vale ‘Contours’
2010 Peter Lehmann ‘Wigan’
Eden Valley, SA
Eden Valley, SA
64
64
2015 mesh (by Jeffrey Grosset and Robert Hill Smith)
Eden Valley, SA
64
2015 Henschke ‘Julius’
2005 McLean’s Farm E.V. Riesling
Eden Valley, SA
Eden Valley, SA
68
68
There’s a kind of hush to this wine; stillness and a deep soulful serenity, almost as if concocted by a hillsy zen mother. I love the
restrained grapefruit and kaffir-lime-leaf-tinged aromatics and the manner in which it’s all ‘gentle persuasion’ over the palate.
There’s no riot of gum-assaulting acidity and the wine perfectly plays its role in enhancing flavours on the plate: a sort of vinous
second fiddle to the vibrancy of Tuoi’s lively and lovely dressings. More than presenting perfect wine matches with many of the
fermentAsian dishes, this wine almost represents an extension of the cuisine itself. GD
Lime marmalaide thickly knifed over freshly toasted brioche. This is a fantastic aged Riesling that is currently enjoying a graceful
transition into a more mature phase. Despite the toast, the wine still tingles with fresh citrus and lingering mineral-laden acidity.
Andrew Wigan crafted many of the greatest Australian Rieslings that I have ever tasted. A recent pristine bottle of the 1993 Peter
Lehmann ‘Reserve’, still limey and primary-fruited, pushed all my Riesling buttons: (Thank you Peter and Catherine). As tightly
strung as the E string on a Strad, this wine muddles lime cheeks and grapefruit pith. Wet stone and the first encroachment of
secondary toastiness counterpoint this wash of citrus. But the purity and resonance are what you’ll remember as we enjoy one of
the longest finishes in the game. GD
Two cold ferment warriors meet in High Eden each year to concoct a magical, pure, stony tasting Riesling. Like ancient samurai,
they meet at a round triage table to combine the skills and wisdom honed over long service to this most expressive of varietals
within their respective fiefdoms. Talcy minerality counterpoints a playful tug of grapefruit zestiness that sends vibrations of
pleasure across the palate. Dry and delicious. GD
We lost Bob McLean a little over a year ago and the Valley’s still reeling. Like Atlas, he had held our region aloft and positioned
just so, so that the international spotlight caught the gleam of the Barossa’s precious vinous essence. I worked for Bob for a time
during his first months at St Hallett. And he’d drop into my cottage in Mt Torrens on his way home and drag me across the road
by the ear to the local where we’d share a six-pack. There are way too many stories to jam in here.
This juice was squeezed from dry-grown bush vines Bob and Wilma planted in the rocks atop Mengler’s Hill. Sip reverentially, if
you can. Sharing the deep and delicious lime curd flavours with regulars who knew big Bob or have heard the legends helps to
fulfill a very personal obligation: I’m in the wine trade because of two blokes, Robert O’Callaghan and Bob McLean.
18
more riesling (barossa and adelaide hills)
2012 Ruggabellus ‘Quomodo’
Eden Valley, SA
72
2015 Rockford Vine Vale Riesling
Barossa Valley
74
2005 Rockford Vine Vale Riesling
Barossa Valley
85
I’m lucky to know Abel Gibson as a mate. We worked together at Rockford and have chewed the cud about wine many times over
the years. Ruminated. Abel is a professional ruminator. Ideas flicker across his internal monitor, gain traction and every now and
then seed beautiful obsessions. His Riesling obsession took aeons to bear fruit. Some of us had been lucky enough to have
sniffed our way through a plethora of likely components within the Gibson back shed. Those without faith feared that the project
had stalled. But Abel is a conjurer. A vinous Zen master. He understands that the passage of time contributes its own magic. And
the wine? Textural, spicy, decidedly fulsome. There’s a tug of skinsy tannin that you feel against the gums; a current of natural
acidity that excites the soft edges of the tongue ensuring a long finish and promising many exciting matches with our food! GD
One of the Barossa’s unique Riesling experiences, this rolls through the mouth with the power of an indomitable rising tide. The
characteristic nervy purity that defines most local Riesling is here surmounted by a richness of fruit and a certain beguiling
physicality. It’s like comparing a full string orchestra with a string quartet. There are deeper resonances here than we are familiar
with, yet the shape through the mouth remains perfectly elliptical, the finish briny and long with echoes of grapefruit, vanilla
bean and kaffir lime; echoes that continue to resonate long after you have reluctantly pulled the glass away from your face. GD
19
riesling (clare valley)
2015 Rieslingfreak No. 3
Clare Valley, SA
43
2015 Rieslingfreak No. 5 (off dry)
2015 Rieslingfreak No. 99
Clare Valley, SA
Clare Valley, SA
43
45
2014 Vickery Riesling
Watervale, Clare Valley, SA
48
2016 Ministry of Clouds
2015 Rieslingfreak No. 2
Clare Valley, SA
Polish Hill, Clare Valley, SA
54
55
2013 Rieslingfreak No. 8 ‘Schatzkammer’
2013 Grosset ‘Alea’ (off dry)
2011 Pikes ‘The Merle’ Riesling
Polish Hill, Clare Valley, SA
Watervale, Clare Valley, SA
Clare Valley, SA
55
64
80
2002 Richmond Grove Watervale Riesling
2014 Grosset ‘Polish Hill’
2005 Jim Barry ‘The Florita’
Watervale, Clare Valley, SA
Polish Hill, Clare, SA
Clare Valley, SA
85
96
130
Is John Hughes the Barossa’s own Parsifal, the guileless knight of Arthurian legend who found the grail and used its power to
heal others? John’s alchemistic touch has filled the magical #3 challis with a deeper, riper expression of his predestined grape
variety. Muscat-like aromas dominate the bouquet, but battle full-blown brown lime and bath salts for supremacy across the
palate. Something in the glint of light refracting through the wine suggests that a touch of viniferous enchantment may be at
play: the wine seems to levitate, defying gravity as it feathers the upper palate. A gently healing (and exultantly delicious) elixir.
Double-digit freak. BadAss Riesling. No inoculation. Long skin contact. Lees stirring. A mere puff of sulphur at bottling.
Made with fermentAsian’s Geoffrey Hunt in mind. Geoff has become very adept at leading the angels of wine purity into the mud
that borders the path of vinous righteousness. But this still feels like a halo-ed Hughsey wine with signature perfect proportions.
Maybe zest and pith have replaced the usual lime blossom. Remarkable creaminess and textural richness and a lingering BadAss
phenolic amaro character expand exponentially within the mouth long after the wine has been swallowed. GD
This wine represents a salute to the past and a nod to the future and excites me more than any other new release has for a long
time. It’s a wine that speaks of great, enduring personal friendships. Firstly, a close 50-year friendship between Dr Harry Penny,
former head of the Adelaide Teachers College and his colleague Arthur Vickery. Arthur was the father of John Vickery, Harry the
father of Margaret Lehmann; Peter and Margaret Lehmann subsequently enjoyed a great long friendship with John and Mary
Vickery. Peter and Margaret’s youngest son Philip was given the middle name Edward after John’s Edwin.
This background has preordained a project that represents the passing of a baton. After a long career fashioning many of
Australia’s greatest Rieslings for Chateau Leonay and Richmond Grove, John has come out of retirement to collaborate with Phil
Lehmann in a project in which his unique skills, instincts, beliefs and methodologies are passed respectfully to one of the most
gifted of the younger generation of Barossa winemakers. As Phil put it to me: “it would be a great shame if his vast knowledge of
making great Rieslings would be lost when he shuffles on to the great Riesling vineyard in the sky”. GD
It’s hard to resist the allure of a new opus from John Hughes. Gauging the interest of our customers, many folk are keen to
audition his new dry expression from Polish Hill. As is usually the case with John’s wines, the nose suggests gentleness, with
white floral notes of jasmine and lime blossom that feather the nasal membranes. The nose doesn’t prepare you for the glacial
wash of electric lemony acidity that darts along the edges of the tongue; for the thrilling grapefruit and lime flavours that
explode across the gums, filling every oral nook. This will dance a very merry dance with the prawn salad. A new digit has been
added to John Hughes’ pin number of pleasure! GD
At five years old, most Australian Rieslings enter a period of long hibernation, the flush of their youth faded like the duco on
a ’93 Hyundai Excel. But released from the bottle, this five year old strains at the leash; aromas burst friskily from the glass and a
stream of clear liquid pounces all over one’s unsuspecting papillae. The oral cavity is dosed with an exciting wash of preserved
lemon and lime, cut with bracing mineral acidity. Briny geological complexity and the first hints of toast ensure that this classic
Riesling from a difficult vintage will provide invigorating counterpoint to the nuoc cham-dressed dishes served at this address.
20
riesling (other new world)
2013 Glaetzer-Dixon Uberblanc Riesling (9gRS)
2009 Tunkalilla Vineyard Riesling
Tamar Valley, Coal Valley, Tasmania
49
Eola-Amity Hills, Willamette Valley, Oregon US 52
Tunkalilla: “Place of many smells” in the Aboriginal Kaurna dialect and the name of a beach on the southern Fleurieu. 30 years
previously Brian Croser named his Adelaide Hills winery “Petaluma” after a Californian town. When seeking a suitable name for
his most recent Oregon venture, he reversed the procedure and named his vineyard after the beach closest to his Maylands lamb
Farm. The Tunkalilla project continues Croser’s obsession with varietal-specific sites that had previously given birth to vineyards
and wines such as ‘Tiers’. This Eola Riesling expresses rich and deep-fruited stonefruit and tropical flavours with a curious subtle
line of resiny acidity that perfectly offsets the tease of 11 gpl residual sugar. Very nuoc cham. GD
2012 Cherubino ‘Porongurap’
2012 Tongue in Groove Riesling
Porongurap, Great Southern, WA
56
Mound Vineyard, Waipara Valley, NZ 64
2015 Mahana Riesling
2013 Auburn Dry Riesling
Nelson, New Zealand
Central Otago, New Zealand
75
75
2011 Pierre Frick ‘Steinert’ Grand Cru
Alsace, France
88
2006 Meyer-Fonné ‘Kaefferkopf’ Grand Cru
2010 Albert Boxler Sommerberg ‘D’
2011 Weinbach Schlossberg St Catherine l'Inedit Grand Cru
2007 Zind Humbrecht ‘Brand’ Grand Cru Vielles Vignes
Alsace, France
Alsace, France
Alsace, France
Alsace, France
110
174
240
280
I’ve heard Angela Clifford telling of the horror of being caught close to the epicenter of the Christchurch earthquake with her
young family. But for the terrible carnage and loss of life, Barossans might suspect that Angela herself may have caused some of
those distant rumblings; such was the manner in which she shook things up over here. A decade may now have passed since
Angela’s Barossa chapter, but her legacy lives on, as visitors and friends of the local Farmers’ market will attest.
I was privileged to have worked closely with Angela during several years at Rockford, a business that was uniquely ‘energised’ by
her dogged determination and rare marketing nous; she gave effective voice to Robert O’Callaghan’s many customer-focused
marketing ambitions.
Curiosity got the better of me when I heard about Angela’s involvement in a small Waipara winery, a passion project that
combines Angela’s marketing brilliance with the winemaking skills of Lynnette Hudson. Unsurprisingly, their Riesling was
difficult to resist. A richer, riper style, brimming with candied clementine, dried mandarin peel, orange blossom and spice. A
touch of botrytis and gentle phenolics are balanced with pitch perfect acidity making it a persuasive match with Tuoi’s food. GD
riesling (alsace, france)
Jean-Pierre Frick is a gentle ecological warrior. He has risked serious jail-time due to his relentless pursuit of the environmental
protection of his vineyards and their surrounds. Whether he’s protesting against the encroachment of a nuclear power plant or a
neighbour’s sowing of GM seed, he is a thorn in the side of any administration that makes decisions based on short-term
economic imperatives.
Although his grape growing and wine making is driven by ideology, the wines don’t disappoint or fall short of ultimate
deliciousness. Fruit is grown using biodynamic principles (since 1970), ferments are never inoculated, sulphur additions are
minimal, and the wines are sealed with a crown seal. Frick talks about wines ‘choosing their own path’: some are bottled after
only five or so months on fluffy lees in ancient wooden casks; others spend up to three years fermenting and steeping before
being considered ready to bottle. Expect a rare delicacy and gentleness from this producer. GD
Brand means land of fire. Legend has it that the sun fought a dragon in this Grand Cru vineyard. The latter was vanquished and
obliged to withdraw into a dark cavern under the Brand, which explains the characteristic warmth of this locality’s soil. The
reputation of the Turckheim wines goes back to the middle ages and Brand is the best-known vineyard. It is a place name found
again and again within the annals of Alsace Grand Cru vineyard history.
21
riesling (germany)
2013 Robert Weil Trocken (375 ml)
NV Müller-Catoir Gutswein Trocken (1 Litre)
Rheingau, Germany
Pfalz, Germany
55
59
2014 Schäfer-Fröhlich Estate Trocken
Nahe, Germany
64
2014 Eva Fricke Trocken
Rheingau, Germany
68
Riesling, Rieslaner, Scheurebe and Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc) Here’s a dry wine made and bottled exclusively for local
German restaurants. Predominantly Riesling, the blend also contains some Rieslaner, Scheurebe and Weissburgunder. A pitchperfect wine-match for Tuoi’s gentle Asian dishes, it’s delicious and fun! GD
There appears to have been a seismic shift in quality at the entry-level of German Riesling recently, especially at the drier ‘trocken’
end. I remember the perforated gums and eroded dental enamel discomfort experienced after consuming a few glasses on a
Rhine cruise back in the ‘80s. Global warming might be causing concern in many of the world’s winemaking hot spots, not least
of all here in the Barossa, but by all accounts, the diminishing risk associated with allowing grapes to ripen to ‘prädikat’ sugar
levels in the top regions of Germany means that those mean, searingly acidic expressions are becoming more difficult to find.
Schäfer-Fröhlich has become one of the most celebrated producers over recent vintages and now stands proudly with Dönnhoff
as a leading producer in the Nahe. This estate ‘Trocken’ glistens with tangy passionfruit, clementine and freshly chiseled stone. It
explodes within one’s mouth with saliva-inducing acidity, but remains sensual and textural, while a modest lick of genial
residual sugar keeps everything deliciously affable. GD
Eva Fricke has risen to the very top ranks of Germanic Riesling-kraft. This represents an unlikely ascent, especially in the uberaristocratic Rheingau, as her breeding is ‘sullied’ due to her birthplace: Bremen, a beer town (home of Becks). I mean, hello…
Eva is one of the only wine makers that I have heard articulate what she calls a “search for salt” and has an obsession with the
geology of each of her sites. Quartzite abutting slate and pure rock soil rather than loam are for Eva key indicators. This 2014
trocken sizzles with nervous salinity tethered to a just-short-of-austere grapefruity wash of citrus. This represented an epiphanic
German Riesling moment for me and will play merry havoc with the pomelo-dressed prawns! Dry, juicy and delicious! GD
2012 Günther Steinmetz Brauneberger Juffer HL (Hasenlaufer)
Brauneberg, Mosel, Germany
72
2011 Dönnhoff Estate Riesling ‘Dry’
2012 Willi Schaefer Graacher Himmelreich Kabinett
Nahe, Germany
Mosel, Germany
75
77
A slate salad. All the stony colours seem to be represented in this vineyard, blue, brown and gray slate, with patches of red sand
and pebbles. An intense, dry and powerful expression of Riesling, characterised by layers of red apple, rose hip, black currants,
cherries and bergamont underpinned by a sizzling salty fishtail of acidity. GD
Graacher Himmelreich (The Kingdom of Heaven) is a precipitously steep, south-facing vineyard with relatively deep soils that
produce wines with finesse and elegance combined with a peculiar rustic strength. The soils are strewn with lodes of blue slate
that impart a quite forceful mineral character. This Willi Schaefer expression tingles with electric acidity, framed within a filigree
fruit profile dominated by pear and green apple. One of our favourite producers. GD
2012 Zilliken ‘Rausch’ Kabinett
Saarburg, Saar, Germany
83
2014 Peter Lauer Fass 6 ‘Senior’ Trocken bis Feinherb
Ayl (Saar) Germany
85
Weightless, stony and nervy, this perhaps carries a level of sweetness that suggests Spätlese, but is nevertheless absolutely
delicious and dangerously drinkable. GD
A staff favourite. This conveys a delicious saline minerality as effectively as any 1er Cru Chablis. It certainly over-delivers for the
modest pricepoint. GD
2013 Hofgut Falkenstein Krettnacher Altenberg Spätlese Trocken Saar, Germany
85
2008 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Spätlese Riesling
2011 A J Adam ‘Hofberg’ Kabinett
Mosel, Germany (375 ml)
Mosel, Germany
85
86
2011 Joh. Jos. Prüm Kabinett Riesling
2010 Dr Loosen Wehlener Sonnenuhr Spatlese Riesling
Mosel, Germany
Mosel, Germany
95
98
Erich Weber of Hofgut Falkenstein makes ultra-traditional Saar Rieslings. He specialises in drier wines made with fruit from
meticulously nurtured older vines, naturally fermented and matured in old ‘fuder’ (large wooden casks). The Spätlese Trocken
from Krettnacher Altenberg is usually the driest of all Weber’s wines and is a must for lovers of more astringent Riesling
expressions. Pronounced salinity and umame make this a very natural fit with food. The tart, mineral acidity allows the wine to
harmonise particularly well with the palm sugar sweetened Vietnamese dressings that accompany Tuoi’s salad dishes. The 6g RS
is all but invisible. GD
Orchard fruit: peach skin and nectarines warm from the tree. There’s some honeyed richness, but the wine is framed up with a
beautiful line of mineral acidity that ensures a heightened thirst-quenching capability. GD
22
more riesling (germany)
2014 Peter Lauer Fass 12 ‘Unterstenbersch’ Trocken bis Feinherb Ayl (Saar) Germany
115
2013 AJ Adam ‘Hofberg’ Auslese
Mosel, Germany
115
2011 Robert Weil Kiedrich Klosterberg Trocken
2012 AJ Adam ‘Hofberg’ Auslese Goldkap (375ml)
Rheingau, Germany
Mosel, Germany
116
130
2012 Willi Schaefer Graacher Himmelreich Spätlese #10
Mosel, Germany
130
2011 Robert Weil Rheingau Spätlese
Rheingau, Germany
132
This is the wine that has catapaulted the Lauer wines into cult status in the US. 12.5g RS is enough to temper acidity without
taking it too far away from the drier end of the sugar spectrum. Any lingering sweetness becomes incidental whilst the wine is
gushing through your mouth. All your buds will be rejoicing in the apricot, pear and tart tatin flavours; the lick of cleansing fresh
lime will really resonate alongside Ms Do’s electric lime-juice-acidified dressings. GD
A wine in which the balance between sugar and acidity is so perfectly poised, you don’t really notice either. It just demands that
you drink. Who am I to argue? GD
Wow! This really surprised me. It’s so exciting to discover a wine by a little-known up and coming producer that so over-delivers.
This has that rare combination of lushness, purity and poetry. Essence of Riesling without any excessive weight. There’s
something of Tuoi’s Lime Brulee in the flavour mix as well. GD
First sipped 2248 Friday night 15th January 2016. A treat for staff after being slammed during a busy night on the floor.
Immediate goose bumps. Plenty of current. 3 phase, arcing along the soft edges of the tongue. Strike! It feels like electrodes are
prodding the soft tissue zones where the sun doesn’t shine. Guantanamo Bay. Pleasure and pain. But the glug glug glugability
of the thing is ferocious. Please PLEASE don’t JUST DON’T tell the customers about this one! GD
Folks who steer away from German Riesling because of the apparent levels of sweetness miss the whole point with these wines.
Sure, there is some perceptible sugar, but it’s counterbalanced so perfectly by highly-charged mineral acidity, that the rush
through the mouth is absolutely exhilarating. This is a delicious example from Robert Weil, and with five years under its belt, is
poised to deliver a very complete Riesling experience. So captivating is this wine, that the sweetness seems a mere garnish, an
afterthought, lost somewhere amid the layers of wet stone, borage flowers, quince, and clementine. GD
2004 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese
1993 Zilliken Saarburger Rausch Riesling Auslese
2010 Schafer-Frohlich ‘Felseneck’ Grosses Gewachs
2014 Peter Lauer Fass 11 ‘Schonfels’ Trocken
2011 Robert Weil Kiedrich Gräfenberg ‘Erstes Gewachs’ Trocken
Mosel, Germany
Saarburg, Saar, Germany
Nahe, Germany
Ayl (Saar) Germany
Rheingau, Germany
136
140
152
156
170
2012 Eva Fricke Lorcher Schlossberg (off-dry)
Kiedrich, Rhiengau, Germany
170
2009 Clemens Busch Marienburg 1er Grosses-Gewächs 'Raffes'
2012 Emrich-Schönleber ‘Halenberg’ Grosses-Gewächs
2007 Clemens Busch Marienburg 1er Grosses-Gewächs 'Raffes'
2008 Egon Muller Scharzhofberger Spätlese
2003 Joh. Jos. Prüm Graacher Himmelreich Auslese Goldkapsel
Mosel, Germany
Nahe, Germany
Mosel, Germany
Mosel, Germany
Mosel, Germany
220
225
240
260
280
The Erstes Gewächs (“first growth”) designation is used only in the Rheingau. Similar to the term Grosses Gewächs used in other
German wine regions, it is reserved for the finest dry wine from a classified vineyard. Rigorous quality standards apply, and each
Erstes Gewächs candidate has to be tasted and approved by the Rheingau’s governing wine board before it can be released. GD
How can a start-up run by a young winemaker who grew up in the beer town of Bremen (home of Becks) end up on this hit list?
By making Rieslings like perfectly cut diamonds from forgotten vineyards such as the Schlossberg and Seligmacher. STUART
PIGOTT ‘The Riesling Story’ 2014
Perhaps an early-career winemaking stint in McLaren Vale sowed some diamond seeds? GD
23
more riesling (germany): p.l.’s collection of rieslings (and obscure german
varieties)
Peter and Margaret Lehmann’s Cellar housed a very diverse and eclectic collection, and indicated the
stylistically-open mind that produced some of the Barossa’s greatest wines over a seven decade
career. Peter had an obvious affection for German Riesling. We are fortunate indeed to be able to
offer these old bottles, many of which bear Peter’s white scrawled cellaring code on their bases.
1971 Weingut Zehnthof ‘Senheimer Lay Auslese’
Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Germany
1975 Weinkellerei Einig Herxheimer Herrlich Auslese (Kerner, Scheurebe) Pfalz, Germany
1975 Weingut Zehnthof ‘Senheimer Lay Auslese’
Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Germany
1975 Weingut Zehnthof ‘Rüberberger Domherrenberg’ Spätlese Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Germany
1976 Weinkellerei Einig-Zenzen‘Diedesfelder Pfaffengrund’ Auslese (Huelrebe, Scheurebe) Pfalz, Germany
1989 Weingut Zehnthof Riesling ‘Hochgewächs’ M.I.L.D Auslese Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Germany
1989 Weingut Zehnthof ‘Senheimer Lay Spätlese’
Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Germany
1990 Weingut Zehnthof ‘Senheimer Lay Auslese’
Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Germany
180
180
180
160
180
180
160
180
riesling (austria)
Most of Austria follows a wine classification system based on ripeness and harvest must weight that
parallels the German wine classification system. However the Wachau has its own unique
classification system. The three levels for Wachau wine are Steinfeder (for wines up to 11.5% alcohol
level), Federspiel (for wines between 11.5–12.5%) and Smaragd (for which wines must have a
minimum of 12.5% alcohol level).
2006 Nikolaihof Riesling ‘Vom Stein’ Federspiel
Wachau, Austria
130
2008 Nikolaihof Riesling ‘Vom Stein’ Smaragd
2005 Nikolaihof Riesling ‘Steiner Hund’ Reserve
1990 Nikolaihof ‘Im Weingebirge’ Smaragd
1997 Nikolaihof ‘Vinotec’
Wachau, Austria
Wachau, Austria
Wachau, Austria
Wachau, Austria
152
172
428
450
I keep returning to this selection of Austrian Rieslings, especially for those customers requesting the ultimate wine matching for
their degustation experience. A number of times a Nikolaihof Riesling has excited strong (and positive) passions when presented
within a bracket of top-shelf Rieslings from their ancestral homes of Alsace, the Mosel and Austria. There is a quiet profoundness
to these wines, a softness around the edges, yet one is very aware of an invisible structural integrity that will allow them achieve
vinous immortality. Each phase of development will take years to unfold. GD
This is one of the most rare and important Rieslings, from anywhere.
Even in 2016, the wine remains linear and tightly wound, especially when first poured. But within minutes it slightly relaxes and
begins to prowl the lower third of your Riedel, occasionally and reluctantly releasing a waft of citric perfume that rises beyond the
rim. 40 minutes later, you’re into it. The wine’s lying on its back wagging its tail with its legs in the air. When you consider that
we are talking about a wine from vintage AD1997 and the wine spent the best part of 17 years trapped within an old tartrateencrusted foudre in a cold Wachau cellar, before being bottled in July 2014, you can understand why the wine scribes have been
just a little bit excited about this release.
A profound mineral complexity characterises the flavour profile. Wet stones to the fore, grapefruit and lemon pith are almost
background notes. There are yellow herbs and white flowers providing upper partials, but the overall impression is one of layers:
layers of clarity, purity and serious length. Thank you Abel Gibson for the taste from your bottle! GD
24
fifty shades of gris
Pinot, Grenache, Semillon, Frontignac, Terret, even Sauvignon exist as a grey skinned mutation with clear
juice. The pinot version has a long oenological history that has streamed into two main contasting styles: one
richer and luscious from Alsace and one (at its best) crisp, mineral and savoury from Northern Italy. Varying
degrees of skin contact and extraction coax a wide range of hues and flavour profiles from vinification.
2015 Karrawatta ‘Sophie’s Hill’ Pinot Grigio
Meadows, Adelaide Hills, SA
45
2015 La Prova Pinot Grigio
2012 Terre a Terre Pinot Gris
(slightly sweet)
2015 BK ‘Ovum’ Pinot Gris
2013 Yabby Lake Pinot Gris
2015 Henschke Littlehampton Innes Pinot Gris
Adelaide Hills, SA
Wrattonbully, SA
Lenswood, Adelaide Hills, SA
Mornington Peninsula, Victoria
Adelaide Hills, SA
45
46
51
55
62
2013 Domaine Belle-Vue Sauvignin Gris
Muscadet Sèvre et Maine
66
Lean, racy and incredibly thirst quenching. Must put this on for a summertime pour! GD
This is no mere grapey Gris, pitched to customers seeking a safe, predictable alternative to their habitual Sauvignon Blanc.
Meticulously shaped, enriched and textured by occasional lees stirring, the wine bursts with the autumnal aromas of pear
orchards that dot the undulating landscape around Littlehampton. Suggestions of fresh green herbs (think nettles and wild
tarragon) and white spring blooms add nuance to a very satisfying and cuisine-appropriate flavour profile. So delicious. GD
Sauvignon Gris is a greyish-pink-skinned mutation of Sauvignon Blanc, but let’s not hold that against it! Grown predominantly in
Bordeaux and Chile, it tends to offer more in the way of citrus and orchard fruit and way less of the cat’s-pee-on-cut-grass
methoxies that detract from so many of its cousin’s lesser examples. We are proud to showcase this beauty from the Western end
of the Loire which vibrates with racy freshly-cut pears muddled with segments of pink pomelo. A curious and utterly attractive
fresh green herbal note (wild fennel feathers?) and a grind of crushed granite tie the whole thing together. GD
25
gewürztraminer, sylvaner, grüner veltliner & muscat varieties
2015 Rockford White Frontignac (off-dry)
Barossa Valley, SA
40
White Frontignac, AKA Muscat à Petits Grains is one of the oldest wine cultivars, responsible for a wide variety of different styles
of beverage in France, Spain, Italy, Greece and Australia. If you have enjoyed a glass of Italian Moscato d’Asti or Frizzante, French
Beaumes-de-Venise or Vermouth, Samian dessert wines from Greece or a good Rutherglen Muscat, then you have dipped a toe
into the pool of the wonderfully ’grapey’ flavours that can be coaxed from this varietal. Rockford has been making White Fronti
for decades, unswayed by trends, such as the current fashion for Moscato facsimiles. This is a real wine from a brilliant vintage
that works insanely well with South East Asian food. Line it up with a Thai or Vietnamese salad splashed with a lime juice and fish
sauce dressing, fresh garlic and some blistering heat from a scattering of scuds and it really starts to sing. GD
2015 Chaffey Bros ‘Dufte Punkt’ Gewurtztraminer Riesling Weißer Herold Northern Eden Valley, SA
2013 Albert Seltz Sylvaner de Mittelbergheim
Mittelbergheim, Alsace, France
49
54
An outfit run by old friends of Peter and Margaret Lehmann, practising biodynamics in their vineyards and producing wines of
great flavour and vibrancy. This Sylvaner will perform a very merry light-footed and nimble dance with Tuoi’s prawns!
2015 Henschke ‘Joseph Hill’ Gewürztraminer
Eden Valley / Adelaide Hills, SA
64
2014 Nikolaihof ‘Hefeabzug’ Grüner Veltliner Smaragd
2010 Dry River ‘Lovat’ Gewurztraminer
2012 Weinbach Reserve Gewürztraminer
Wachau, Austria
Martinborough, NZ
Alsace, France
90
98
116
2011 Meyer-Fonne ‘Sporen’ Gewurztraminer Grand Cru
2012 Weinbach Reserve Muscat
Alsace, France
Alsace, France
120
120
2012 Meyer-Fonne ‘Furstentum’ Gewurztraminer Grand Cru
2005 Weinbach ‘Cuvee Laurence’ Gewurztraminer (off-dry)
Alsace, France
Alsace, France
125
145
All the texts proclaim the superior credentials of Gewürztraminer as a match with spicy Asian food. I’m not nessarily sure that it
does a better job than Riesling, but I recognise the delicious balance that the Henschkes manage to achieve with their ‘Joseph
Hill’. The assertive floral aromatics are constrained; instead, an utterly compelling amalgum of rosewater and galangal flowers
feathers the nostrils, before driving the crisp dry flavours rapidly towards the back of the throat. GD
Vale Laurence Faller, truly one of the greatest and most inspirational winemakers. Her wines have such a natural balance and
spine-tingling intensity. Her Gewürztraminers are legendary, and even at entry-level surprise with their balance of
sumptuousness and nervous energy. There is none of that confected character that tends to make richer examples of the variety
quite difficult to drink. Expect an onslaught of rose-petals, citrus oil, orange blossom, lime zest and candied fig. But all held in
check by a wash of refreshing natural acidity. These bottles from her last vintages are surely now great treasures? GD
Old Vines in the Clos des Capucins are planted in marly limestone, triggering sufficient mineral complexity to balance the
naturally grapey extreme aromatics. The varieties at play are Muscat Ottonel and the ubiquitous Muscat à Petits Grains, which is
known throughout the region as Muscat d’Alsace. Expect a profusion of florals: balmy-night jasmine and pink rose petals. Dry
Muscat-based wines are a source of food-matching heaven at fermentAsian. GD
“[Laurence Faller] is one of the best winemakers in the world. She manages to capture the tiniest detail in her wines and they
shine through their style, their precision of fruit, their elegance of texture and their amazing balance – they are faultless.”
OLIVIER POUSSIER, REVUE DE VINS DE FRANCE
2013 Nikolaihof ‘Im Weingebirge’ Grüner Veltliner Smaragd
Wachau, Austria
2010 Weinbach Reserve Gewürztraminer ‘Furstentum’ Grand Cru Alsace, France
180
195
1999 Nikolaihof ‘Im Weingebirge’ Grüner Veltliner Smaragd
350
Off dry. The Grand Cru Furstentum vineyard is perhaps the greatest site for Gewürztraminer in Alsace. The secret is in the soil (a
strange mix of moisture and heat-retaining chalk and pebbles) the aspect (steep and south-facing) and the altitude (300-400m).
The wine is almost a pedagogical exercise in complexity. So many layers, so many characters momentarily protrude from the
olfactory mix, but each swirl of the glass seems to bring a different heirachy of aromas. Like trialing a kaleidoscopic smelloscope
invented by Caractacus Potts. At the same time, this is both intense and viscous yet incredibly precise and detailed. One of
Laurence Faller’s last and greatest efforts before her premature death in May 2014, this is sure to become a classic. GD
Wachau, Austria
26
semillon
2013 Rockford ‘Local Growers’ Semillon
Barossa Valley, SA
45
Check the numbers; Semillon represents about .03% of bottled white wine sales in Australia. The full-bodied wood-aged Barossa
style accounts for a miniscule percentage of that tiny slice.
This 2012 release of the ‘Local Growers’ again shows how flawed the current anti-Semillon zeitgeist is. GD
2014 David Franz ‘Long Gully Road’ Ancient Vine
Barossa Valley, SA
48
2015 Tom Shobbrook ‘Sammion’
2015 Thomas Wines ‘Braemore’ Semillon
2004 Kaesler ‘Old Vine’ Semillon
Barossa Valley, SA
Hunter Valley, NSW
Barossa Valley, SA
48
54
56
2009 Peter Lehmann ‘Margaret Reserve’
Barossa Valley, SA
65
There’s obviously a Semillon gene; some have it, some don’t. This wine is a kind of ‘son-of Margaret’ just as its maker is a son of
Margaret. The gene runs through the whole Lehmann family, siring exponents of stunning expressions of a variety that the world
should be drinking a whole lot more of. The big difference here is freshness. Lemony freshness. And you’ve got to love the
buttercup crepe paper packaging. GD
Old vine Semillon is one of the Barossa’s quietly spoken treasures. Unfortunately, it’s a treasure for which the old pirates’ maps
seem to have been lost, perhaps somewhere deep in the seven seas of industrial Sauvignon Blanc. There now seem to be only a
few folk out there familiar with the extraordinary flavours that lurk beneath the meniscus of aged golden-hued Barossa Semillon.
I consider it a Barossa restaurateur’s serious responsibility to direct the spotlight on the most delicious examples of our least
understood wines, so when Reid Bosward told me of a cache of this 2004 that he had discovered somewhere deep in the Kaesler
Cellar, I jumped at the opportunity these bottles presented. Reid is an old Tyrrells man who understands the importance of
natural acidity and avoids the riper, sometimes skanky phenolics that occasionally detract in Barossa examples. Like many
Semillons from the Hunter, the fruit for this wine has slowly ripened in the bottle and provides a brilliant example of the lemon
curd, hay and faint eucalypt nuances that make these wines such a food-matching delight. GD
Perhaps the most profound and pedigreed Semillon from this region, ‘Margaret’ redefined Barossa Semillon, moving it away
from the ripe-picked / old wood style that established itself from the early 1970s. This is pure and precise, unwwooded and set
up to age brilliantly for the next decade. More than that, it pays homage to Margaret Lehmann: visionary, mentor, great
supporter of all that is good for the Barossa. GD
2015 Eperosa ‘Blanc’ Semillon
Barossa Valley, SA
68
fermentAsian has a mandate to offer valuable exposure to winemakers with exciting new releases. The anticipation that we feel
when we ease the cork from a debutante bottle made by one of our passionate friends is tangible. The excitement dials certainly
red-lined when the first wafts from this Semillon teased our olfactory receptors. This is the second vintage of Brett Grocke’s first
white wine and celebrates a site on Magnolia Road deep in the shadows of Mengler’s Hill. Dry grown old vines, planted in deep
granitic sands, were hand picked, hand sorted, whole bunch basket-pressed and barrel fermented (sans inoculation) on full lees
in seasoned French oak hogsheads. I’ve often wondered why so few local wine makers apply this artisanal Burgundian approach
to our least understood (but most important) Barossa Valley white grape. This is a wonderful wine, complex and beautifully
shaped; tasted blind, I’d be wondering if it might be from the hand of one of my favourite Mâcon producers, Domaine Valette.
GD
2006 Tyrrell’s HVD Semillon
2007 McWilliams ‘Lovedale’ Single Vineyard Semillon
2011 Sadie Family T’Voetpad
Hunter Valley, NSW
Hunter Valley, NSW
Swartland, South Africa
84
98
125
There are some incredibly exciting wines coming out of South Africa, and in terms of quality, Eben Sadie’s wines are leading the
charge. An old surfing mate of Ben Radford, Sadie crafts wines that are elegant and pure and sing of their particularly unique
terroir.
This white wine is a field blend from vines planted on the north-east side of the Piquetberg mountains in Swartland.
Predominantly Semillon, the blend also includes Semillon Gris, (any of that in the Barossa?), Palomino, Muscat and Chenin Blanc.
Tropical fruit (pineapple, passion fruit) and peaches are muddled with wet river stones. But it’s the creamy texture that lingers,
both at the back of the tongue and in the memory. Exciting wine. GD
2004 Tyrrell’s Vat 1
Hunter Valley, NSW
130
27
sauvignon blanc
2013 Alphonse Mellot Sancerre ‘La Moussière’ (375ml)
2014 Matthias et Emile Roblin ‘Origine’
2013 Le Clos du Tue-Boeuf ‘Le Buisson Pouilleux’
Sancerre, Loire Valley, France
Sancerre, Loire Valley, France
Touraine, Loire Valley, France
62
72
75
Palates that have been honed and nourished on a diet of grassy green Sauvignon Blanc really need to wrap themselves around
this one. Mind-blowingly different, this old vine Sauvignon Blanc is yeasty, cidery, nutty and lively. It tastes spontaneous and
utterly compelling. Thierry Puzelat’s wines are really hot within the Parisian wine bar scene. He is revered in the same way as the
Beaujolais’ Jean Foillard for inspiring a legion of young winemakers to get back to the basics and Mother Nature in their quest
for great wine. GD
2013 Gerard Boulay ‘Tradition’
2014 François Cotat ‘Caillotes’
2010 Gerard Boulay ‘Monts Damnés’
2012 François Cotat ‘Monts Damnés’
2011 Alphonse Mellot ‘Generation XIX’
2013 Gerard Boulay ‘Comtesse’
Sancerre, Loire Valley, France
Sancerre, Loire Valley, France
Sancerre, Loire Valley, France
Sancerre, Loire Valley, France
Sancerre, Loire Valley, France
Sancerre, Loire Valley, France
86
99
99
121
144
150
It was an earlier vintage of this wine that presented my ‘Road to Damascus’ minerality moment: epiphany writ large, in chalk, of
course. 65-year-old vines planted in a thin layer of rubbishy topsoil over chalk and Kimmeridgian bedrock. Those old vines have
had more than six decades to thread their capillary roots deep into subterranean fissures so that the channeling of that chalk is
potently presented. The extreme minerality is wrapped in seductively textured pure and ripe citrus: pomelo comes to mind. GD
2011 Alphonse Mellot ‘Cuvée Edmond’
Sancerre, Loire Valley, France
2011 François Cotat ‘Les Culs de Beaujeu’
Sancerre, Loire Valley, France
2012 Didier Dagueneau Blanc Fumé de Pouilly
Pouilly, Loire Valley, France
2013 Didier Dagueneau Blanc Fumé de Pouilly
Pouilly, Loire Valley, France
2013 Didier Dagueneau Blanc Fumé de Pouilly ‘Pur Sang’
Pouilly, Loire Valley, France
2012 Didier Dagueneau Blanc Fumé de Pouilly ‘Buisson Renard’ Pouilly, Loire Valley, France
2006 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc Cru Classe (Blend with Semillon) Pessac-Leognan, Bordeaux, France
2005 François Cotat ‘Cuvée Paul’
Sancerre, Loire Valley, France
159
164
220
220
245
250
250
297
2012 Domaine Didier Dagueneau Blanc Fumé de Pouilly ‘Silex’
360
Extreme Sauvignon Blanc. Only made in exceptional years, Cuvée Paul is an incredibly rare wine, made from the richest single
barrel. The wine, named after the winemaker’s father, has almost unlimited aging potential. The sheer power, opulent fruitsweetness and luscious mouth-coating texture combine to create one of the most memorable tasting experiences. This is a wine
that I shared with Robert O’Callaghan at a quiet dinner marking my departure from Rockford after many years. I recognised that
it would have a certain ‘sangreal’ quality for Robert, and reminded me of his own rich, unfashionably fulsome ‘Bay of Biscay’
Barossa Sauvignon Blancs from the late 1980’s. Anyone remember those? I wonder if there are any surviving bottles… GD
Pouilly, Loire Valley, France
28
chenin blanc
2016 Kalleske ‘Florentine’ Chenin Blanc
Greenock, Barossa Valley, SA
44
Not much remains of the Barossa’s original plantings of Chenin Blanc. Apparently there was a bit of it around, albeit planted in
the usual small-plot patchwork that defines the viticultural history of our region. Despite notable climatic differences between
Greenock and Chenin’s ancestral home on the Loire, the Kalleske boys here show that they can coax real complexity and even a
measure of savoury Euro-funk from the variety, helped along with wild fermentation, and partial barrel maturatuion. With its
creamy texture, citrus, wild apple and bitter almond pungency, this will pair with our food delightfully. GD
2015 Shobbrook ‘Beach’ Chenin Blanc
2012 Sebastien Brunet ‘Arpent’
2011 Domaine Huet ‘Le Mont’ Sec
2011 Domaine Huet ‘Clos du Bourg’ Sec
2011 Nicolas Joly ‘Les Vieux Clos’
2008 Domaine du Collier
2010 Vincent Carême ‘Le Clos’
Seppeltsfield, Barossa Valley, SA
Vouvray Loire Valley, France
Vouvray, Loire Valley, France
Vouvray, Loire Valley, France
Savennières, Loire Valley France
Saumur, Loire Valley, France
Vouvray, Loire Valley, France
48
56
85
85
95
96
98
On a sloping site high above the Loire River, severely depleted cretaceous soils are bony with silex and touffeau, perfect for the
cultivation of the mineral flavours in Vouvray Chenin Blanc. This is purportedly Vincent Carême’s favourite vineyard, and from its
measly yields he concocts a dry white wine with generous orchard fruit bass notes running beneath upper harmonics of vibrant
citrus and mineral acidity. The retention of 3 grams of residual sugar allows the wine to be enjoyed young, but significant future
evolution lies ahead. GD
2012 Sebastien Brunet ‘Les Pents de la Folie’ Sec
Vouvray Loire Valley, France
2011 Nicolas Joly ‘Clos de la Bergerie’
1989 Marc Bredif ‘Grand Anneé’
2011 Domaine de Bellivière ‘Calligramme’ Vielles Vignes
2001 Domaine Huet ‘Le Mont’ Demi-Sec
2011 Nicolas Joly ‘Coulée de Serrant’
1997 Domaine Des Baumard ’Trie Spéciale’
2010 François Chidaine Les Bournais ‘Franc de Pied’
Savennières-Roche-aux-Moines, Loire, Fra
1993 Nicolas Joly ‘Coulée de Serrant’
Savennières-Coulée-de Serrant, Loire Fr 290
1970 Domaine Huet ‘Clos du Bourg’ Demi-Sec
1969 Marc Bredif
1959 Clovis Lefevre ‘Grande Anée’ Sec
Vouvray, Loire Valley, France
Vouvray, Loire Valley, France
Vouvray, Loire Valley, France
Importer Andrew Guard’s enthusiasm for the wines of Sebastien Brunet is decidedly infectious. This is Brunet’s top Cru, a dry
Chenin from old 80-year-old vines planted on a clay and limestone-studded slope and fermented in large-format old wood.
Tightly coiled, intensely mineral and multi-dimentional, the wine benefits from a vigorous decant and a big glass. Expect hours
of pleasure as the exquisite flavours slowly reveal themselves, layer after lovely layer. GD
120
138
Vouvray, Loire Valley, France
130
Jasnieres, Loire Valley, France
142
Vouvray, Loire Valley, France
148
Savennières-Coulée-de Serrant, Loire Fr 198
Savennières, Loire Valley France
210
Montlouis, Loire Valley, France
275
A very special and rare wine, crafted from the fruit from a micro-patch (0.2 of an hectare) of old ungrafted vines in Les Bournais.
Only 24 bottles of this stuff made it into Oz. Due to high-end Vouvray’s particular affinity with our food, we grabbed as many of
those bottles as we could! GD
I was lucky to have visited this winery back in 1995. The setting is amazing as stone terracing built by Cistercian Monks in the
12th Century divides the vineyards into their different sites. The CouIee de Serrant vineyard was first planted in 1130. I brought
rd
back a bottle of the 863 vintage from this site, the 1993, and after long years in various cellars, cracked it on New Year’s Day last
year with Jeremy and Heidi Holmes. Jeremy immediately declared it his wine of the year. I’m not sure how long the wine
retained that mantle, but the wine was rich, honeyed and yet crackled with pulsing electric mineral acidity. When Jeremy
recently tracked down a few bottles in a deep cool French Cellar, he didn’t hesitate and ordered a couple of bottles to split
between us. GD
380
490
490
29
chardonnay
Channel surfing on my inter-galactic emissary conversation detector, I chanced to download a barrage of cruel,
unfair bigotry from a travelling Logos: “I don’t like humans; hate the sloping foreheads, the prominent brows,
the excessive body hair and the way their knuckles scrape along the ground”.
I’m generally pretty thick skinned, but I was more than a little offended by such clearly outdated observations.
I felt like screaming into the ether “YOU HAVEN’T BEEN PAYING ATTENTION: WE HAVE EVOLVED!!!”
Which of course suddenly made me think of Chardonnay.
The number of times I have suffered customers informing me “I don’t like Chardonnay; hate the butteriness,
hate the prominent oak, hate the vanilla, hate the fat. Hate. It.
Some folks obviously haven’t been paying attention. Big-oak, big-butter, flab-factor-of-eleven Chardonnay
cougar drinks were pandemic back in the late 80’s. But then the Backlash hit. NZ Sauvignon Blanc hit. The
ABC phenomenon hit.
BUT SINCE THEN, CHARDONNAY HAS EVOLVED.
In 2015, words like buttery, oaky, vanilla and fat have all packed up their overweight baggage and departed
the Chardonnay lexicon.
Perhaps it’s time to re-evaluate out-of-date prejudices?
Take the Chardonnay challenge. These are wines to engage with. These are wines that invite you to revel in a
wide diversity of styles, weights and flavour spectrums. From lean grapefruit and stone-tinged tinglers to
slippery, richer oxidative examples and incredibly complex artifacty styles that have sometimes been
battonaged to within an inch of their lives. These are wines that harmonise with Asian flavours. Perhaps with
all flavours.
And many are altogether lovely.
Ask Geoffrey or Grant for a Chardonnay suggestion. A lead…
VIVE LA EVOLUTION
chardonnay (adelaide hills, eden valley)
2011 Shaw and Smith ‘M3’ (375 ml)
2013 First Drop ‘Mere and Fils’ Chardonnay
2013 Lofty Valley ‘Ascent’ Chardonnay
Adelaide Hills, SA
Adelaide Hills, SA
Summertown, Adelaide Hills, SA
42
48
49
Whole-bunch pressed, wild-fermented chardonnay, made by Brendon Keys of BK Wines. There’s a lot going on in the glass: an
onslaught of cashews, burnt butter, pears and cidery apples. GD
2015 BK ‘One Ball’ Chardonnay
2015 St. John’s Road PL Chardonnay
2013 Teusner ‘The Playground’ Lehmo Chardonnay
Kenton Valley, Adelaide Hills, SA
Wilton, Eden Valley, Barossa, SA
Wilton, Eden Valley, SA
49
60
62
2013 David Franz ‘Brother’s Ilk’
Birdwood, Adelaide Hills, SA
88
Again, the Teusner lads have allowed us an allocation of this ‘Cellar Door only’ beauty. The 2011 Lehmo was one of our by-theglass triumphs. We witnessed many folk who had previously hardened their hearts against this varietal begin a courtship with
chardonnay that has evolved and indeed blossomed during subsequent visits. This 2013 continues the seduction, perhaps
without the taut nervousness that a vintage like 2011 was able to deliver. Nevertheless, the wine is rich, brimming with melon,
cashews and orchard fruit. GD
30
chardonnay (victoria)
2014 Tokar Estate Chardonnay
Yarra Valley, Victoria
60
This richer, mouthfilling style of Chardonnay muddles salted cashew, honeydew and grapefruit. Since my first tasting some
weeks ago, the wine has evolved, subsuming some of the simpler ‘apple-in-the-sun’ fruit flavours and imposing ‘sur lei’ derived
complexity. Excited by the wine’s ease, length and deliciousness, I’m eager to line this up with the chicken salad.
2014 Salo Chardonnay
Yarra Valley, Victoria
62
Chardonnay. Five years ago we poured it only occasionally, for the die hards. But now it’s become a permanent fixture, such is
the level of complexity, interest, stylistic diversity, food-friendliness, intrigue and sheer deliciousness in the modern Australian
chardonnay style. This one’s a real beauty, made by Giant Steps winemaker Steve Flamsteed and his Kiwi mate Dave Mackintosh.
Minimalistic winemaking. Whole-bunches were pressed directly into large oak puncheons, where wild yeast fermentation did
the rest, sans malo, lees stirring or any other mucking around. Poised, vibrant and bursting with melon, lemon and pear.
Barossa connection: Many years ago Steve worked as a chef for Maggie Beer. This is currently Maggie’s house Chardy! GD
2014 Giant Steps ‘Tarraford Vineyard’ Chardonnay
2013 Yabby Lake
2010 Bindi ‘Quartz’
2013 Chardonnay By Farr
Yarra Valley, Victoria
Mornington Peninsula, Victoria
Macedon, Victoria
Geelong, Victoria
75
78
116
116
2012 Yabby Lake Block 1
2011 Bannockburn Vineyards ‘S.R.H.’ Chardonnay
2006 Giaconda ‘Estate Vineyard’ Chardonnay
Mornington Peninsula, Victoria
Geelong, Victoria
Beechworth, Alpine Victoria
140
150
200
Our recent mission: highlight the manner in which the leaner, grapefruity style of Oz Chardonnay resonates with our food. But
then this one comes along: instead of laser-like, nervous drive through the mouth, Nick Farr’s top Chardonnay is all genteel
politeness; “Please, Thank You” and “By your leave”. It enters the oral cavity respectfully, with none of that Mormon-at-the-door
desperation to get past the portico. But once inside, it really surprises you by rubbing itself rather salaciously against each of
your buds. Caressing the nub of your gums. There are still rocky notes, but they are almost subbed out by silky peariness. GD
chardonnay (other australian)
2013 Dalrymple ‘Cave Block’ Chardonnay
Pipers River, Tasmania
68
2013 Delamere Chardonnay
Pipers River, Tasmania
74
Lean and etched. The nose picks up a richness of melon, grilled nuts and even some peachy notes, but this anticipation is
thwarted as the wine drills its saliva-inducing passage through the oral cavity. Shards of broken chalk, rock and freshly pestled
lemongrass are left in its wake as it builds momentum towards the back of the throat. With a finish that’s lemony, briny and long,
this is going to pair beautifully with the Nuoc Cham-dressed salads and Tuoi’s fabulous Squid stir-fry. GD
Australian Chardonnay has turned a corner. In fact it’s bloody well jack-knifed. Here’s a wiry expression from northern Tassy that
just screams of newfound complexities. It’s remarkably focussed and rich in mineral detail. It quivers with nervy acidity that
drives straight through the honeydew and aristocratic oak, ensuring that everything is battened down, slick and streamlined
before it washes over the tongue. Some might find the vanillan oak a little unfashionably forward, but it’s harmoniously tethered
to the leesy complexity and only adds to the pleasure that a glass of this presents when paired with Tuoi’s seafood dishes.
2014 Stoney Rise ‘Holyman’ Chardonnay
2011 Clonakilla Chardonnay
Tamar Valley, Tasmania
80
Tumbarumba, Murrumbateman, NSW 85
2014 Comus Chardonnay
Ferguson Valley, WA
Lean and tight as a podium cyclist’s thigh, the hamstring taut as the gut E string on a Baroque violin. There’s no suggestion of
excess flesh or clumping of vinous cellulite to interrupt the streamlined flow of muscle from rock-hard buttock to patella.
A delicious example of the modern Oz Chardonnay saturated with the oils of grapefruit: flesh, pith and skin. Lurking barrelferment and sulphidy battonage aromas add complexity, but it’s the wiriness and the mean thrust of tart citrus that is going to rip
through the gentle sweetness of those nuoc cham dressings. GD
120
A first release wine that surprised everyone by being placed equal third in James Halliday’s 2015 Chardonnay Challenge. The
wine explodes with the deep richness and power that we have come to expect from WA Chardonnay. There’s also a complex array
of aromas to tease the olfactory receptors: citrus oils, warm brioche, smoke and peach blossom. Pronounced (and attractive) leesderived sulphide characters permeate the fabric of the wine but are held in check by geological, toasty and lime-brulee-in-abucket deliciousness. All this is framed up with ambient and aristocratic oak. Serious Chardonnay, and a label to watch! GD
2012 Cullen ‘Kevin John’ Chardonnay
Margaret River, WA
160
31
chardonnay (new zealand)
2013 Ata Rangi ‘Craighall’ Chardonnay
2014 Ata Rangi ‘Craighall’ Chardonnay (375ml)
2008 Kumeu River ‘Mates’ Chardonnay
Martinborough, New Zealand
Martinborough, New Zealand
Kumeu, Auckland Region, N.Z.
98
69
120
chardonnay & aligote (burgundy: beaujolais, bourgogne blanc)
2013 Bourgogne Aligote
2014 Beaujolais Villages Blanc
Domaine Cornu
Jean-Marc Burgaud
58
72
2014 Bourgogne Blanc Côtes D’Auxerre ‘Bréau’
Vini Viti Vinci
75
2013 Bourgogne Blanc
Vincent Dancer
90
2010 Bourgogne Blanc
2010 Bourgogne Côtes d’Auxerre ‘Biaumont’
2010 Bourgogne Blanc
2009 Bourgogne Aligote
Etienne Sauzet
Goisot
Domaine Leflaive
Arnaud Ente
Fresh, vital and focused Chardonnay from younger vines planted in clay-rich soils and vinified in stainless steel. This is my first
experience with Chardonnay from Beaujolais, and it certainly exhibits a family likeness to the Morgon, Fleurie and Moulin-a-Vent
Gamays that we habitually love to line up with Tuoi’s beautifully simple flavours. Fruit dominant, vibrant, delicious and pure, it
also tastes refreshingly un-manipulated! GD
The former owner and director of one of France’s most influencial wine bars, ‘Aux Crieurs de Vin’ in the city of Troyes now makes
wine himself in the Yonne, in the far north of Burgundy. With Philippe Pacalet as his mentor and guide, expect something very
special! As one might expect from grapes grown so close to Chablis, this Blanc is pure, refreshing, surprisingly complex,
(especially for this level), intriguing and delicious. GD
Any wine with ‘Dancer’ on the label is going to carry a certain excitement factor. This 2013 Bourgogne Blanc is no exception.
2013 represented a great vintage for the Vincent Dancer style; the cool freshness of the vintage provided the perfect backdrop
for Vincent’s low yields, ripe fruit selections and non-interventionist style of winemaking. This release exhibits all the pulpy,
citrus freshness and mineral crunch that one could wish for. GD
94
95
110
128
32
chardonnay (burgundy: yonne)
chablis
Village Vineyards: appellation Chablis
2014 Chablis Vieilles Vignes
2012 Chablis ‘Les Serres’
Domaine Christophe et Fils
Nathalie Oudin
72
75
2014 Chablis
Moreau-Naudet
78
This was a really pleasant surprise! It opens with a salvo of washed rind, lactic and leesy.
Fulsome glycerol creaminess makes it feel like it’s been shot in slow-mo as it progresses through the mouth. My expectation was
for crispness and saline simplicity, raciness and thirst slakiness, especially at this price point. A bit of sleuth work, however,
uncovered the fact that this is all 1er Cru fruit, and vines of over 70 years in age. I’m not sure why Nat’s being bashful and
declaring mere AC? After a couple of minutes, the cheesiness lifted off the nose and honeydew, lemon curd and pulverised rocks
fought for ascendency. But it’s the mouthfeel of custardy creaminess that you’ll remember. GD
Chablis is well known for being Burgundy’s industrial winemaking sector: with few exceptions the wines are the product of a
viticultual and oenological regime defined by early harvesting, machine harvesting, maximised yields and pretty heavy-handed
filtering. Young wine maker Stéphane Moreau is intent on expressing Chablis as in days of old before the advent of chemical
fertilizers and herbicides, inoculations and stainless steel. His wines have wonderful depth of flavour and are being talked up in
France by the likes of Alain Graillot. Interestingly, Didier Daguenau helped Stéphane design the quirky label. GD
2012 Chablis (375ml)
2013 Chablis
2014 Chablis
2014 Chablis ‘Terroirs de Béru’
2012 Chablis ‘Clos Beru’ (Monopole)
Moreau-Naudet
Laurent Tribut
Pattes Loup
Chateau de Béru
Chateau de Béru
45
96
99
110
190
Premier Crus
2008 Chablis ‘Montmains’ 1er Cru
2012 Chablis ‘Montmains’ 1er Cru
2013 Chablis ‘Côte de Léchet’ 1er Cru
2011 Chablis ‘Côte de Léchet’ 1er Cru (375ml)
2014 Chablis ‘Mont de Milieu’ 1er Cru
2014 Chablis ‘Montée de Tonnerre’ 1er Cru
2011 Chablis ‘Montée de Tonnerre’ 1er Cru
2011 Chablis ‘Vaillons’ 1er Cru (375ml)
2012 Chablis ‘Beauroy’ 1er Cru
Jean-Paul et Benoît Droin
Jean-Paul et Benoît Droin
Laurent Tribut
Laurent Tribut
Domaine Christophe et Fils
Domaine Christophe et Fils
Moreau-Naudet
Domaine William Fevre
Pacalet
140
120
140
82
120
120
128
66
160
Grand Crus
2014 Chablis ‘Blanchots’ Grand Cru
2010 Chablis ‘Valmur’ Grand Cru
2008 Chablis ‘Valmur’ Grand Cru
2011 Chablis ‘Valmur’ Grand Cru
2010 Chablis ‘Vaudésir’ Grand Cru
2008 Chablis ‘Vaudésir’ Grand Cru
2012 Chablis ‘Grenouille’ Grand Cru
2011 Chablis ‘Les Clos’ Grand Cru (375 ml)
Domaine Christophe et Fils
Domaine Jean-Claude Bessin
Moreau-Naudet
Moreau-Naudet
Bernard Defaix
Domaine William Fevre
Jean-Paul et Benoît Droin
Domaine William Fevre
200
220
210
200
210
200
200
110
th
A crumbling stone wall dating from the 13 century encloses a very special vineyard with outstandingly unique geology.
Calcareous Kimmeridgian: lime, rock and clay with a marly streak towards the top of the slope. 6500 vines per hectare and
farmed biodynamically. GD
33
chardonnay (burgundy: côte de beaune)
the hill of corton
Corton Grand Crus
2007 Corton ‘Le Charlemagne’ Grand Cru
Chandon de Briailles
370
2009 Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru (375 ml)
2011 Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru
2012 Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru
2006 Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru
2012 Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru
2012 Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru
Bonneau Du Martray
Bonneau Du Martray
Benjamin Leroux
Bonneau Du Martray
Philippe Pacalet
Domaine Ponsot
172
430
480
520
550
990
Domaine Rollin
139
This is just about to start hitting its straps. In 2007 the best Burgundian winemakers produced white wines of electric intensity.
Even now in 2016 this wine shimmers with freshness. A powerful mélange of luscious citrus, malic-y green apples and chalky
minerality combine to give brilliantly precise shape and irresistible oral pleasure as it makes its passage over the tongue towards
the back of the throat and into your heart. Brilliant! GD
Village Vineyards: appellation Pernand-Vergelesses
2013 Pernand-Vergelesses ‘Les Cloux’
From a lieu-dit high on the hill (c. 380m) abutting the north-western edge of Bois de Corton. This exhibits similar power and
complexity as the more highly credentialed neighbouring vineyards on the hill. It’s the kind of wine I hungrily seek out,
delivering a very special white Burgundian experience for (comparative) peanuts. GD
beaune
2012 Beaune ‘Les Bressandes’
Frédéric Cossard
190
34
Meursault
Village Vineyards: appellation Meursault
2011 Meursault
2010 Meursault ‘Le Tesson’
2008 Meursault
2012 Meursault
2013 Meursault
2003 Meursault
2014 Meursault ‘Les Narvaux’
2005 Meursault ‘Clos de la Barre’
2002 Meursault ‘Les Meix Chavaux’
2008 Meursault ‘Les Tillets’
François Mikulski
Jean-Philippe Fichet
Arnaud Ente
Domaine Roulot
J.F. Coche-Dury
J.F. Coche-Dury
Domaine Philippe Chavy
Domaine des Comtes Lafon
Domaine Roulot
Domaine Roulot
180
200
240
260
550
850
250
280
380
424
2010 Meursault ‘Charmes’ 1er Cru
François Mikulski
407
2009 Meursault ‘Charmes’ 1er Cru
2011 Meursault ‘Charmes’ 1er Cru
2012 Meursault ‘Clos des Bouchers’ 1er Cru
2010 Meursault 'Genevrières', 1er Cru
2008 Meursault ‘La Goutte D’Or’ 1er Cru
2013 Meursault ‘Les Perrières’ 1er Cru
2010 Meursault 'Poruzots', 1er Cru
Domaine Roulot
Domaine des Comtes Lafon
Domaine Roulot
François Mikulski
Arnaud Ente
Vincent Dancer
François Mikulski
424
540
550
407
380
360
363
Premier Crus
Top end Mikulski from a great year. This is an exultant wine with power and exuberance to revel in. I had read about the maker’s
habitual ‘elegance’ and ‘raciness’, the expected minerality and fineness, but what struck me here was the balance between
engulfing richness and precisely delivered acidity. As the wine uncurls slowly in the glass, expect to see the underbelly of fruit
studded with a detailed patina of seashell and sweet scallop meat. The 20% new oak regime never intrudes. Certainly, one glass
leads to another. Impressively.
35
more chardonnay (burgundy: côte de beaune)
the montrachets
Grand Crus
2009 Bâtard Montrachet Grand Cru
2009 Bâtard Montrachet Grand Cru
2002 Bâtard Montrachet Grand Cru
Bachelet Monnot
Benjamin Leroux
Domaine Leflaive
485
690
620
Village Vineyards: appellation Puligny-Montrachet
2010 Puligny-Montrachet
2002 Puligny-Montrachet
2012 Puligny-Montrachet ‘Les Tremblots’ Haute Densité
Bachelet-Monnot
Domaine Leflaive
Hubert Lamy
170
195
450
Premier Crus
2009 Puligny-Montrachet ‘Champ Canet’1er Cru
2010 Puligny-Montrachet ‘Les Perrières’ 1er Cru
2011 Puligny-Montrachet ‘Folatieres’1er Cru
2009 Puligny-Montrachet ‘Les Combettes’1er Cru
2009 Puligny-Montrachet ‘Clavoillon’1er Cru
2008 Puligny-Montrachet ‘Folatieres’1er Cru
2002 Puligny-Montrachet ‘Folatieres’1er Cru
Etienne Sauzet
Etienne Sauzet
Bernard & Thierry Glantenay
Domaine Leflaive
Domaine Leflaive
Domaine Leflaive
Domaine Leflaive
290
320
190
350
240
360
420
Domaine Marc Morey
149
puligny-montrachet
chassagne-montrachet
Village Vineyards: appellation Chassagne-Montrachet
2011 Chassagne-Montrachet
Grapefruit pith and a wash of citrus drive a bead of refreshing and thirst quenching acidity through the mouth. This offers
surprising nuanced mineral complexity for the level and will track the fermentAsian flavours very successfully. GD
2009 Chassagne-Montrachet ‘Les Encégnières’
Etienne Sauzet
180
Premier Crus
2011 Chassagne-Montrachet ‘Morgeot’ 1er Cru
Thomas Morey
158
2013 Chassagne-Montrachet ‘Morgeot Les Fairendes’ 1er Cru
2010 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru ‘Virondot’
2011 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru ‘Virondot’ (375ml)
2005 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru ‘Boudriotte’
2011 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru ‘La Grande Montagne’
2011 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru ‘La Romanée’
Domaine Henri Germain
Domaine Marc Morey
Domaine Marc Morey
Domaine Ramonet
Domaine Paul Pillot
Domaine Paul Pillot
250
250
130
210
260
350
Hubert Lamy
Hubert Lamy
132
78
One of Jeremy and Heidi Holmes’ (d’Or to Door) imports, Thomas Morey’s wines are worth following and certainly deliver
beyond one’s expectations for the prices asked.
Balancing the richness and restraint that one associates with this great lieu-dit, the wine brims with all manner of orchard
blossom and honeysuckle, tidied up in the mouth with preserved lemon acidity, which is the perfect foil to the wine’s full body
and natural opulence. This is very serious Chassagne that showcases the Morgeot terroir with a complex array of geological notes
that weave in and out of the line of citric current. Exciting! GD
st-aubin
Premier Crus
2011 St Aubin ‘Les Frionnes’1er Cru
2011 St Aubin ‘Les Frionnes’1er Cru (375 ml)
36
chardonnay (burgundy: côte chalonnaise)
2011 Rully ‘La Pucelle’ 1er Cru
Domaine Paul et Marie Jacqueson
105
2009 Rully 1er Cru
Domaine Leflaive
125
Many of the importers who bring wines into this country are old friends. Many were former customers of mine, during the years
that I represented Rockford to the restaurants around Australia. Tim Stock is one such man. He was the brains behind the Aria list
in Sydney during its first years. Like many of our other importers, Tim is aware of the style of wines that I seek out for this list.
Sure, he has within his portfolio a few ‘naturaliste’ producers who seek to challenge the affections of a ‘classical’ palate, but many
others that offer immediate pleasure. This is one of the latter.
Gracing the lists of many Michelin starred restaurants around France, ‘La Pucelle’ is pure, complex, expressive, loaded with citrus
rind, toasted hazelnuts and a wash of stony mineral notes. The palate is rich and succulent, dominated by lemon curd and the
leesy sulphide characters that I love. A grapefruit pith line of natural acidity drives the wine to the back of the throat where the
flavours linger impressively. There is serious value here. GD
This represents a great choice for customers seeking a faint suggestion of chardonnay flavour in their oak. Sure, nitpickers will
find fault with the presence of stone fruit richness and subtle elements of lees-derived flinty complexity, but lovers of oak will
revel in the high quality Quercky vanilla that dominates both bouquet and palate, at least at this stage of the wine’s
development. Buxom and beautiful, nevertheless. GD
chardonnay (burgundy: mâconnais)
2011 Mâcon-Chaintré
Domaine Valette
90
2011 Mâcon-Chaintré (Vin de France) ‘Je Suis Viré’
2010 Mâcon-Pierreclos ‘Tri de Chavigne’
2010 Saint Veran ‘Cuvee Unique’
2011 Pouilly-Vinzelles ‘Les Quarts Cuvee Millerandée’
Philippe Valette
Guffens Heynen
Guffens Heynen
La Soufrandière
130
132
132
153
2004 Pouilly-Fuissé ‘Clos Reyssié’ Réserve Particulière
2010 Pouilly-Fuissé ‘Tris des Hautes des Vignes’
Domaine Valette
Guffens Heynen
180
220
2005 Pouilly-Fuissé ‘Clos Reyssié’ Réserve Particulière
2001 Pouilly-Fuissé ‘Le Clos de Monsieur Noly’
2002 Pouilly-Fuissé ‘Le Clos de Monsieur Noly’
Domaine Valette
Domaine Valette
Domaine Valette
Heady. Fulsome. Voluptuous. Easily carries the burnished richness of oxidative handling, but the overall shape of the thing as it
slides through the mouth is remarkable. And you know it’s been achieved without manipulation or out-of-the-plastic-bag
additions. This is going to nudge your oral g-spot and perhaps several other oft-neglected erogenous targets on its way to the
back of your throat. It will harmonise very pleasurably with the squid and snapper dishes on this menu. GD
Millerandée is a condition that often afflicts older vines in marginal environments. In the Barossa we call it ‘Hen and Chicken’,
and it tends to ‘bother’ the vines in certain vintages where difficuties and stress are experienced during flowering and fruit set.
Small bunches set with tiny berries tend to result. Such berries are often incredibly concentrated in both flavour and acidity.
When these traits are handled judiciously, the wines can exhibit incredible power and concentration. This wine is rich, dense,
elegant and long. Dynamic and exciting white Burgundy. GD
One of the ultimate expressions of the Macon, indeed of all of Burgundy. A blend of numerous pristine harvest selections from
three of the old vine Cru sites of Vergisson: La Roche, Les Petits Croux and Les Crays. – Vigorously selected in the vineyard, the
grapes are pressed using a Champagne press to ensure the gentlest, most precise possible extraction. No subsequent pressings
are added to the wine. Profound, pure and complex flavours and textures result. If this had Meursault or Montrachet on the label,
you’d be paying triple. GD
250
290
320
chardonnay (jura)
2011 Domaine Labet ‘Les Varrons’
2012 Domaine Labet ‘Cuvée Fleurs’
2012 Domaine Labet ‘Fleur de Marne – La Bardette’
2012 François Rousset-Martin ‘La Chaux’
Rotalier, Jura, France
Rotalier, Jura, France
Rotalier, Jura, France
Nevy-sur Seille, Jura, France
Listed here for the intrepid wine pilgrim versed in the manzanilla-like oxidative characters typically coaxed from ferments in the
Jura. This wine is undeniably edgy, but will surprise with its ability to harmonise with the fresh primary flavours in Tuoi’s food. It
also has sufficient depth of flavour, richness and clean fresh acidity to provide a remarkable match with the pork belly or even the
snapper curry. This is wine-matching by opposites rather than duplication, and often provides even greater pleasure! GD
100
85
120
130
37
viognier, marsanne, roussanne and blends
2015 Tim Smith Viognier
2015 Lobethal Road Roussanne
Eden Valley, SA
Mount Torrens, Adelaide Hills, SA
46
46
2013 John Duval ‘Plexus’ Marsanne Roussanne Viognier
Barossa Valley, SA
46
During five years of living in Mount Torrens back in the early ‘90s, I became very aware of the unique microclimate, defined by a
constant smell of damp and a bone gnawing chill that seemed to set in as soon as the sun slipped over the horizon, no matter
what the season. Home was an old cottage on the main street next to the Torrens, a dwelling that I affectionately dubbed
‘Chateau Sandbag’ after twice in 1992 I awoke to the sound of a metre of floodwater swirling through the ground floor rooms.
Little wonder this Roussanne shows none of the varietal excesses that often manifest themselves in warmer climes, plumping up
the flavours, stretching the fabric and straining the seams. Sure there’s still some evidence of nubile flesh, but it’s tightly
corseted and modestly perfumed: atomised cut ginger, lychee, pear and pin-pricks of pink peppercorn. GD
This perfectly straddles that line between purity and unctuousness. Those craving a bit of texture will enjoy the mouth-coating
viscosity; those who worry about overt oiliness in some of these Rhone blends will be impressed by the wine’s line and length
and delicious savouriness. GD
2010 Yalumba ‘The Virgilius’ Viognier
2015 By Farr Viognier
2013 Domaine Bois de Boursan Blanc
2012 Domaine de Marcoux Blanc (Roussanne, Bourboulenc)
2012 Yarra Yering ‘Carrodus’ Viognier
2009 Georges Vernay ‘Les Chaillées de L’Enfer’ (Viognier)
2009 Georges Vernay ‘Coteau de Vernon’ (Viognier)
Eden Valley, SA
Geelong, Victoria
Chateauneuf du Pape, France
Chateauneuf du Pape, France
Yarra Valley, Victoria
Condrieu, Rhone, France
Condrieu, Rhone, France
75
98
121
175
200
256
312
2005 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave ‘Hermitage Blanc’
Hermitage, Rhone, France
650
We nearly lost Viognier…
As recently as 1965, there were a mere 8 acres of vines in the Northern Rhone. 5 of the 8 acres were perched precariously above
the town of Condrieu and farmed by Georges Vernay. It can be argued that the eventual resurgence of the varietal was due to the
reliable brilliance of Vernay’s Coteau de Vernon’ This is a true pilgrimage wine. GD
38
italian, spanish & other regional white varietals and blends
2011 Torzi Matthews Vigna Cantina’ Trebbiano
Barossa Valley, SA
42
I returned home parched after dinner service on a 42-degree day, the night air hostile and still almost certainly flammable. But
what a difference an icy glass of Dom’s Trebbiano made! The wine has that lingering essence of Barossa-2011, courtesy of the
wettest, coolest, most European vintage experienced in these parts. The wine shivers with cool citric verve; fresh macerated and
brined savoury herbal notes and an intriguing amaro finish. How many Somms, dismissive of Trebbiano’s credentials will miss
out on the food-matching prowess that this humble little wine offers? Goose bump inducing coolness. GD
2015 La Prova Fiano
2015 First Drop ‘Vivo’ Arneis
Adelaide Hills, SA
Adelaide Hills, SA
45
45
2015 La Prova Garganega
Mount Crawford, Barossa, SA
46
2013 Martinsancho Rueda Verdejo
Rueda, Spain
48
2013 Domaine de Belle Vue ‘Gabbro’ Melon de Bourgogne
Muscadet Sèvre et Maine, Loire, France 49
2015 Feudi Bizantini ‘Ikonia’ Pecorino
Abruzzi, Italy
The opening quietly rippling bars of Smetana’s “Moldau” with their overlapping murmuring flute solos, conjure a sense of this
delicious Arneis. It’s a bubbling brook of a wine, splashing and playful. It can only have been sourced from one of the Lothlórienlike vistas deep within the Adelaide Hills. It’s so pristine and pure, Elfish even; wet stone and nashi pear-scented. It certainly
refreshes, invigorates and harmonises beautifully with Tuoi’s equally playful and pure perfumed dressings. GD
Sam Scott is crafting some of the most intriguing wines in our region. This example defies all the innocuous stereotypes
associated with industrial Soave. After a brief flirtation with papaya and other tropical aromatics, we snorkel through a deep cool
tidal pool inhabited by coral and anemones. Green soused herbs, capers, preserved lemons and ocean-rubbed sea-stones
complete a umami flavour profile that’s deliciously enhanced by a rich and leesy mouthfeel. This is seductively saline, pondy and
very ponderable. GD
At fermentAsian we are as passionate about the narratives pinned to each wine as we are about the aromas and flavours that spill
from the glass. But this wine outdoes the best storytelling without even trying. It’s an authentic, humble and delicious drop from
th
one of Europe’s highest altitude vineyards planted in the 17 century. Many of the vines are nearly 200 years old. If your
curiosity has been piqued, please take a moment to read the Bibendum boys’ description of the landscape, the vineyard, the
protagonists and the wine in the appendices of this list. It makes fascinating reading. GD
Muscadet is not a grape. It’s a region at the western end of the Loire, close to where the river drains into the Atlantic. The grape
variety is Melon de Bourgogne, a cousin of Gamay which was transplanted from Burgundy back in the early 18th century. Serious
Muscadet like this, grown in granite soils, exhibits some of the most pedagogically illustrative expressions of terroir. A sea spray
character blows in off the top of your glass, while a line of oyster shell salinity jostles with subtle lemon curd notes that help to
plump up the palate. Squid. GD
49
I splash this wine generously into a Riedel for Geoff. He swirls, squints and deeply inhales the rich polyphony of fragrances
before giving me the cheesiest grin. The anticipated volley of lactic puns might have followed, except the wine stopped us in our
tracks with its rich stone fruit and pineappley deliciousness, its briny and beguiling amaro finish. Apparently grazing ruminants
are attracted to the fragrance of pecorino grapes planted in Abruzzese meadows, hence the shared name. All we like sheep... GD
2012 John’s Rock Garganega (made by Stephen Henschke)
Keyneton, Eden Valley, SA
Here we have a very special and rare wine. In the words of its maker: Garganega grapes from a dry-grown vineyard, planted in
1998 at Keyneton, in the Eden Valley wine region were whole-bunchpressed, fermented and left on lees for eight months before
bottling. The resulting wine was produced and named in memory of a dear friend who died too young. An engraved rock was
placed in the vineyard and the wine is enjoyed annually by friends in John’s honour.
Thank you Stephen Henschke for releasing a few bottles from your personal cellar.
54
2014 Bodega Rosalia de Castro ‘Paco & Lola’ Albariño
Rios Baixas, Salnes Valley, Spain
2015 Cordero di Montezemolo Arneis
La Morra, Langhe, Piedmont, Italy
2014 Domaine de la Tour du Bon ‘Blanc’ (Clairette, Ugni Blanc, Rolle) Bandol, Provence, France
58
58
72
2013 Erse Etna Bianco (Carricante, Minnella, Catarratto)
76
I’m writing this during a fierce July snap freeze. Swollen fingers stab ineffectidly at thr keybrod, as I endeavour to bring some
semblance of the feel and flavour of this wine to the list. Which feels all wrong, as the wine sings of southern French sun, of
baking whitewashed walls, bougainvillea and molten Botox from sun-dried leathery celebrities sprawled over those weird
pebbly Provencal beaches. The wine: honeysuckle, waxy pear and rock pools; textural, tidal and bursting with fresh white flowers.
It’ll take you somewhere altogether warmer. Stuffed Squid.
Mount Etna, Sicily, Italy
This is perhaps not the forum to debate the various etymological derivations of the word “Erse”. Whether it be an ancient term for
various Gaelic languages, a Greek goddess of dew drops (as claimed by the dodgy Sicilian marketers), or an old English (and
mod-Scottish) term for “bottom”, here it references a wine that is remarkably singular in it’s aromatic profile. Aromas of wet
straw, nettles and dandelion blooms segue into a palate umame-rich in all manner of sorrel, sweet silage and green pears,
complete with a pleasant crunch of mineral salinity. Definitely more Class than Erse. GD
39
more italian, spanish & other regional white varietals and blends
2010 Domaine de la Pépière ‘Clisson’
2011 Olivier Rivière ‘Jequitiba’ (Viura)
2012 Bernabeleva ‘Cantocuerdas’ (Albillo)
Muscadet Sèvre et Maine, Loire, France
Lardero La Rioja, Spain
Madrid, Spain
76
78
78
If the proliferation of grape varieties was purely based on flavour, natural acidity, historical precedent and character, we would all
have heard of Albillo. But like many other indigenous grape varieties (and Barossa Semillon) ancient vineyards have been pulled
in favour of more highly profitable, higher yielding varieties. It is great to see principled wine makers like Marc Isart
championing this variety and showcasing the brilliant flavour potential of 85-100 year old vines planted in granitic sands.
Telmo Rodriguez once told me that Albillo was one of the varieties often found in Tempranillo field blends, where its natural
acidity countered Temp’s rapid loss of acid as it approached full physiological ripeness. It’s also interesting to note that it once
played a Viognier / Côte Rôtie role in Vega Sicilia’s ‘Unico’ blend.
24 hours of skin contact have lent the wine structure; vinification in 2,500-litre foudre has enhanced the variety’s pear and citrus
credentials as well as glycerolic texture. But the overriding impression is one of racy freshness and driving acidity. GD
2010 Belondrade y Lurton Verdejo
2008 Bodegas Valdesil Godello ‘Pezas Da Portela’
2011 Navazos Niepoort (Palomino)
Rueda, Spain
Valdeorras, Galicia, Spain
Sanlucar de Barrameda, Spain
84
86
86
From Manzanilla country comes this single vintage table wine, raised under flor. Palomino from the chalky, sun-bleached soils of
a stunning Albariza vineyard is vinified using a winemaking methodology used more than two centuries ago. The must is
fermented in butt with indigenous yeasts and then aged under a naturally occurring flor, the activity of which is moderated by
the chilly Atlantic trade winds that blow through the vineyards and the cellars. These wines were once known as ‘Vino de
Manzanilla’ and were often more highly regarded than their fortified namesakes. Freshness and sea spray delicacy are the key
descriptors. GD
2012 Domaine Belluard ‘Les Alpes’ 100% Gringet
Ayse, Savoie, France
Grown on a chalky scree slope of the Cablais Mountans, in the shadows of Mount Blanc, wild fermented. 60% elevage in concrete
eggs and bottled with minimal SO2. Lively yet soft, mineral, fresh and balanced. GD
2012 Quantico ‘Etna Bianco’ (70% Carricante; 20% Catarratto; 10% Grillo) Etna, Sicily, Italy
2012 Algueira ‘Cortezada’ (40% Godello; 40% Albarino; 20% Treixadura) Ribeira Sacra, Galcia, Spain
2011 DO Ferreiro Cepas Vellas Albariño (200-250 year old vines) Rios Baixas, Salnes Valley, Spain
88
88
88
92
We are familiar with photos of the quintessential Spanish vinous landscape: stunted ancient vines that often don’t reach knee
height, planted higgledy-piggledy and sharing the brown and barren rock-strewn hillsides with antediluvian olive trees. I was
therefore surprised to discover that these exceptionally ancient vines are like veritable trees, propped up by an antiquated
pergola system. Unquestionably one of the ultimate expressions of Rios Baixas Albariño, thought-provoking and delicious! GD
2010 Domaine de l’Horizon Vin de Pays Blanc
Roussillon, France
2012 Daniel Landi ‘Las Uvas de la Ira’ (Grapes of Wrath) Albillo
2013 Ciro Picariello Fiano ‘Ciro 906’
Mentrida, Castilia-León, Spain
Avellino DOCG, Campania, Italy
One of the stars of a recent fermentAsian Grenache dinner, this wine blends both paler colour mutations of Grenache, (Blanc and
Gris) with Macabeo. From seriously old vines, planted more than 85 years ago in deep limestone soil, this wine surprises with it’s
elegance and sulphidy complexity. These characters were taking me a lot further north, somewhere in the Côte de Beaune. GD
Serious top-end Fiano de Avellino. Benchmark!
98
99
100
2009 Dominio Do Bibei ‘Lapena’ (Godello)
Ribeira Sacra, Spain
115
2014 Clos du Rouge Gorge Blanc (Macabeo)
Côtes Catalanas, Languedoc-Roussillon, France 115
2011 Terroir Al Limit ‘Terra de Cuques’ (80%Pedro Ximenez, 20% Moscatello) Priorat, Spain
136
2010 Rene Barbier Clos Mogador ‘Nelin’ (Grenache Blanc et al) Priorat, Spain
138
2010 Olivier Rivière ‘Basquevanas’
(Albillo)
Arlanza, Spain
160
2007 Jean-Francois Ganevat Savagnin ‘Prestige’
Rotalier, Jura, France
178
2011 Domaine Dagueneau ‘Les Jardins de Babylon’ Sec
Jurançon, France
250
40
turbidity inc.
fermentAsian sommelier Geoffrey Hunt is very passionate about wine, especially wines that you can’t see through.
In a region like the Barossa, which professes to practise ‘traditional’ wine making, it is important to acknowledge that some wines
highlighted on this page represent traditions that date back literally thousands of years. While some practitioners are undoubtedly
cashing in the fact that ‘orange’ styles are currently very much in vogue, there are wines listed here that represent an unbroken
tradition of amber winemaking in countries like Georgia.
Let Geoffrey lead you into the clouds…
2014 KT ‘Pazza’ Riesling
Watervale, Clare Valley, SA
55
2015 BK ‘Skin and Bones’ White (98% Savagnin, 2% Chardonnay) Lobethal, Adelaide Hills, SA
55
2015 Smallfry ‘Tangerine Dream’
42
Apparently “Pazza” means crazy in Italian girl talk, but I’m loving the way Kerri’s very sound mind is working here!
Biodynamically / organically grown Watervale fruit has undergone wild ferment; the usual reductive Riesling shackles were
loosened with the wine completing fermentation in tank and in old barriques. No fining; no filtering. GD
Golden yellow in the glass, Brendon has coaxed this Savagnin/Chardonnay blend into a reflection of purity and place.
Referencing Savagnin’s ancestral home, Skin n’ Bones recalls wild mountain and meadow herbs, glacial run-off, and edelweiss
petals. Yet the saline, mineral edge belies great depth of flavour. Despite its complexity, this is a wine to frame a meal, to guide
and support enjoyment of food, rather than to dominate conversation at the table. GEOFFREY HUNT
Barossa, SA
I slid one of my old Tangerine Dream LPs from my dusty collection of vinyl, fully prepared to crank it and blow the cobwebs out of
the woofers. ‘But honey, the baby’s asleep…’ So I tasted the wine sans soundtrack; T.D. is not the sort of stuff you can enjoy with
the volume turned down. Didn’t matter, this is a wine that grabs your full attention. Makes you ponder. It’s supposedly a field
blend of old Barossa varieties, Semillon, Pedro, Riesling, Roussanne and Muscadelle, a real motley concoction. Long on skins,
with the colour to prove it. And an almost pedagogical exercise in complexity. Layering 101. There’s an immediate burst of sweet
fruit, a seam of saline acidity, underlying apple-cidery funky farmy notes and a pleasantly sensual cat’s tongue of tannic friction
across the palate. Reminded me of Terroir Al Limit ‘Terra de Cuques’ which is high praise indeed. And belts it out with the Squid.
GD
2015 Unico Zelo ‘Chopsticks’ (Moscato d’Alessandria, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, Fiano) Riverland, SA
42
2010 Sebastien Riffault ‘Akmeniné’
Sancerre, Loire Valley, France
89
2012 Alexandre Jouveaux ‘Le Mont’ Chardonnay
Burgundy, France
120
2012 Alexandre Jouveaux O12
Burgundy, France
135
2011 Puligny-Montrachet
2011 St Aubin ‘Les Combe’ 1er Cru
JJ Morel
JJ Morel
176
132
An overloaded Indian bus of a wine. Aromas burst from the glass in a wildly exuberant display of flowers, spice, colour and and…
This is where one’s training, experience and ability to identify flavours and aromas begin to run out of known points of reference.
Are Brendan and Laura rewriting the book? Recallibrating the sensory compass? Old vine Moscato d’Alessandria from Barmera is
merely a starting point. A gessoed canvas primed to be overlaid with a uniquely Asian-OZ-food-compatible palate of flavours; a
conscious attempt to express UMAMI. Additional components, variously aged, oxidised and ullaged under flor provide
undercurrents and exotic complexities. Yet flavours are accessible, refreshing and delicious despite their unfamiliarity. And never
taste contrived. Maybe just maybe Brendan had some of Tuoi’s flavours in mind whilst he was stirring the cauldron? GD
Sancerre, but not as you know it. There are few clues that the grape variety of choice is the ubiquitous Sauvignon Blanc. In fact
I’m surprised that the local AOC authority approved the appellation designation. Aged in oak and handled oxidatively, this is
incredibly compelling and delicious wine. With hints of leatherwood honey, tangerine juice and mandarin zest, the wine is
poised, surprisingly focused and energetic for its genre. We have enhanced the experience for many diners by recommending
this to match certain dishes on the fermentAsian menu. It is one of the great matches, for example, with the stuffed Squid. GD
When Alexandre Jouveaux left his career in fashion photography to make wine in the Macon, he knew he wouldn’t be successful
overnight. Planning ahead, he took a position teaching winemaking at the local college to supplement his income. Gradually he
built up his vineyard holdings, which include this 60-year-old Chardonnay vineyard in the North of the Maconnais. Bottled
without sulphur, this slightly oxidative Chardonnay is driven by freshness, by acidity, by inspired passion. Decant for immediate
consumption, or allow to unfurl over the course of a meal. GEOFFREY HUNT
A vinous Kind of Blue. Starts off tight and mellow. So What. The line of acidity is clearly Cobb’s persistent, driven beat. Here and
there, Evans’ piano and Chambers’ bass push through. Let it unwind you, this is All Blues. Davis on trumpet, damn that’s good.
Coltrane and Adderley on sax. You’re drinking Jazz. Don’t rush it. Let it happen. GEOFFREY HUNT
41
turbidity inc. continued
2009 Pheasant’s Tears ‘Chinuri’
Kartli, Georgia
2005 Gravner Anfora Ribolla Gialla
Venezia Giulia IGT, Italy
195
2000 Robert & Bernard Plageoles ‘Vin de Voile’ (500ml)
Gaillac, South Western France
140
2015 Shobbrook Rosé (Shiraz, Mourvedre, Riesling)
Seppeltsfield, Eden Valley, SA
48
2015 Patrick Sullivan ‘Good Morning Tom’ Pinot Noir
Mornington, Victoria
66
Representative of a winemaking tradition that dates back more than eight thousand years, these amber wines are intensely
savoury and complex. There is barely a vestage of recognisable ‘fruit’ character that survives the long oxidative fermentation
process, so they may not be for all palates. But for the historically curious, they really are the original amber (or orange) wines
and have been the inspiration behind many of today’s iconoclastic producers such as Radikon and Gravner. GD
Gravner. A name which enchants the minds of those of us who adore the weird and wonderful. Less weird than some of his
contemporaries, possibly more wonderful. This is absolutely a red wine drinker's white: full, structured; caramel, peach and spice.
I'd follow this man into hell for a chance to taste his wines. GEOFFREY HUNT
We have championed the wines of Robert and Bernard Plageoles since the first days of fermentAsian. Vinous archaeologists, they
have brought back from oblivion the best largely-forgotten grape varieties and wine styles that made Gaillac one of the most
important regional wine producing centres 500 years ago.
One of the house speciaties is this Vin de Voile: a wine aged under a ‘veil’ of yeast cells (or flor) that forms naturally on the
surface while it ages in an ancient demi-muid. In the same manner as the Vin Jaunes of the Jura, far away on the eastern border
of France, the wines ullage in barrel, losing about 30% of their volume over a seven year maturation period. The personality of
the Gaillac Vin de Voile is, however, subtly different to that of the Juran Vin Jaune. Expect bone-dry amontillado flavours with
briny tang, wood smoke, rancio nuttiness forged together with sensual mouthcoating texture and quite staggering length. GD
I love the way that Tom’s chucked the recipe books. He’s concocted wines based on instinct and complex flavour and textural
objectives and brushed off some of the tired old local rosé-making formulae. But his wines are much more persuasive than they
are perplexing. This tangy rosé is absolutely saturated in flavour. Grenadine, Pomegranate pith, a hint of lingering amaro.
Complex, mouth-watering and with the colour of a Shanghai sunset. A surprising and delicious match with the pork belly! GD
85
Before you get started, yes, this is one of those wild child wines. Not only is it made (term used loosely as most acknowledge
that these things largely make themselves) by a champion of the turbidity sect, it also pays homage to another poster boy of the
hands-off movement, the Barossa’s own Tommy Shobbrook. But keep those minds open: despite the foggy appearance in your
glass, the slight spritz, the overt stemminess, and the funk, this is savoury, spicy-food-friendly, herbal, cherry-infused,
entertaining and bloody delicious. And yes, as it breathes up it does offer a binocular view of the fair Pinot vines of Mornington.
2015 Patrick Sullivan ‘Windy Cottage’ Pinot Noir
Yarra Valley, Victoria
66
2014 Le Temps des Cerises ‘Fou du Roi‘
Languedoc-Roussillon, France
74
I’d never really considered wine as a metaphor for the uncertainties and ambiguities of modern life, but as I rolled this Pinot
through my mouth, my synapses channeled weird nervous tensions and had me clutching for meaning vis-à-vis the nature of
existence in our anxious world. It’s sapid, tangy, and uneasy. Restless. Searching flavours pleasantly prickle the oral membranes
th
before meandering throatwards. I felt I was savouring the viola melody that begins the Adagio of Mahler’s 10 reimagined in
wine, floating, avoiding resolution, avoiding a vinous perfect cadence. Profound, anxious but emphatically delicious Pinot Noir.
Axel Prüfer makes stunningly fresh, aromatic, and delightfully juicy wines. His minimal interventionist style is exemplified in
visiting his vineyards, which requires a short hike off the beaten track. Axel’s vineyards are a picture of absurdity. Vines planted
in the midst of a dense forest, wild herbs and spiderwebs coating the ground. Fou du Roi is a Grenache, Cinsault and Carignan
blend, full of wild cherry, and displays great structure and vitality. It will be a delicious match with many of Tuoi’s dishes.
GEOFFREY HUNT
2014 Jerome Lambert ‘Le Fil Rouge’ Grolleau / Cabernet Franc
Champs-sur-Layon, Anjou, Loire, Fr.
Bursting with energy, aromas burst joyfully from the glass and flavours run amok throughout the mouth. And that’s just the way
you would like it; to muzzle the inertia would be to still the life-force.
vin jaune (savagnin) (all bottled in 620 ml ‘clavelin’)
2004 Michel Gahier
2006 Julien Labet
2006 Domaine de l'Octavin ‘Cherubin’
2005 Jean François Ganevat
1978 Fruitiere Vinicole
1988 Domaine Berthet-Bondet
1942 Domaine Meurgey
Arbois, Jura, France
Rotalier, Jura, France
Arbois, Jura, France
Rotalier, Jura, France
Arbois, Jura, France
Château-Chalon, Jura, France
Château-Chalon, Jura, France
75
120
185
200
320
336
590
750
42
jean-françois ganevat: jurassic alchemist
Ganevat. Secret handshake stuff. There is a small brotherhood of wine drinkers who hungrily pore over
international winelists in the hope of spying a hidden bottle. Rarely are such treasures listed, but saved for
the pleasure of customers with ‘Jura-sav’ who may appreciate the rarity and ‘otherworldliness’ of these wines.
This is extreme winemaking. Up to 40 different micro cuvées each year. All grapes hand-destemmed, grapes
separated from stems with scissors and dropped directly into a fermentation vessel.
A stint working for Domaine Jean-Marc Morey in Chassagne-Montrachet helped provide the inspiration to
veer away from traditional intentionally-oxidative Juran styles. JF typically uses ‘ouillage’ to top up barrels.
His Domaine Chardonnays tend to be fresh, lean and mineral, textural, tightly acidic and built to age. His
Savagnins, whether oxidative or topped up, are legendary. Certified biodynamic viticulture, minimal
additions of sulfur, typically extended aging on lees.
I have also listed a number of the wines released under the ‘Anne and Jean-François Ganevat’ label. In
partnership with his sister Anne, vineyards have been purchased in Beaujolais, and grapes purchased from
like-minded growers in Alsace, Macon, Côte Rôtie, Savoie and the Jura. Released as Vin de France, the project
provides an opportunity to include several estate-grown, endangered indigenous Jura varieties in the various
cépages; varieties that Ganevat is not permitted to include in ‘Côte du Jura’ wines.
We have been squirelling away our meagre allocations of these wines, awaiting the moment when bottles
begin to settle into a comfortable maturity. Now is the time.
domaine ganevat: côtes du jura
2013 Chardonnay ‘Cuvèe Florine’
Rotalier, Jura, France
180
2012 Chardonnay ‘Cuvèe Florine’
2012 Chardonnay ‘Les Chamois du Paradis’
Rotalier, Jura, France
Rotalier, Jura, France
200
180
Vines planted in1996. Limestone. Whole cluster fermentation ‘à l’ancienne’. 300-L and 400-L demi-muids.
Vines planted in1949. Red Marl, Gravel, Limestone. Whole cluster fermentation ‘à l’ancienne’. 300-L and 400-L demi-muids.
2011 Chardonnay ‘Grusse en Billat’
Rotalier, Jura, France
240
2012 Chardonnay ‘Grusse en Billat’
2013 Chardonnay ‘Grusse en Billat’
2012 Chardonnay ‘Les Chalasses Vieilles Vignes’
Rotalier, Jura, France
Rotalier, Jura, France
Rotalier, Jura, France
220
200
220
Vines planted in1960. Schist and Marl. Whole cluster fermentation ‘à l’ancienne’. 300-L and 400-L demi-muids.
Vines planted in1902. Gray Marl. Whole cluster fermentation ‘à l’ancienne’. 300-L and 400-L demi-muids.
2013 Chardonnay ‘Les Chalasses Vieilles Vignes’
2012 Chardonnay ‘Les Grands Teppes Vieilles Vignes’
Rotalier, Jura, France
Rotalier, Jura, France
200
260
Vines planted in1920. White Marl. Whole cluster fermentation ‘à l’ancienne’. 300-L and 400-L demi-muids.
2013 Chardonnay ‘Les Grands Teppes Vieilles Vignes’
Rotalier, Jura, France
250
2011 Assemblage: 50% Chardonnay, 50% Savagnin ‘Cuvèe Orégane’
Rotalier, Jura, France
220
Vines planted in1973, 1977. Blue Marl, White Marl. Whole cluster fermentation ‘à l’ancienne’. 300-L and 400-L demi-muids.
2011 Savagnin ‘Les Chalasses Marnes Bleues’
2012 Savagnin ‘Les Chalasses Marnes Bleues’
2013 Savagnin ‘Les Chalasses Marnes Bleues’
Rotalier, Jura, France
Rotalier, Jura, France
Rotalier, Jura, France
270
260
250
Vines planted in1933. Blue Marl. Whole cluster fermentation ‘à l’ancienne’. 300-L and 400-L demi-muids.
2009 Savagnin ‘Cuvèe Prestige’
Rotalier, Jura, France
250
2010 Savagnin ‘Cuvèe Prestige’
2005 Vin Jaune (Savagnin)
Rotalier, Jura, France
Rotalier, Jura, France
240
320
Vines planted in1977. Clay, Marl. Made in an oxidative style, wine remains ‘sous voile’ for 48 months in demi-muid.
43
anne et jean-françois ganevat
2012 Chardonnay ‘Le Monteau’
Rotalier, Jura, France
220
2007 Savagnin ‘Schiste’
2014 L’Ailleurs’ Auxerrois (Alsace), Savagnin and Enfariné
2014 ‘Kopin’ Chardonnay (Macon), Riesling (Alsace), Savagnin
Rotalier, Jura, France
Alsace, Jura, France
Macon, Alcase, Jura, France
320
110
130
2011 Ploussard ‘Merci l’Ami’
2014 Vin de France ‘Le Jaja du Ben’
Arbois, Jura, France
Bully and Jura, France
150
120
2013 Vin de France ‘Cuvèe Madelon’ 80% Gamay, 20% Enfariné
2014 Vin de France ‘Cuvèe Madelon’
Morgon, Beaujolais and Jura
Morgon, Beaujolais and Jura
140
140
Chardonnay (Le Monteau is a Jura lieu-dit), barrels ‘topped up’ in the Burgundian manner, as with his ‘Domaine’ Chardonnays.
Aged 12 months in demi-muid.
50% Gamay from Beaujolais (Bully) and 50% ancient Jura Varaitals: Petit Béclan, Gros Béclan, Geusche, Argant, Peurion,
Portugais Bleu, Isabelle, Enfariné. Aged nine months in conical wooden tank.
Gamay from Morgon (Dauby) with ancient Jura varietals: Petit Béclan, Gros Béclan, Geusche, Argant, Peurion, Portugais Bleu,
Isabelle, Enfariné. Aged 10 months in foudre.
2013 Vin de France ‘De Toute Beauté’ 75% Gamay, 25% Ancient Jura varieties Morgon, Beaujolais and Jura
2014 Vin de France ‘De Toute Beauté’ Gamay (Fleurie), Pinot Noir (Alsace) Fleurie, Alsace, France
160
160
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elevenses
An admission of guilt…
Many Vietnamese believe in concepts that fall outside my own sphere of understanding. Like members of various other
Asian cultures, they believe in the power of ‘auspicious numbers’ and principles of feng shui (which the Vietnamese call
phong thuy). If you speak to representatives of Australian building companies, they will tell you how important it is to
‘break the sod’ or begin the building process on the designated ‘auspicious day,’ if your customer is of Chinese,
Vietnamese or Cambodian background.
The same rules apply to opening a new business. The first day of trade may be selected only after proper consultation of
certain authoritive charts and texts. A fortuneteller is usually consulted.
And so in late 2010, Tuoi’s parents were horrified when I informed them that we would not be able to open
fermentAsian on their optimal date, Tuesday 7th December. There had been delays in setting up the kitchen, and then
Rockford, for whom I was working, had selected that same evening to host their annual ‘Growers’ Night.’ It was my duty
to attend.
I still remember the look of genuine horror on Tinh and Bang’s faces as it registered that we would not be complying
with the stipulations of their Vietnam-based fortuneteller.
The opening date was put off until the 12th December, apparently a considerably less auspicious date.
Meanwhile the 7th December rolled around and I remained behind after work at Rockford to help set up for the night on
which the contributions of valued local grape growers are celebrated. During the afternoon, the sky gradually darkened
and an ominously quiet, electricity-charged stillness chilled the valley. During the climax of the function, at the very
moment main courses were being ferried in from the kitchen to guests huddled inside a large marquee, the evening
was interrupted by the most tumultuous and terrifying electrical storm that I have experienced. The rain lashed down
and overlapping lightening strikes smote the Barossa floor with a rare ferocity. Booming thunderclaps drowned out all
efforts by Robert O’Callaghan to address the assembled farmers.
Above the mantelpiece in one of the fermentAsian rooms, there’s a dramatic photo from high on Rifle Range Road
looking out over Barossa vineyards, taken at the climax of that storm by fearless photographer Dragan Radocaj, who
must have been standing like an antenna behind his tripod.
I returned home later that evening to find that I was unable to park my car in its usual spot. Most of the driveway and car
park area had been washed away by torrents of water. There were now deep culverts and several tons of soil, gravel and
vineyard had washed into our neighbour’s dam.
Tuoi’s parents gave me a homocidal look when I entered the lounge room, having shed my sodden socks, shoes and
trousers. I was subjected to a second torrential downpour, this one in Vietnamese, which I didn’t understand, but the
meaning was all too clear and the ‘we-told-you-so’ invective very chastening.
If only it had stopped there. But the wet weather continued throughout the next three months, consigning the 2011
vintage to the ignominy of being one of the Barossa’s most miserable. It didn’t make me feel any better to know that
my thoughtless disregard of a central tenet of Vietnamese spiritual belief (and the associated karma) had inflicted a wet,
cool, difficult vintage, not only on SA but on Victoria and parts of NSW.
For many Barossa winemakers and grape growers, the 2011 growing season and vintage was one they will want to
forget. But was it really so bad? Bad enough for the press to comprehensively write off the quality before a considered
evaluation of completed wines could be made?
In 2015 I asked James Halliday whether there were any regrets about lambasting vintage 2011, even before all the
ferments were dry? “Absolutely,” he replied. “I now concede that it is one of the greatest Chardonnay vintages that we
have seen.”
“But what about Victorian Pinots, cool climate Shiraz, Riesling and Cabernets from the Barossa?” I asked.
Using one of my own favoured musical metaphors, Halliday replied, “Many of the wines from the vintage resemble the
most beautiful, pure soprano voice, singing without any orchestral accompaniment. The wines just don’t have the
deeper resonances that we look for in Australian wines.”
45
Perhaps because of my aforementioned ‘responsibility’ and guilty conscience, I have become a vocal champion for the
vintage. Reassuringly, I have found many winemakers who enjoyed the challenges of 2011, with its cooler
temperatures, unrelenting rainfall and high disease pressure. There is a real pride among winemakers who persevered
without compromise, adopting vigorous sorting regimes in the vineyard, and modifying their maturation procedures
and oak selections.
Nick Farr once told me that in 2011 he made the wines that he had always wanted to make. But the negative stigma in
the marketplace meant that he struggled to sell them.
There’s definitely a European cast to many of the 2011 wines. Many were certainly deprived of the sweet-fruited
richness that easier vintages offer, as grapes bask in prolonged sunshine, accumulating sugar. In 2011 there wasn’t
much prolonged sunshine. The ‘grain’ of the wines tends to be finer; what they might have lost in opulence they have
gained in ethereal transparency and vibrant acidity. Arguably, they also speak with more clarity of the various soil
profiles of the vineyards. I often feel that the riper, sweeter fruit characters (and more prominent oak) associated with
more generous vintages sometimes obscures the patina of terroir in wines.
In 2014, the great Philippe Guigal from Côte Rôtie visited our restaurant, after spending an afternoon meditating in the
Henschke Hill of Grace vineyard. He brought with him a bottle of 1994 ‘La Turque’, which he asked me to decant. As I
returned the wine to the table, Guigal asked me my thoughts. I told him that the wine had really surprised me, as I had
been expecting a more powerful, oakier, more opulent expression, consistent with other bottles of the ‘La La’ wines
tasted previously. He proceeded to inform me that it was his favourite ‘La Turque’, despite the dire vintage. Guigal
explained that the berries at the top of each bunch had been green and unripe, that those at the bottom had been black
with rot, and how they had to sift through the middle section of each bunch, seeking healthy grapes. I asked Guigal, “So
is it your favourite ‘La Turque’ because you managed, against the odds, to salvage a salable wine?” “No,” he replied. “It’s
my favourite ‘La Turque’ because it tastes alive. It has the most wonderful driving acidity, and will live beyond
everyone’s expectations.” And suddenly I was thinking Barossa 2011.
We offer here a short rotating list of S.E. Australian wines from 2011, the year Burgundy visited the Barossa. And as an
added bonus, the savoury finesse of these wines harmonises very effectively with Tuoi’s gently spiced cuisine.
2011 Pikes ‘The Merle’ Riesling
2011 Bannockburn Vineyards ‘S.R.H.’ Chardonnay
2011 Torzi Matthews ‘Vigna Cantina’ Trebbiano
Clare Valley, SA
Geelong, Victoria
Barossa Valley, SA
80
150
42
2011 Bindi ‘Composition’ Pinot Noir
2011 Yarra Yering Pinot Noir
2011 Bindi ‘Block 5’ Pinot Noir
2011 Bethany ‘Old Vine’ Grenache (Vines 50 - 120 years old)
2011 Greenock Creek ‘Cornerstone’ Grenache
2011 Cirillo 1850 ‘Old Vine’ Grenache (Vines planted 1848)
2011 Greenock Creek Cabernet Sauvignon
2011 Yalumba FDR1A Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz
2011 Farr Rising Shiraz
2011 Shiraz by Farr
2011 Alain Graillot Syrah No 1 11
2011 Yarra Yering Dry Red Wine No.2
2011 Rockford ‘Rod and Spur’
2011 Greenock Creek ‘Seven Acre’ Shiraz
2011 Rockford ‘Basket Press’ Shiraz
2011 Yarra Yering Dry Red Wine No.3
Macedon, Victoria
Yarra Valley, Victoria
Macedon, Victoria
Barossa Valley, SA
Greenock, Barossa Valley, SA
Barossa Valley, SA
Seppeltsfield, Barossa Valley, SA
Eden Valley, SA
Geelong, Victoria
Bannockburn, Victoria
Heathcote, Victoria
Yarra Valley, Victoria
Barossa Valley, SA
Seppeltsfield, Barossa Valley, SA
Barossa Valley, SA
Yarra Valley, Victoria
98
160
160
36
68
80
78
88
70
75
78
160
66
86
140
160
46
rosé
2015 Torzi Matthews ‘Vigna Cantina’ Rosato di Sangiovese
2015 Dandelion Vineyards ‘Fairytale of the Barossa’ Rosé
Mount McKenzie, Eden Valley, SA
Gomersal, Barossa Valley, SA
42
44
2015 Spinifex Rosé
2014 La Prova Aglianico Rosato
Barossa Valley, SA
Kersbrook, Adelaide Hills, SA
44
44
2015 Rockford Alicante Bouchet
Barossa Valley, SA
44
Succession plans. After pouring Dave Lehmann’s 107 Variety Red Rose for several months (to thunderous acclaim) it has been
tricky to select a local pink that wouldn’t come across all simple, fruity and melodramatic. Then we stumbled on this beauty from
Elena Brooks. Tasted blind in a pink-tinged lineup, it blitzed all other candidates. Why? It’s tangy, vinous and sapid. It sings from
the Barossa Grenache hymnbook but with an edgy touch of wild ferment and leesy funk. Missionary Position Rosé? No way José.
La Prova is a Sam Scott label. Customers who have enjoyed Sam’s delicious Chardonnay will be curious to try some of the wines
released under ‘La Prova’, an experimental series from Italian varietals grown in the Adelaide Hills.
This Aglianico Rose is destined to make only a short cameo appearance on this list; we don’t have many bottles to play with. But
I’m confident that the wine’s serious food-friendly credentials – rosewater and guava aromatics, smoky wild-ferment creaminess
and playfully persistent phenolic friction across the tongue - will make it a perfect match with many of the current fermentAsian
dishes. I can’t wait to line it up alongside the Chicken Salad. GD
Alicante Bouschet is a grape variety with more pigment than any other. Because the juice is already a science fiction pink at
crushing, it requires no skin contact; the resulting rosé is just pure unadulterated juicy pink goodness. Rockford have dried it off
slightly over the last few releases, so it’s a bit more grown up now, but still so moreish. Sub 10% Alcohol adds to the thirstquenching appeal. GD
2015 Charles Melton ‘Rose of Virginia’
2014 Christian Ducroux ‘Esquisse’ (Gamay)
2015 Bieler Père & Fils ‘Cuvée Sabine Rosé
2014 Domaine Jean Fournier Marsannay Rosé (Pinot Noir)
Barossa Valley, SA
Régnié, Beaujolais, France
Coteau d’Aix-en-Provence
Marsannay, Côte de Nuits, France
44
54
56
58
Hailed as one of the brightest young talents in the Côte de Nuits, Laurent Fournier is winemaker at the estate that bears his
father’s name. His wines are certified organic, serious and surprisingly underpriced for the quality, due to his vineyard’s location
just outside the suburbs of Dijon, and to the skinny margins applied by importers Jeremy and Heidi Holmes from d’Or to Door.
This is as thirst quenching and energetic a rosé as you are likely to find anywhere. Crackling with crunchy red berry fruit, seaspray
and tonic water minerality, it represents beautiful Indian summer imbibing with Vietnamese fare. Got to get to Burgundy… GD
2015 Mahana Pinot Noir Rosé
Nelson, New Zealand
59
2014 Domaine de la Tour du Bon (Mourvedre ++)
Bandol, Provence, France
68
Serious Rosé. Winter Rosé. Dry and distinguished. Muted pastel red fruits levitate cautiously from deep within the glass,
followed by a stampede of heady strawberries and tangy pomegranates that washes through the oral cavity. There’s surprising
structure and impressive complexity, carbonic maceration, wild ferment and whole bunch characters to the fore. Michael Glover
is known for being a bit of a mad adventurer. He does things his own eccentric way, and with the quality of dry-grown,
organically farmed, hand-picked fruit available to him for this Nelson project, he has turned out an outstanding food wine.
Take a long pull on a glass of this Rosé and capture the light of Provence. The shimmering liquid seems to warm the room, to
summon summers past. It transports me to the side of Cezanne’s easel as he rapidly applies thick lurid oil paint in short diagonal
stabs; I witness a landscape of terracotta rooftops, pale stone walls, scrubby windswept herbs and an impossibly blue
Mediterranean begin to materialise. I can detect those stunted herbs deep within the wine; I can taste the sun on the stone, on
baked clay tiles and rambling Centifolia. Is there a wine that speaks of its place more so than Bandol Rosé? Capture the light.
2014 François Cotat Rosé (Pinot Noir)
2014 Château de Pibarnon Rosé ‘Nuances’
Sancerre, Loire Valley, France
Bandol, Provence, France
90
120
2004 Domaine de Belliviere ½ Sweet Rosé Pineau d’Aunis les Giroflees Jasnieres, Loire Valley, France
2004 Domaine de Belliviere Sweet Rosé Pineau d’Aunis la Salmandre Jasnieres, Loire Valley, France
180
210
In a reaction against the prevailing local fashion of releasing each new vintage of Bandol rosé as early as possible, Château de
Pibarnon have crafted a much deeper, expressive and age-worthy wine, of which this is the first release. A 100% Mourvedre
micro cuvee, from a particularly low-yielding limestone-soil plot, the natural ferment takes place both in stainless steel and clay
amphora before being blended together and elevaged in an old 30-litre Stockinger foudre. Expect alluring and exotic scents to
burst from your glass: blood orange and North African spice. Expect a swathe of saline minerality and a resonating ring of natural
acidity that will leave the wine singing long after you have swallowed. GD
Hens’ teeth. Belliviere’s Australian importer Andrew Guard made me promise to save a bottle of these to share with him. Made
only very occasionally, Andrew had never experienced one of these rosés, but had heard about them. We drank it over the
Christmas period with Fraso and Dan & Nicole Standish. A very memorable experience, the wine is luscious yet tightly linear. The
Belliviere web site suggests curries or aperitif. I suggest Vietnamese! GD
47
red wines
blaufränkisch
2013 Hahndorf Hill ‘Blueblood’ Blaufränkisch
Hahndorf, Adelaide Hills
64
2014 Cave de Chautagne ‘Vieilles Vignes’ Gamay
Ruffieux, Savoie, France
52
2014 Farr Rising Gamay
2014 Paul Janin ‘Les Vignes des Jumeaux’ (Gamay)
2011 Vissoux Fleurie ‘Poncié’ (375ml)
2011 Vissoux Fleurie ‘Poncié’ (750ml)
Geelong, Victoria
Beaujolais, France
Fleurie, Beaujolais, France
Fleurie , Beaujolais, France
60
62
42
68
2011 Paul Janin et Fils Vieilles Vignes ‘Greneriers’
2014 Daniel Bouland Morgon ‘Corcelette’
Moulin-a-Vent, Beaujolais, Fr
Morgon, Beaujolais, France
72
75
2013 Domaine Chignard Fleurie ‘Les Moriers’
2014 Daniel Bouland Morgon ‘Vieilles Vignes’’
2012 Georges Descombes Brouilly ‘Vieilles Vignes’
2010 Georges Descombes Fleurie
2012 Georges Descombes Régnié ‘Vieilles Vignes’
2013 Paul Janin et Fils Vieilles Vignes ‘Clos du Tremblay’
Fleurie, Beaujolais, France
Morgon, Beaujolais, France
Brouilly, Beaujolais, France
Fleurie, Beaujolais, France
Brouilly, Beaujolais, France
Moulin-a-Vent, Beaujolais, France
75
78
90
90
90
90
2011 Domaine Guillot-Broux
2011 Jean Foillard ‘Côte du Py’
2013 K. Descombes Morgon ‘Vieilles Vignes’
Mâcon-Cruzille, Burgundy, France
Morgon, Beaujolais, France
Morgon, Beaujolais, France
90
96
96
Since debuting with the 2008 vintage, the first Australian wine made from Austria’s predominant red variety has won enormous
accolades and a poolroom full of trophies. This 2013 release displays all the easy charm that makes these wines such a delight to
drink. Blueberries and morello cherries are dusted with a sweet spice mix. If some of the other wines on this list challenge with
their varying degrees of savouriness, this one should appeal to an audience seeking a more sweet-fruited alternative. GD
Gamay
This is the biz. If one were to concoct the perfect red-grape wine to partner Tuoi’s food and came up with something more entirely
delicious and complementary than this, I would love to see it. This is cherrystone scented, tangy, pure and electric. As it splashes
over the crest of the tongue, one can almost hear the spring-thaw waters bubbling excitedly down Mont Blanc’s stony
watercourses. Drinkability? Let’s just say that this is not a wine for politely sipping. GD
Vital and red-fruited, this is a pretty natural fit with any one of our menu items, even those with snapper, prawns and squid.
Fleurie is the best known of the ten villages of Beaujolais and this wine from old vines, organically grown in pink granite soils
exudes aromas of cranberry, Campari, blood orange, fresh green herbs, cloves, smoke and dried flowers. Simple winemaking
sans filtration has ensured that the natural crackling tangy energy is preserved. Forget any lingering prejudices formed during
the 1980s and 90s when Beaujolais Nouveau killed the market for the good stuff. GD
We keep banging on about Cru Beaujolais, trying to counter a negative perception of skinny wines with simple fruit flavours and
sharp edges. This is a great example of how delicious these wines can be. From the Corcelette vineyard in Morgon, sited directly
opposite the more famous Cote du Py. Vibrant Satsuma and cherry notes leap from the glass, followed by a palate that muddles
crunchy freshness, woodsmoke, tangy mineral acid drive and powdery tannin: tannin more sensual than structural. Summertime
red; lightly chilled to enhance the refreshment factor. GD
A group of TWE wine makers, on being told that they were going to be treated to a selection of Australian and Beaujolais Gamaybased wines with dinner in our restaurant were heard to mutter “What have we done to deserve this?” I’m not sure if the wines
that they experienced that night did anything to allay such prejudices, but I’m confident that anyone encountering this particular
expression will be more than charmed. First up we have the rich wafts of freshly baked cherry clafoutis, straight from the hot
oven, followed on the palate by a whirl of macerated fresh cherry flesh, gun smoke, grenadine and an irresistible tug of tannin,
reminding us that Moulin-a-Vent produces structural wines that will evolve in the bottle over many years. Simply beautiful. GD
Kevin Descombes is Georges’s son. It is apparent that the apple has fallen and rolled a good few metres from the tree. Kevin’s
wines are stylistically quite different from his old man’s with perhaps just a little more polish. But then this is a début wine, with
fruit selected from an old vine site just outside the family property. If it were my firstborn, I’d be molly-coddling it too! Intriguing,
ethereal, peppery, cherrystone Beaujolais. GD
48
more gamay
2009 Jean Foillard ‘Fleurie’
2012 Domaine Chignard Fleurie ‘Cuvée Spéciale’
2010 Jules Desjourneys ‘La Chapelle des Bois’
2010 Jean Foillard ‘Cuvée 3.14’
2010 Jules Desjourneys ‘Les Michelons’
1949 Mise Nicolas Moulin a Vent
Fleurie, Beaujolais, France
Fleurie, Beaujolais, France
Fleurie, Beaujolais, France
Morgon, Beaujolais, France
Moulin a Vent, Beaujolais, France
Moulin a Vent, Beaujolais, France
2014 Broc Cellars Valdiguié (Napa Gamay)
Green Valley, Solano County, California, USA
Previously known as ‘Napa Gamay’ this is actually produced from the Valdiguié grape, which is native to the Languedoc in France.
This is juicy and fresh (from carbonic maceration) and will throw itself all over the flavours at ferment. GD
pinot noir (australia)
south australia
99
99
165
200
220
290
88
2014 La Prova Pinot Nero
2015 Michael Hall ‘sang de pigeon’ Pinot Noir
Basket Range, Adelaide Hills, SA
Adelaide Hills, SA
43
48
2013 Lofty Valley ‘Steeped’
Adelaide Hills, SA
58
2014 Yelland & Papps ‘Second Take’
2015 Ashton Hills ‘Piccadilly’
2014 Michael Hall Pinot Noir
2012 Henschke ‘Giles’
2014 Ashton Hills ‘Reserve’
2010 Henschke ‘The Alan’ Reserve
Norton Summit, Adelaide Hills, SA
Piccadilly, Adelaide Hills, SA
Adelaide Hills, SA
Lenswood, Adelaide Hills, SA
Adelaide Hills, SA
Lenswood, Adelaide Hills, SA
Sang de pigeon (pigeon’s blood) is a reverential term for the colour of the finest rubies, and references Michael Hall’s former life
working as a jewellery valuer for Sotheby’s in Switzerland. After a mid-life career switch, Michael now crafts wines that captivate
with their carefully nuanced interplay between nature’s offering and his own gentle, often reticent winemaker’s hand. These are
thoughtful wines and will delight those folks who value an intrinsic sensitivity towards the changing personality of each vintage.
Never a slave to formulae or the expectations of the marketplace, Michael’s authentic wines are now gracing many of the finest
wine lists around Australia. Michael Hall must have some great stories from the various diverse chapters of a life fully lived: he’d
be a great dinner party conversationalist! GD
Tang Dynasty. If there is one vinous quality that really resonates with Tuoi’s food, it’s tanginess. Combine her salty-sweet-sour
sauces with wines that exhibit a tang factor and the pleasure is inevitable. Brendan Keys weaves flavours of steeped morello
cherry and bay leaf into a vibrant, lively elixir. GD
68
68
76
82
120
165
49
more pinot noir (australia)
victoria
2013 William Downie Mornington (375 ml)
2013 William Downie Yarra Valley (375 ml)
2015 Giant Steps Yarra Valley Pinot Noir
Mornington, Victoria
Yarra Valley, Victoria
Yarra Valley, Victoria
2013 Philippa Farr Gippsland
2012 Giant Steps ‘Gladysdale Vineyard’
2011 Bindi ‘Composition’
2013 By Farr ‘Farrside’
2010 Kooyong ‘Meres’
2013 William Downie Gippsland
2013 William Downie Mornington
2013 William Downie Yarra
Gippsland, Victoria
Yarra Valley, Victoria
Macedon, Victoria
Geelong, Victoria
Mornington Peninsula, Victoria
Gippsland, Victoria
Mornington Peninsula, Victoria
Yarra Valley, Victoria
78
95
98
98
106
110
110
110
2012 Bannockburn Vineyards ‘De La Terre”
2010 Bass Phillip ‘Estate’
2010 By Farr ‘Tout Pres’
2012 Yabby Lake Vineyard Single Block Release ‘Block 2’
2011 Bindi ‘Block 5’
2012 Bannockburn Vineyards ‘Serré’
2000 Giaconda Pinot Noir
Geelong, Victoria
South Gippsland, Victoria
Geelong, Victoria
Mornington Peninsula, Victoria
Macedon, Victoria
Geelong, Victoria
Beechworth, Victorian Alps, Victoria
120
136
158
158
160
180
250
Bicheno, Tasmania
Coal River Valley, Tasmania
100
116
Steve Flamsteed’s no stranger to these pages or to this green valley. Time was when he manned the pans, with Maggie on the
pass at Pheasant Farm. During Roseworthy. Before the unfolding of an impressive multi-pronged career. Cheese maker, wine
maker, Renaissance Man. He’s driven, with eyes that light right up at any suggestion of vinous or culinary vision, and he’s taken
great strides with Giant Steps. Here’s a new release from a stonkingly good Yarra vintage. It’s my kind of wine. Suggestivelystalky, bright fruited; sizzling with Aperol herbiness, rhubarb, fleur de sel and tang. Lots of tang. And Tuoi’s dishes love that tang!
A lovely Barossa connection frames up the flavours in the amazing Pinots made by Bill Downie. A while ago now, Bill initiated a
barrel project with Peter and Alex John from AP John Cooperage here in Tanunda. Early trials have now developed into a
sophisticated routine that maximises the immediate freshness and oatmeal subtlety of the just-toasted oak. Alex personally
toasts each of the William Downie French oak barrels; they are immediately shrink-wrapped and loaded onto a truck, and driven
to the Yarragon winery in West Gippsland where they are filled with Pinot within 24 hours of being fired. Amazing wine! GD
tasmania
2011 Freycinet
2014 Tolpuddle
58
58
60
50
pinot noir (new zealand)
2014 Mahana ‘Gravity’
Nelson, New Zealand
68
2014 Corofin ‘Settlement Vineyard’ East Slope
Marlborough, New Zealand
88
Michael Glover has returned to his native Nelson after completing his heralded sabbatical at Bannockburn in Geelong. His early
releases for Mahana are defiantly different to the sometimes ‘campy’ Pinots that pull focus in New Zealand’s South Island. This
certainly still has power, courtesy both of the terroir and the caring dry-grown and organic vine work, but the bitter chocolate,
dark cherry, Asian spice and wholebunch-herbal-garrigue flavour profile had me thinking Marsannay or even Chorey. This is
amazingly serious Pinot Noir for the price! GD
A mere five dozen of this wine made it to Oz as part of this new venture’s first shipment to our country. I had heard rumours of a
micro husband-and-wife passion project, which by all accounts was set to place Marlborough’s Southern Valley hillsides firmly on
the map of Pinot Noir’s most esteemed new world sites.
This Pinot begins quietly, nose-shy and poker faced. The herbal whole bunch (30%) element subdues fruit histrionics, though
there are glimpses of dulcet red-fruited aromatics - this wine performs on a smaller stage than many of the region’s better-known
(and ebullient) whites. On the palate it’s all precision, lift and red-fruited freshness. Silk against the gums. Politely acidic, long
and lingering, with faintly amaro intrigue on the finish. A perfect match for a sweetly-sauced dish like roast pork belly where the
hedonistic, sweetly-citrus tang of sauce is chastened by the wine’s slight bitterness. Impressed. GD
2014 Corofin ‘Cowley Family Vineyard’ Main Slopes
2012 Tongue in Groove ‘Clayvin Vineyard’
2013 Ata Rangi
Marlborough, New Zealand
Waipara, New Zealand
Martinborough, New Zealand
88
116
116
2013 Ata Rangi Pinot Noir (375ml)
2011 Felton Road ‘Cornish’
2013 Felton Road ‘Block 3’
2013 Felton Road ‘Block 5’
Martinborough, New Zealand
Central Otago, NZ
Central Otago, NZ
Central Otago, NZ
74
116
190
190
Burgundy, France
Burgundy, France
Burgundy, France
110
110
145
Vini Viti Vinci
110
Beautiful wine, poised and precise, one can see why this particular vintage has drawn such positive attention from the world’s
wine scribes. A lance of penetrating red-fruited tang studded with stony geological indicators rushes over the tongue and
reverberates through the oral chamber, literally for minutes. This is quite something! It’s a work of both ethereal purity and
profound concentration, seemingly unrelated to those flamboyant pinot expressions from the bigger island. Immaculately
tailored in its youth with aristocratic oak and dark cherry / blood plum melange in perfect allignment, but one already senses the
shadowy encroachment of serious savoury complexity. This will continue to evolve and impress the longer it graces this list. GD
pinot noir (burgundy: bourgogne rouge)
2010 François Lamarche Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Nuit
2013 Arnoux-Lachaux Pinot Fin
2012 Frédéric Cossard Bourgogne Rouge ‘Bedeau’
Suggestion, innuendo, nuance. Perhaps not words that readily come to mind when evaluating Barossa Shiraz, but very much the
stock and trade of great Burgundy. Obviousness is an anathema, predictability a scourge. Instead, the muted pastels of Degas,
the hazy blur of late Monet, the nebulous metre of Debussy are re-imagined in a swirl of fermented grape juice.
Shakespeare penned “Indistinct. As water is in water”. There is something equally illusive and unfathomable in many great
expressions of Burgundy. We take a first tentative sniff of a freshly poured glass and consciously seek ‘pinosity’. The Pinot in
Pinot Noir. But so often it’s hidden by a veil of mist. Only fleetingly apparent. You realise that fruit just isn’t the point.
I hear you protest “But this is lowly Bourgogne!” And actually, that’s not something I would have picked. The wine certainly
radiates a presence and personality that befits a more esteemed level.
Which takes us to the maker. The farmer. Cossard. Examine his great influence. His teachings have inspired the likes of Eric
Pfifferling, Bruno Duchêne, Olivier Rivière and Maxime Laurent from Domaine Gramenon. He is one of the most gifted creators
of wines that resonate, long after his special bottles have been consumed. Perhaps it comes down to ‘care factor’, critical
selection and respect for Nature’s own patterns and remedies. GD
pinot noir (burgundy: yonne)
2014 Irancy ‘Les Beaux Monts’
51
pinot noir (burgundy: côte de nuits)
marsannay
2012 Marsannay ‘Cuvée Saint-Urbain’
Domaine Jean Fournier
140
Village Vineyards: appellation Gevrey-Chambertin
2010 Gevrey-Chambertin
2010 Gevrey-Chambertin
2011 Gevrey-Chambertin
2007 Gevrey-Chambertin ‘Vieille Vignes’
Domaine Meo Camuzet
Denis Mortet
Harmand Geoffroy
Domaine Marc Roy
260
260
220
190
Premiers Crus
2009 Gevrey-Chambertin ‘Cazetiers’ 1er Cru
2000 Gevrey-Chambertin ‘Cazetiers’ 1er Cru
2010 Gevrey-Chambertin ‘Cazetiers’ 1er Cru
2010 Gevrey-Chambertin ‘Lavaux St-Jacques’ 1er Cru
Domaine Bruno Clair
Joseph Faiveley
Joseph Faiveley (375ml)
Denis Mortet
350
260
130
390
Grand Crus
2010 Chambertin Grand Cru
1993 Clos de Bèze Grand Cru
2002 Clos de Bèze Grand Cru
2009 Clos de Bèze Grand Cru
2009 Clos de Bèze Grand Cru
1996 Chapelle-Chambertin Grand Cru
2007 Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru
2009 Charmes Chambertin Grand Cru
Denis Mortet
Domaine Rougeot-Dupin
Domaine Prieuré Roch
Joseph Faiveley
Domaine Prieuré Roch
Domaine Trapet Père & Fils
Bernard Dugat-Py
Domaine Leflaive
2010 Charmes Chambertin Grand Cru
2010 Charmes Chambertin Grand Cru
2009 Charmes Chambertin ‘Très Vieilles Vignes’ Grand Cru
2009 Latricieres Chambertin Grand Cru
2007 Mazis- Chambertin Grand Cru
2008 Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru
2009 Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru
Domaine Faiveley
Géantet-Pansiot
Joseph et Philippe Roty
Domaine Faiveley
Domaine Faiveley
Harmand-Geoffroy
Joseph et Philippe Roty
It’s a useful exercise contemplating a glass of Burgundy whilst stuck in the middle of God’s own Shiraz Country. You might ask
“Why would you?” and many will be happy to chug away on a glass or three of the Barossa’s finest, enjoying the sun-on-the-vines
completeness that defines our best. But sometimes, just sometimes, I love to experience a pinot from its ancestral home. It
opens you up to a whole different world of sensuality; a different pace through the mouth, as if a stiff sou’wester is driving the
wine’s spinnaker down a riptide that’s furrowing the centre of your tongue. There’s none of that ‘settled’ feeling you get from
wines that naturally pool in the low-lying trenches beneath the roots of your tongue. Rather, the wine tacks energetically,
zigzagging towards the back of your throat. The flavours might not be rich, sweet or deep fruited, but they are limber, airy,
geological, blissfully perfumed, and seem to reach out and synchronise themselves with whatever’s on your plate. GD
gevrey-chambertin
1200
650
900
600
1200
700
1800
430
I sense a suspicion amongst many customers that Pinot Noir is somewhat lightweight. Being seen with a glass in your hand is
like being caught in the man-cave watching Nureyev pirouetting on SBS when you could be glued to a replay of Foreman and Ali
slugging it out on FOX.
This Chambertin Charmes is a Raging Bull of a Pinot. From a riper vintage, it’s Pinot with the boxing gloves on but without the
cheeky shorts. Rich and concentrated, the flavour profile is attractively ‘beefed up’ with underlying notes of Bovril, Hoisin and
exuberant displays of ripe, pungent black and blue fruit. Aristocratic oak flavours are already losing influence as they are
gradually sucked up by the power of the fruit and rolling ripe fruit tannin. Glorious and mouth filling, this will give many of the
bigger local shirazes a run for their money in the heavyweight red wine stakes. GD
420
430
590
390
360
320
560
52
more pinot noir (burgundy: côte de nuits)
morey-st-denis
Village Vineyards: appellation Morey-St-Denis
2011 Morey-St-Denis ‘Très Girard’
Domaine Cécile Tremblay
260
Premiers Crus
2010 Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru ‘Clos Sorbé’
2011 Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru ‘Cuvee Des Alouettes’
2011 Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru ‘Les Monts Luisants’
François Feuillet
Domaine Ponsot
Frédéric et Laure Cossard
220
360
260
Grand Crus
1976 Clos la Roche Grand Cru
1996 Clos la Roche Grand Cru
1995 Clos la Roche Grand Cru
2010 Clos la Roche Grand Cru
2010 Clos la Roche Grand Cru Cuvée Vieilles Vignes
2010 Clos St Denis Grand Cru
2010 Clos St Denis Grand Cru
2012 Clos de Tart Grand Cru
Domaine Dujac
Domaine Jadot
Domaine Louis Remy
Domaine Faiveley
Domaine Ponsot
Domaine Faiveley
Benjamin Leroux
Domaine du Clos de Tart
1100
750
650
420
1400
380
460
1200
Village Vineyards: appellation Chambolle-Musigny
2011 Chambolle-Musigny
2011 Chambolle-Musigny
2009 Chambolle-Musigny
2011 Chambolle-Musigny ‘Les Cabottes’
François Feuillet
Domaine Arnoux-Lachaux
Ghislaine Barthod
Domaine Cécile Tremblay
190
230
220
320
Premiers Crus
1981 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru “Les Amoureuses’
2010 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru ‘Les Baudes’
2009 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru ‘Aux Combottes’
2011 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru ‘Sentiers’
2011 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru ‘Les Feusselottes’
Domaine Misserey
Ghislaine Barthod
Ghislaine Barthod
François Feuillet
Domaine Cécile Tremblay
360
350
320
320
450
Grand Crus
2010 Bonnes Mares Grand Cru
1999 Musigny Grand Cru
Benjamin Leroux
460
Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé 2400
chambolle-musigny
vougeot
Grand Crus
2010 Clos De Vougeot Grand Cru
2005 Clos Vougeot Grand Cru
2010 Clos De Vougeot Grand Cru
2010 Clos De Vougeot Grand Cru
2010 Clos De Vougeot Grand Cru
2009 Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru ‘Classique’
2009 Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru ‘Vieilles Vignes’
Domaine Daniel Rion
Domaine Daniel Rion
Domaine François Lamarche
Denis Mortet
Domaine Ponsot
Château de La Tour
Château de La Tour
280
380
370
750
950
390
580
53
more pinot noir (burgundy: côte de nuits)
vosne-romanée & flagey-echézeaux
Village Vineyards: appellation Vosne-Romanée
2010 Vosne-Romanée
2010 Vosne-Romanée
Domaine Meo Camuzet
Domaine Lécheneaut
250
190
2011 Vosne-Romanée
2013 Vosne-Romanée
2011 Vosne-Romanée Vieilles Vignes
2012 Vosne-Romanée ‘Les Champs Perdrix’
2007 Vosne-Romanée 'Les Jacquines'
Domaine Daniel Rion
Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair
Domaine Cécile Tremblay
Frédéric et Laure Cossard
Jean-Claude Boisset
135
240
330
390
175
Premiers Crus
2010 Vosne-Romanée ‘Les Beaux-Monts’ 1er Cru
2011 Vosne-Romanée ‘Les Chaumes’ 1er Cru
Domaine Daniel Rion
Domaine François Lamarche
210
260
Grand Crus
2010 La Grande Rue Grand Cru
2003 Richebourg Grand Cru
2006 Romanée St. Vivant Grand Cru
2010 Echezeaux Grand Cru
2010 Grands Echézeaux Grand Cru
2001 Grands Echézeaux Grand Cru
Domaine François Lamarche
Domaine de la Romanee Conti
Domaine de la Romanee Conti
Domaine Faiveley
Domaine Faiveley
Domaine de la Romanee Conti
670
2100
3000
440
480
2500
This is positively glossy, yet finely and deliciously defined. The shape and slippery nature of the wine as rolls towards the back of
the throat is totally beguiling. Indeed, this delivers well beyond the expectation of its level and price point. It could only be Pinot
Noir, sweet-fruited and spicy, but expect a whole lot more than a mere demonstration of varietal typicity. Peer into the shadows
that border the main flavour path and relish the indistinct swirls of humus and salted crushed stone. GD
nuits-st-georges
Village Vineyards: appellation Nuits-St-Georges
2010 Nuits-Saint-Georges ‘La Charmotte’ Cuvee Marcel Gerbeaut Domaine François Feuillet
2005 Nuits-Saint-Georges ‘Aux Lavières’
Domaine Leroy
Premiers Crus
2006 Nuits-Saint-Georges ‘Clos de la Marechale’ 1er Cru
2008 Nuits-Saint-Georges ‘Clos des Corvées’ 1er Cru
2007 Nuits-Saint-Georges ‘Les Damodes’ 1er Cru
2009 Nuits-Saint-Georges ‘Clos De Forêts’ 1er Cru
2009 Nuits-Saint-Georges ‘Clos De Forêts’ 1er Cru
2006 Nuits-Saint-Georges ‘Aux Murgers’ 1er Cru
2010 Nuits-Saint-Georges ‘Clos Des Porrets’ 1er Cru
2008 Nuits-Saint-Georges ‘Les Pruliers’ 1er Cru
1983 Nuits-Saint-Georges ‘Rue de Chaux’ 1er Cru
Jacques Frederic Mugnier
Domaine Prieuré Roch
Aurélien Verdet
Domaine de L’Arlot (375 ml)
Domaine de L’Arlot (750ml)
Domaine Sylvain Cathiard & Fils
Domaine Henri Gouges (375 ml)
Domaine Lécheneaut
Henri Remoriquet
210
1500
440
328
240
130
212
450
190
278
310
54
pinot noir (burgundy: côte de beaune)
the hill of corton
Corton Grand Crus
1976 Corton Bressandes Grand Cru
1978 Corton Grancey
2005 Corton ‘Clos des Cortons Faiveley’
2007 Corton ‘Clos Du Roi’ Grand Cru
2010 Corton ‘Cuvée du Bourdon’ Grand Cru
2012 Corton Grand Cru
2012 Corton Grand Cru
Domaine Prieur
Domaine Louis Latour
Domaine Faiveley
Chandon de Briailles
Domaine Ponsot
Domaine Cornu
Benjamin Leroux
340
700
650
306
790
280
380
Pernand-Vergelesses Premier Crus
2010 Pernand Vergalesses 1er Cru ‘Ile de Vergalesses’
2011 Pernand Vergalesses 1er Cru ‘Ile de Vergalesses’
Domaine Rollin
Domaine Chandon de Briailles
210
190
Every now and then you stumble across a wine that presents as an epitome of the sometimes-nebulous concept of “terroir”. This
is one such wine. It throws into stark relief the contrast between old world and new world manifestations of “flavour”. Will it be
fruit or will it be dirt? The new world’s focus on expression of fruit and fruit sweetness is seemingly completely alien to the
thought processes that captured the flavours here.
A big whiff of chalky, dusty earth is followed on the palate by such concentrated savoury dry soil flavours that I wondered
whether the wine had been strained through a sieve filled with handfuls of loam from the vineyard, following its final racking.
But there’s more to it than that: I haven’t yet mentioned “beauty”. And there is a kind of craggy, ethereal beauty in the
counterpoint between minerality and shadowy vestiges of fruit: Japanese salty plum, whole-bunch tobacco leaf characters and a
spice regime dominated by sumac and iodine (is that a spice?). Thought provoking indeed. Working the wine in the glass sees a
pleasant increase in depth and expansiveness. It really is the perfect foil to the sweet richness of many of the meat dishes
presented at this address. GD
2010 Pernand Vergalesses 1er Cru ‘Ile de Vergalesses’
2009 Pernand Vergalesses 1er Cru ‘Ile de Vergalesses’
2005 Pernand Vergalesses 1er Cru ‘Ile de Vergalesses’
Domaine Chandon de Briailles
Domaine Chandon de Briailles
Domaine Chandon de Briailles
220
210
250
Village Vineyards: appellation Beaune
2010 Beaune Grèves ‘Vigne de l’Enfant Jésus’
1978 Beaune Grèves ‘Vigne de l’Enfant Jésus’
Domaine Bouchard
Domaine Bouchard
359
1300
Premiers Crus
2008 Beaune ‘Les Cent Vignes’ 1er Cru
Camille Giroud
180
Village Vineyards: Savigny-lès-Beaune; Chorey- lès-Beaune
2012 Savigny-lès-Beaune
2013 Chorey-lès-Beaune
Benjamin Leroux (375 ml)
Catherine et Claude Maréchal
98
140
Premiers Crus
2012 Savigny-lès-Beaune ‘Les Lavières’ 1er Cru
Catherine et Claude Maréchal
195
beaune
savigny & chorey lès-beaune
55
more pinot noir (burgundy: côte de beaune)
pommard
Village Vineyards: appellation Pommard
2010 Pommard
Jean Marc Bouley
138
Premier Crus
2009 Pommard 1er Cru ‘Les Saussilles’
2010 Pommard 1er Cru ‘Les Rugiens’
2012 Pommard 1er Cru ‘Les Rugiens’
2011 Pommard 1er Cru ‘Les Pezzerolles’
Bernard et Thierry Glantenay
Jean Marc Bouley
Bernard et Thierry Glantenay
Domaine de Chassorney
220
260
290
220
Thierry Glantenay
130
volnay
Village Vineyards: appellation Volnay
2010 Volnay
It’s been apparent for some time that 2010 represents a pretty special vintage in Burgundy. Celebrated by both the Côte d’Or
winemaking community and afficianados of more ‘classical’ vintages, 2010 has produced wines of purity, finesse and ‘pinosity’,
three characteristics that are rather less evident in wines from richer, riper 2009.
Many 2010 wines tend to be winsome, willowy and light on their feet - characteristics particularly apparent in Volnay, where the
regional ‘prettiness’ has been amplified. They also harbour a near-invisible structural integrity, which will see some wines from
the vintage achieve virtual vinous immortality, whilst still proving to be delicious drinks in their youth. This Glantenay Village
wine is representative; providing softly-softly-delightful drinking; it’s a pretty smart match for the food at 90 Murray Street. GD
2010 Volnay
2012 Volnay
2012 Volnay
Jean Marc Bouley
Benjamin Leroux
Catherine et Claude Maréchal
135
160
175
Premier Crus
2009 Volnay ‘Santenots’ 1er Cru
2009 Volnay 'Les Caillerets' 1er Cru
2009 Volnay 'Clos des Chênes' 1er Cru
2009 Volnay 'Clos de la Cave des Ducs' 1er Cru Monopole
2008 Volnay ‘Les Santenots du Milieu’ 1er Cru
2000 Volnay ‘Les Santenots du Milieu’ 1er Cru
Joseph Faiveley
Bernard et Thierry Glantenay
Bernard et Thierry Glantenay
Benjamin Leroux
Arnaud Ente
Domaine Comtes Lafon
180
210
218
240
290
283
Domaine Leflaive
150
Domaine Ramonet
Domaine Ramonet
160
185
Domaine Hubert Lamy
Domaine Hubert Lamy
350
148
Jean-Marc Vincent
150
auxey-duresses and monthélie
2009 Monthelie 1er Cru ‘Sur la Velle’
chassagne-montrachet
2010 Chassagne-Montrachet ‘Morgeot’ 1er Cru
2010 Chassagne-Montrachet ‘Clos Saint-Jean’ 1er Cru
st-aubin
1999 Saint Aubin ‘Les Castets’ 1er Cru
2010 Saint Aubin ‘Derrière Chez Edouard’ 1er Cru
santenay
2010 Santenay ‘Vieilles Vignes’
56
grenache & blends (barossa and other australian)
2014 Rockford ‘The Frugal Farmer’ Grenache, Mataro, Alicante Bouschet
2015 Head Red G.S.M.
2012 Rockford ‘Moppa Springs’ (Grenache Mataro Shiraz)
2013 Ruggabellus ‘Fluus’ (Grenache Mataro Cinsault Syrah)
Barossa Valley, SA
Barossa Valley, SA
Barossa Valley, SA
Barossa Valley, SA
42
46
48
48
2015 Tscharke ‘Gnadenfrei’ Single Vineyard Grenache
Marananga, Barossa Valley, SA
52
2015 Kaesler ‘The Fave’ Grenache
Barossa Valley, SA
54
2010 Fluus was the conduit. Connected me with an old mate’s new adventure. Even though we shared a background working
with wines that were thicker, sweeter and softer, Abel Gibson led me to the bones. And a realisation that the ancient terroir of the
Barossa had found a new hero.
He’s factored the fractured landscape into both his story and his oeuvre. Like a wine diviner, he can pick which juice came from
the vines abutting the bedrock. Where weathered bones poke through skimpy topsoil. Pink quartz, broken ironstone.
This is the first Fluus to accommodate a Grenache majority in the mix, and the wine’s no less compelling or intriguing with the
Mataro wound back. It’s possibly just a bit more dangerously drinkable. As James Halliday once exclaimed over a glass of
another of Abel’s rugged beauties: “ That’s not Barossa!” I proudly relied, “That’s the new Barossa!”
This represents the new respect for a grape variety that has a long history in our region of playing second fiddle to the Barossa’s
precious Shiraz. Vibrating with natural acidity, the wine tastes alive, with a transparency and natural inertia that sees it push
through the mouth, energising the gums and soft oral membranes beneath the tongue. Reductive on opening, the wine benefits
with a vigorous decant, unless, like me, you enjoy experiencing the gradual unraveling within your glass, as it shakes off
sulphidy gunpowder aromas and begins to channel tart wild raspberries. GD
Kaesler winemaker Stephen Dew has spent three vintages working in Burgundy. As one might expect, this has altered his
mindset, steering his winemaking away from some of the traditional Barossa practices that have formerly accentuated the
sweeter and simpler fruit characters in the local Grenache-based wines.
This is a wine that will appeal to those who are in the grip of the prevailing cocktail culture. I sometimes wonder if the zested and
muddled herbal and saline flavours being shaken and stirred by gifted bartenders have influenced our flavour preferences in
regard to both food and wine. In the case of ‘The Fave’, it almost feels as if the rim of your glass has been rubbed with a
pleasantly pungent herbal tincture. Whole bunch characters are to the fore but are muddled with sour cherry, five spice and
dusty earth. No acid or SO2 additions, no fining or filtering, but plenty of cuisine-appropriate deliciousness. GD
2013 Eperosa ‘Synthesis’ Grenache Mataro
2015 Whistler Wines ‘Get in my Belly’ Grenache
Barossa Valley, Eden Valley
Barossa Valley, SA
54
56
2012 Yelland and Papps ‘Second Take’ Grenache
2012 Kellermeister ‘Whiskers’ Single Vineyard Grenache
2013 Ruggabellus ‘Timeaus’
Barossa Valley, SA
Barossa Valley, SA
Barossa Valley, SA
56
62
65
2012 Elderton ‘Western Ridge’ Grenache Carignan
Greenock, Barossa Valley, SA
68
There’s a brand new feel at Whistler. A home-grown ‘we can do this better ourselves’ kind of confidence, bolstered from behind
the scenes by the same steady hands that have made Whistler such a Barossa favourite. Families are like that; a thrill-seeking
younger generation swings the pendulum in a direction never contemplated by more risk-averse elders. Not that Josh Pfeiffer is
raw or untried in the role that he has assumed. He’s had a few valuable years at Henschke, assimilating that great company’s
quietly fastidious culture and relentless pursuit of perfection. But it’s good to see him shrug off his tux, and produce such a joyful,
skittish wine that has the latent energy to leap from your glass, and make its own way, deep into your belly. GD
During our first year, we were among the first to sip from the Ruggabellus challis. We poured Abel Gibson’s ‘Fluus’ before
anyone had even heard of his label. Later that year, Wine Spectator’s James Suckling lauded Abel’s wines following a tasting
held within our restaurant. Suckling commented on the wines’ restraint; we have celebrated the bony, earth characters that have
cleaved the grainy textures of each release ever since. We love the manner in which the wines have disassociated themselves
with the big-fruit-big-oak-big-alcohol Barossa stereotypes, making them perfectly suited to Tuoi’s delicate flavours. GD’
We have long saluted wines made from Grenache and Carignan grown in hard places in SW France and Spain. So it was a
revelation to unscrew a bottle of this Elderton wine and splash the contents into a big glass. The Carignan component was
planted by the Helbigs way back in 1915 in deep sand, the Grenache in 1969 in bonier soils of the upper contours of this highly
regarded Greenock vineyard. Olfactory memory is a powerful thing. This wine immediately conjured up wafts of my mother’s
plums, poached with a cinnamon quill and one or two cloves. Perfumed, sappy, pure and delicious. GD
2006 Rockford ‘Moppa Springs’ (Grenache Mataro Shiraz)
Barossa Valley, SA
75
2009 Torbreck ‘The steading’ (Grenache Mataro Shiraz)
Barossa Valley, SA
110
I learnt my wine as a flunky in the Rockford Cellar Door where wines like this were for years part of my own essential soundtrack.
Proudly traditional, it’s rich and sweet fruited in a manner that’s all C Major, harmonious and resolved. Soft and silky, it caresses,
cajoles, comforts.
57
deep roots: a celebration of the barossa’s ancient grenache vines
2011 Bethany ‘Old Vine’ Grenache (Vines 50 - 120 years old)
2015 Cirillo ‘The Vincent’ Survivor Vine (Vines planted 1930s)
Barossa Valley, SA
Barossa Valley, SA
36
42
2015 Purple Hands Old Vine Barossa Valley Grenache
Lyndoch, Barossa Valley, SA
42
Ninth generation winemaker Marco Cirillo is a frequent contributor to these pages. Marco’s two Grenache offerings remind me
somewhat of the vinous hierarchy in Burgundy. His ‘1850 Ancestor Vine Grenache’ would surely qualify for Grand Cru status if
the Barossa embraced such qualitative, site-specific designations, whereas the Vincent is all ‘Village’ and exhibits the joyful
drinkability that the best Village Burgs have to offer. As such, it is arguably the better drink with much of our food. Marco’s wines
skillfully redefine the flavour expectations of a grape variety that in the Barossa have been compromised in the past by over-ripe
and jammy flavours. His ‘Vincent’ is playful and poised, subtly stemmy and savoury. Downright gluggably delicious. GD
Deftly handled, the fruit of the Barossa’s now ancient Grenache bush vines can be crafted into wines that rival cooler climate
Pinot Noir in terms of lacy perfume, aromatic complexity and serious structure. Here, Grant Burge’s senior winemaker Craig
Stansborough has had a whole lot of fun concocting a partial whole bunch, wild yeast, basket pressed expression that yields
vibrant and delicious frambois and bright red fruits. Little wonder Mr Halliday rated this one so highly! GD
2010 Burge Family Winemakers Garnacha (Vines planted 1920s) Barossa Valley, SA
I’ve always loved Rick Burge’s wines. They seem to sum up the traditional qualities of Barossa wine making. Although this
Grenache was picked on the riper side, the wine exhibits restraint and avoids jubey confected aromas and flavours. Instead,
expect a complex mosaic of dried herbs and freshly toasted spice, with mace and cassia bark dominating the perfume. Heady
Kiwi boot polish characters provide lift and the faintest sexy suggestion of alcohol heat is felt on the breath after swallowing.
48
2013 St Hallett ‘Old Vine’ Grenache (Vines planted 1927)
2011 Greenock Creek ‘Cornerstone’ Grenache
2014 Head Wines ‘Old Vine’ Grenache (Vines planted 1942)
2015 Kalleske ‘Old Vine’ Grenache (Vines planted 1935)
2009 Cirillo 1850 ‘Old Vine’ Grenache (Vines planted 1848)
2008 Cirillo 1850 ‘Old Vine’ Grenache
2007 Cirillo 1850 ‘Old Vine’ Grenache
2006 Cirillo 1850 ‘Old Vine’ Grenache
2005 Cirillo 1850 ‘Old Vine’ Grenache
2004 Cirillo 1850 ‘Old Vine’ Grenache
2003 Cirillo 1850 ‘Old Vine’ Grenache
Barossa Valley, SA
Greenock, Barossa Valley, SA
Krondorf, Barossa Valley. SA
Barossa Valley. SA
Barossa Valley, SA
Barossa Valley, SA
Barossa Valley, SA
Barossa Valley, SA
Barossa Valley, SA
Barossa Valley, SA
Barossa Valley, SA
48
68
72
80
90
100
110
120
130
140
150
2012 Izway ‘Three Brians’ (Vines planted 1901)
2012 Charles Melton ‘Nine Popes’
2010 Yelland & Papps ‘Divine’ Grenache (Vines planted 1880s)
2013 Eperosa ‘Stonegarden’ Grenache
Seppeltsfield, Barossa Valley, SA
110
110
110
120
I count myself very lucky to have mates like Marco. I love his approach to Grenache, which although picked nice and ripe still
seems to sizzle with tightly coiled tension. I’m going to love watching these things grow. I’m also flattered that Marco and Annie
have moved into Elizabeth Street just to be closer to fermentAsian! GD
Barossa Valley, SA
Greenock, Barossa Valley, SA
Springton, Eden Valley, SA
In the interests of full disclosure, Brett Grocke is a friend. A good friend. He also takes time out from his busy winemaking and
viticultural commitments to manage the small patch of vines on our Presser Road family vineyard.
We have had Brett’s wines on pour here a number of times, and have introduced many customers to the joys of his oeuvre. Any
suggestion that Brett is a peripheral player will be quashed after this wine has made its mark. From a patch of seriously old
Grenache vines out at Springton, Brett has monstered a veritable monument. I don’t usually enjoy wines that have alcohol levels
that exceed 15%; with Grenache, those higher alcohols usually come tethered to a very sweet-fruited palate. Not so here. I drank
this, marveled at the alcohol’s integration and thought ‘Chambertin’. I’ll be burying a few of these deep in the cellar. GD
2013 Head Wines ‘Ancestor Vine’ Grenache (Vines planted 1858) Springton, Eden Valley, SA
160
2003 Torbreck ‘Les Amis’ (Vines planted 1901)
560
Old Grenache vines planted on sandy loam over clay in 1858 by the Seppelt family - near Springton in the cooler Eden Valley. A
different approach to winemaking was required for this exceptional parcel of fruit; 100% whole bunch, hot fermented with daily
foot-treading for 2 weeks. This old clone of Grenache has given the wine an intense level of perfume, texture and tannin. When
you drink this wine, there is no doubting the nobility of Grenache or Barossa's intent on wearing its crown. Matured in an old
French oak barrel before bottling unfined and unfiltered under stelvin capsule. 50 dozen produced. ALEX HEAD
Seppeltsfield, Barossa Valley, SA
58
grenache & blends (france)
2012 Un Air de Réméjeanne (Biodynamic)
2013 Clos des Grillons ‘Terres Blanches’
2013 Domaine Fond Cyprès ‘Le Grenache du bois Saint-Jaume’
2011 M.F. Laurent ‘Pourpre’
Côtes du Rhône, France
Côtes du Rhône, France
Corbières, Languedoc, France
Côtes du Rhône, France
42
68
76
76
2012 Clos des Grillons ‘Pointue’
2015 Bruno Duchêne ‘La Luna’ (95% Grenache; 5% Carignan)
Côtes du Rhône, France
82
85
2012 L’Oratoire Saint Martin ‘Rouge Les Douyes’
Cairanne, Côtes du Rhône, France
Maxime Laurent is Michèle Aubèry’s son and the winemaker at Gramenon. Maxime releases a number of wines under his own
label including this, which is always one of my favourite French Grenaches. I really admire the wine’s silky texture. The lifted
apricoty aromatics make me wonder if there is a white grape component in the elevage, but apparently not: it’s just the richness
and kaleidoscopic myriad of flavours that can be coaxed from a couple of patches of old vines. Seductive, sensual Grenache. GD
VdP de la Côte Vermeille, Banyuls Sur Mer, France
There is a kind of vinous genealogy map that links many of the most exciting earth-aware European producers. The Obi Wan
Kenobis that inspire the newest generation include visionaries like Jean Foillard, Thierry Allemande and Frederick Cossard. It is
Cossard’s wisdom and influence we see through Bruno Duchêne’s wine: respect for the earth and an approach in the cellars that
scorns any routine practice or unnecessary addition. This rare wine is from a patch of old vine Grenache and Carignan planted in a
vineyard through which the grassy understory is allowed to grow free. Full of flavour, texture and hard-wired with high-tensile
driving acidity, the wine is a perfect match for the gently-spiced menu at fermentAsian. GD
88
This is a very serious wine that over-delivers for its price. 60% Grenache and 40% Mourvèdre, from a patch of vines planted back
in 1905, there is uncommon richness on display here, unusual for the appellation. The flavour profile is dominated by a vibrant
wash of frambois and kirsch tethered to concentrated licorice, boatshed and deep garrigue/herbal notes. Delicious. GD
2011 L’Anglore ‘Cuvee de la Pierre Chaude’ Grenache Clairette
2014 Clos du Rouge Gorge ‘Jeunes Vignes’
2014 Domaine Gramenon ‘Les Laurentides’
2006 Domaine de Marcoux (375ml)
2010 Domaine du Cayron
2010 Clos du Mont Olivet ‘Le Petit Mont’
2014 Clos du Rouge Gorge ‘Vieilles Vignes’
2009 Bois de Boursan
Tavel, Southern Rhone France
88
Côtes Catalanas, Languedoc-Roussillon, Fr.
92
Côtes du Rhône, France
95
Châteauneuf du Pape, France
95
Gigondas, Rhone, France
98
Châteauneuf du Pape, France
120
Côtes Catalanas, Languedoc-Roussillon, Fr. 132
Châteauneuf du Pape, France
140
Guardy has called this the ‘Rockford’ of Châteauneuf. Bois de Boursan has resisted both the push to pick sur-maturité as well as
the fashion for new Burgundy barriques. To my mind such practices have ensured that many other producers’ wines could have
come from… anywhere. BdB have remained true to a wine style characterised by gentle richness, allowing wines to age slowly in
large old foudres. Elegant and classic Châteauneuf-du-Pape. GD
2007 Domaine de la Charbonnière ‘Mourre des Perdrix’
2009 Bois de Boursan ‘Cuvee des Felix’
2011 Domaine Marcoux
1949 Henri Dedenis (Negociant)
1998 Andre Brunel ‘Les Cailloux’ Cuvee Centenaire
Châteauneuf du Pape, France
Châteauneuf du Pape, France
Châteauneuf du Pape, France
Châteauneuf du Pape, France
Châteauneuf du Pape, France
150
190
220
480
650
1986 Chateau Pignan (Rayas)
1978 Chateau de Beaucastel
Châteauneuf du Pape, France
Châteauneuf du Pape, France
750
800
The 1998 Cuvée Centenaire is an awesome Châteauneuf du Pape. Made from extremely old vines (in excess of 100 years) by one
of the appellation's most talented proprietors, André Brunel, this is the essence of both Châteauneuf du Pape and the Grenache
grape. A small amount of Mourvèdre and Syrah are (sic) included in the blend. The wine boasts a deep ruby/purple colour as well
as an extraordinary bouquet of melted, jammy black cherry, raspberry, and currant fruit mixed with pepper and spice box. In the
mouth, it is rich, full-bodied and unctuously-textured, with extraordinary purity, and laser-like definition for a wine of such
massive concentration and depth. The finish lasts for nearly a minute. This spectacular, youthful, amazingly accessible offering is
a tour de force in winemaking, and a tribute to just how great Châteauneuf du Pape can be. Anticipated maturity: now-2025.
Score: 100 Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (138), December 2001
59
grenache & blends (spain)
2013 Comando G ‘La Bruja Averia’ (The Faulty Witch)
Rozes de Puerto, Madrid DO, Spain
Here’s a bewitching wine that is making me question a long-held belief that Cru Beaujolais represents the best red-wine fit with
Tuoi’s perfumed food. High altitude (900-1,000m) biodynamically grown fruit from granite soils in the Sierra de Gredos
mountains is crafted into a playful wine by a trio of young Spanish winemakers intent on proving that old vine Garnacha can
produce wines as elegant and ethereal as the Burgundies they so enjoy. GD
2010 Bodega Marañones ’Peña Caballera’
2014 Comando G ‘Rozas 1er Cru’
2011 Bernabeleva ‘Arroyo del Tórtolas’ Garnacha
2011 Comando G ‘Las Umbrias’ (The Shade)
2011 Daniel Landi Viticultor ‘El Reventón’ Vino de Parcela
62
80
Rozes de Puerto, Madrid DO, Spain 110
San Martín de Valdeiglesias (Vinos de Madrid), Spain 110
Razos de Puerto, Madrid DO, Spain 160
Cebreros, Castilla y León, Spain
182
San Martín de Valdeiglesias (Vinos de Madrid), Spain
From a single hectare of 70+-year-old Garnacha planted on slate at 950 metres altitude, fermentation is completed in open
French vats with whole bunch maceration for 60 days followed by maturation in foudres for 14 months.
2008 Alvaro Palacios ‘Les Terraces’
2008 Telmo Rodriguez Pegaso ‘Barrancos de Pizarra’
Gratallops, Priorat, Spain
Cebreros, Castilla y León, Spain
182
182
Telmo Rodriguez and viticultural partner Pablo Eguzkiza have access to some small patches of old vine Garnacha planted high
above the small hamlet of Cebreros in the Sierra de Gredos mountains. The project began after Rodriguez discovered an
abandoned ‘clos’, a dry-stone-wall-enclosed bush-vine Garnacha vineyard (1000m altitude) whilst on an investigative stroll above
the town. The gate of the vineyard was apparently ‘sealed’ by the skeleton of an old mattress, which in stylised form provides the
striking graphics on the label. After patient restoration of this and other similar vineyards Rodriguez released two wines,
reflecting the two predominant Sierra de Gredos soil types. ‘Barrancos de Pizarra’ literally means ‘crazy slopes of schist’. With no
topsoil to speak of, the vines have established a precarious foothold in precipitous brown schist studded with plenty of quartz.
Bigger and richer than many other Garnacha expressions from Sierra de Gredos sites, the flavours speak of the unique cocktail of
minerals that enrich the depleted soils in various patches of vineyard.
2008 Alvaro Palacios ‘Vi de Gratallops’
2012 Comando G ‘Tumba del Rey Moro’
Gratallops, Priorat, Spain
2008 Rene Barbier ‘Clos Mogodor’
2009 Rene Barbier ‘Clos Mogodor’
Gratallops, Priorat, Spain
Gratallops, Priorat, Spain
Valle del Alto Alberche, Sierra de Gredos, Spain
From time to time Comando G wine makers Daniel Landi and Fernando Garcia heard whispered rumours of long neglected
ancient Garnacha vineyards in inaccessible mountain sites. One rumour told of an improbably steep naturally terraced old plot
planted higgledy-piggledy with ancient vines. It took them several months to locate this vineyard and even longer to beat an
accessible track to the high altitude site (1100 metres). Geological indicators were promising: predominantly pink granitic sands
studded with protruding lodes of quartz. And so another ethereal, transparent expression was added to their portfolio. Hand
harvested fruit, wild fermented in open vats and macerated for between 40 and 60 days and aged in large format older French
oak for 12 months. This is made in the spirit of Jean Foillard or Marcel Papierre. It levitates, weaves effortlessly though the
fermentAsian flavours and is altogether lovely. GD
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198
230
230
This is Grenache at its most dense, intense, plush and powerful. Despite the natural heft of the wine through the mouth, there is
never any question mark regarding its balance, shape or length. It also presents surprising complexity, which one rarely sees
beyond such a profusion of ripe frambois and blackberry fruit. Indeed there is a veritable smorgasbord of dried Asian spice,
frankincense, black olive and salty caramel. Every aspect of the wine is ‘laid on thick’, but for the right special occasion, this will
deliver plenty of guilty pleasure! GD
2011 Comando G ‘Rumbo al Norte’
Vinos de la Tierra Castilla y Leon, Spain 230
2010 Rene Barbier ‘Clos Mogodor’
2010 Terroir Al Límit ‘Les Manyes’
Gratallops, Priorat, Spain
Priorat, Spain
Rumbo al Norte (Northbound) is from 60-year-old vines grown on 0.3 hectare and represents a limited production of just 1000
bottles. It is situated at a remarkable 1200m altitude in Navarrevisca and is classified as Vinos de la Tierra Castilla y Leon as it falls
outside the Madrid D.O. But the wine is one of the range marketed under the ‘Sierra de Gredos’ mythical region, after the
mountain range that spans the provinces of Ávila, Salamanca, Cáceres, Madrid, and Toledo. GD
230
570
The highest altitude vineyard in Priorat, Les Manyes sits at 800m and the vines are approaching 60 years in age. Planted almost
exclusively with Garnatxa on a site rich in quartz, limestone and clay and the usual llicorella decomposed slate. We are talking
stonkingly intense aromatics, but so very fine. It’s been called the antithesis of the Priorat hulking stereotype. Pure frambois sits
shotgun to the intensely savoury spice, geological and umame characters that we expect more in Grand Cru Côte de Nuit or old
vine Barolo. Sensual and velvety across the tongue and against the gums, this is undoubtedly one of the greatest Grenachebased wines and certainly one of the greatest wines on this list. GD
60
mataro (mourvédre, monastrell) & blends (barossa & other australian)
2012 David Franz ‘Waxing Lyrical’ Mataro Shiraz Grenache
Stonewell Hill, Barossa Valley, SA
48
I cracked the stelvin and morphed into a scrawny cattle dog, all slobber and desperate eyes; itchy and overcome by fresh carcass
smells: venison or big red roo. Bloody backstrap and clotting plasma. Thankfully a civilising marinade fills in the olfactory gaps.
Coriander and cardamon pods, still smoking from the cast-iron skillet; rust, cassia and a crack of tart frambois-acidity. Wild,
untamed mataro often takes me like this; its meaty wildness rambling beyond the confines of my Reidel. No wonder he’s waxing
lyrical. He’s done it again! GD
2010 Radford Wines ‘Menagerie’
2012 Eperosa ‘Totality’ Mataro
Eden Valley, SA
Ebenezer. Barossa Valley, SA
Brett Grocke is a dirt man. A soil sniffer. He probably eats little handfuls of alluvium when no one’s looking. I don’t know when
he developed this predilection for sand grit pebbles clay slate... but you can see it consumes him. And you can see the
manifestations of this dirty little obsession in the beautiful wines that he crafts in the tiniest of quantities. The 2011 ‘Totality’
makes a lie out of our region’s wettest vinatage showing unusual generosity and warmth. Of course Adrian Hoffmann’s
pedigreed fruit is nice fodder for a dirt man to play with! GD
2013 Tim Smith Mataro
Ebenezer, Barossa Valley, SA
48
50
54
There are whispers afoot suggesting that the greatest red wines from our region might be crafted from Mataro rather than Shiraz;
a red like this presents that argument pretty persuasively. Ancient Mataro vineyards exhibit an unruly posture: upright tangled
cordons that before winter pruning, you’d struggle to get a hairbrush through. This straggling wildness manifests itself in the
wine too, where gingerbread spice is tangled with blood, iron, offal and brambly wild damson plums. A complex, riveting drink
that tastes sleek, generous and delicious. GD
2009 Flaxman Wines Mataro
2012 Ruggabellus ‘Efferus’
Barossa Valley, SA
Barossa Valley, SA
55
62
2012 RBJ ‘Theologicum’ Mourvedre / Grenache
Barossa Valley, SA
72
This is wild, primeval and bristling with personality. Abel is one of the most searching practitioners I know. Completely selfeffacing, his wines do his talking for him. Efferus is the most heathen member of the Ruggabellus quartet. It has a wild look in
its eye and a brazen masculine tang; but subject it to a vigorous decant and we can tame some of that testosterone-fuelled bony
spiciness and glimpse a softer side, predicting perhaps a more domesticated, gentle maturity. Please try this with the pork belly.
Just once or twice. GD
Back in the late 1980s, I was a proud though olfactorily-challenged member of a small Barossa wine tasting group. Consisting of
a number of larger-than-life characters, Chris Ringland, Rolf Binder, Jane Ferrari, Dave Powell, Russell Johnstone and Lynette
Collins, the group met frequently, cooked and devoured astonishing home-cooked food (I still remember a Jane-Ferrari-led
Bolognese cook off!) tasted, scrutinised and discussed the greatest red wines of Bandol and the Rhone.
It was during this time that winemakers Chris Ringland, Rolf Binder and viticulturalist Russell Johnstone sowed the seeds for RBJ.
A firm belief had begun to ferment: special old plots of bush vine Grenache and Mourvedre planted in and around Ebenezer in
the NW Barossa represent an extraordinary resource; wines with similar power and complexity as those made by Charpoutier and
Guigal in one of Grenache and Mataro’s ancestral homes could potentially be made right here in the Barossa.
The first Theologicum was born from the 1991 vintage. Over the next twenty years, the personnel changed, with Rolf leaving to
concentrate on his own labels, yet some extraordinary wines were released under the RBJ banner.
This most recent release highlights the power and complexity that those vines and a 50-50 blend can achieve in great vintages.
GD
2012 Caillard Mataro
Barossa Valley, SA
80
We believe that it’s rare for a wine not to resemble its maker. It seems that some facet of personality is often manifest in the drink.
Andrew Caillard enhances the replication by adorning his bottle with a label, painted by himself, in his own dreamy, coloursaturated style. But even within the wine itself, I sense a measure of Andrew’s imposing erudition and articulate enthusiasm.
Mataro’s tendency to ramble wildly and present quite funky aromas is here instinctively corralled. Educated.
Toasted gingerbread spice sprinkled over blackberry coulis, and just enough tannic rub to summon thoughts of Campari, are
tailored to perfectly foil the sweet exuberance of the Orange and Ginger sauce that saturates Tuoi’s pork belly. GD
2012 Veritas ‘Bull’s Blood’ Shiraz Mataro Pressings
Barossa Valley, SA
86
61
mataro (mourvédre, monastrell) & blends (france and spain)
2006 Enrique Mendoza ‘Estrecho’ Monastrell
2011 L’Oratoire Saint Martin ‘Haut Coustias’
D.O. Alicante, Spain
Cairanne, Côtes du Rhône, Fr.
This should cost more. Much more. A craggy yet richly fruited old vine Mataro blend that represents the finest selection of fruit
coming into one of the most talked about CDR domains. Does it get much better? Perhaps, if you’re content to seal it in a cellar
for 20 years, but the wine is already dripping with personality and intensity. For the record, it’s 60% Mourvèdre, 20% Syrah and
20% Grenache, from vines with an average age of 65 years and planted in rocky blue clay over limestone in the Saint Martin lieudit. GD
2009 Mas de Libian ‘Le Calade’
2010 Chateau Sainte Anne Bandol Rouge
2010 Chateau de Pibarnon Bandol Rouge
2010 Leon Barral Faugeres ‘Valiniere’ 80% Mourvèdre 20% Syrah
1998 Domaine Tempier ‘Cuvée Spéciale Cabassaou’
Côtes du Rhône, France
Bandol, Provence, France
Bandol, Provence, France
Languedoc, France
Bandol, Provence, France
88
98
98
120
140
169
350
red wines from sun-drenched mediterranean isles (& a canary or two)
2013 Envinate ‘Táganan Tinto’
Tenerife, Canary Islands
65
2014 Suertes del Marqués ‘7 Fuentes’ Listan Negro, Tintilla (Trousseau) Tenerife, Canary Islands
2012 Quantico ‘Etna Rosso’ Nerello Mascalese
Etna, Sicily, Italy
65
96
The vistas of Tenerife’s vineyards might as well come from a far-flung planet, so alien and strange are the methodologies of
trellising the vines, low and sprawling over the rugged, wind-swept landscape. This Envinate red is a humble village wine, a
blend of four plots each of which is picked and vinified separately. The varieties therein include Listan Negro, Malvasia Negro,
Negramoll, Vijariego, Baboso Negro and a scattering of white grapes. Put together by four friends who were oenology students
together and maintain their connection by making wine in different Spanish appellations each working year.
The wine is kaleidoscopic: over an hour or two in the glass it shifts and changes like the changing Tenerife light as cloud
formations slowly build and quickly dissipate over the Canary Island seascapes. GD
Both hauntingly beautiful and deliciously refreshing, this Nerello Mascalese sings of a unique terroir. Etna’s black grainy volcanic
soils, so rich in trace elements, add a rich mineral line to the cornucopia of juicy ripe Satsuma, star anise, and freshly cut wild
herbs. The wine also sings of high altitude (600-750m) old vineyards surrounded by chestnut and olive groves, of winemaking
sans inoculations or additions (including sulphur) and a maturation regime designed to maximise delicate purity, transparency,
natural balance and a sensual flow through the mouth. Pale, long and savoury, this is one of the most perfect matches with our
delicately spiced food and will harmonise with even the seafood-based dishes with surprising dexterity. GD
2012 4 Kilos ’12 Volts’
Mallorca, Spain
100
2008 Domaine Gentile ‘Cuvee Grande Expression’ (Nielluccio)
2012 4 Kilos (Callet field blend)
Patrimonio, Corsica, France
Mallorca, Spain
120
150
Callet-Fogoneu 50%, Syrah 30%, Merlot 10% and Cabernet Sauvignon10%. I now know why Christopher Skase chose Mallorca
for his fugitive island hideaway. The wine from the island just so good! At once brambly, floral and earthy, the wine is direct,
blue-fruited, softly tannined and intensely mineral. It charges through the mouth with saliva-inducing acidic drive. Dances lightfooted Flamenco across the tongue. GD
Whereas the 4 Kilos ’12 Volts’ retains 50% fruit from the introduced varieties widely planted on the island, the group’s top wine,
by 2012 is proudly indigenous.
Dark, dangerous and very southern Mediterranean, this wine is brightly perfumed, loose-knit and gently structured. It speaks of
both the varietal potpourri and the Mallorcan herbal understory that is encouraged to contribute its own herbal presence within
the wine. Fresh, delicate and with a lovely freshness that you feel against the gums. GD
red wines from alpine regions of eastern france (jura, savoie)
2014 Cave de Chautagne ‘Vieilles Vignes’ Gamay
2014 François Rousset-Martin Trousseau
2012 Fabien Trosset Arbin Mondeuse
2012 Les Fils de Charles Trosset ‘Confidentiel’ Mondeuse
2007 Domaine Prieuré St. Christophe Mondeuse Tradition
Ruffieux, Savoie, France
Côtes du Jura, France
Arbin, Savoie, France
Arbin, Savoie, France
Fréterive, Savoie, France
52
110
120
160
180
62
cabernet, merlot, malbec, tannat & blends
2013 Majella ‘The Musician’ Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz
2013 Schild Estate Merlot
2012 Dutschke ’80 Block’ Merlot
2013 Rockford ‘Rifle Range’ (375 ml)
2014 Simon Busser ‘Polichinel’ Malbec
2012 Heathvale ‘The Encounter’ Cabernet Sauvignon
Coonawarra, SA
Barossa Valley, SA
Lyndoch, Barossa Valley, SA
Barossa Valley, SA
Prayssac, Cahors, France
Eden Valley, Barossa, SA
39
42
45
48
66
69
This is serious Cabernet from a patch of red dirt up in Eden Valley. The wine pays homage to the last recorded ‘encounter’
between the last aboriginal who was living free in the area, Jimmy Christmas and John Heath of Heathvale in September 1859.
The wine is aromatic, dark fruited and obviously structured to evolve over many years. The nuanced black currant notes are
savoury rather than sweet; the welcome Cabernet Sauvignon tannins are supportive and sensual. A vein of fine mineral acidity
keeps the whole thing wonderfully tight through the mouth. Terrific wine! GD
2012 Tomfoolery ‘Monkey Business’ Cabernet Franc
2013 Lehmann Hesketh Mk. 01 Cabernet Sauvignon / Shiraz
Barossa Valley, SA
Coonawarra, Barossa, SA
Pedigree. Those with an inkling of our state’s rich vinous history will be more than excited by this release. A collaboration
between Phil Lehmann and Jonathon Hesketh, whose fathers Peter and Robert formed the last-ditch Masterson label back in the
bad old Dalgety days, before eventually prevailing and establishing what would become Peter Lehmann Wines. But perhaps
even more portentous is the blend here: Coonawarra Cabernet (from one of Hesketh’s Parker Estate vineyards) and Barossa
Shiraz (from Lehmann’s own Eden Valley property). Structured for a long journey, I was reminded of a certain wine from 1962…
75
75
2014 Chateau le Puy ‘Duc des Nauves’ (Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon) Côtes de Bordeaux, France
75
2011 Greenock Creek Cabernet Sauvignon
2006 Irvine Grand Merlot (375 ml)
2014 Simon Busser Tannat
Seppeltsfield, Barossa Valley, SA
Eden Valley, SA
Prayssac, Chors, France
78
78
78
2011 Yalumba FDR1A Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz
2012 Peter Lehmann ‘Mentor’ Cabernet
2013 Rockford ‘Rifle Range’
2013 Purple Hands ‘Planta Circa’ Ancient Vine Cabernet
2001 Rockford ‘Rifle Range’
Eden Valley, SA
Barossa, SA
Barossa Valley, SA
Lyndoch, Barossa Valley, SA
Barossa Valley, SA
Not necessarily from the first appellation that comes to mind when matching SE Asian food, nevertheless, I was genuinely
surprised by the sensual experience that this biodynamically grown wine offers. I kept asking myself, “Where’s the massive
extract, the overt cedar-box oak, the uncompromising tannin and straight-up-and-down Cabernet-dominated green-tinged fruit?”
This has none of those. Instead, expect a fruit-forward palate that has a fair bit of give. Expect attractive elegance and bright,
mineral-saline acidity. In short, expect an expression of terroir and artisanal small batch winemaking that is too often lost in the
uber-expensive, manipulated, industrial scale, formulaic beverages for which Bordeaux is best known. GD
Those familiar with the wines of Madiran will know how formidable Tannat can be. Robust, abrasive, tough and unyielding. So it
was a brilliant surprise to be persuaded by Campbell Burton to sample a glass of Simon Busser’s expression, lovingly grown high
up on terraces above the River Lot. Simon’s a horse man, (vis-à-vis ploughing, not betting) a disciple of Olivier Cousin, and his
biodynamic wines are made sans soufre. The colour is exactly what one might expect from tannat, but this wine, even in its youth,
is more deliciously approachable (and digestible) than any other example hitherto sampled. GD
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88
88
95
130
Robert O’Callaghan’s never been much of a Cabernet man. Not out loud anyway. True, I’ve seen him get pretty joyous when
considering the contents of a glass of old brown Palmer. But he’s never enjoyed green tannin or anything that implies ‘meanness’
in a drink. He has enjoyed a fifty-year love affair with a softer, more gentle and more generous expression of red wine than that
which is currently in vogue. Many such wines had significant Cabernet Sauvignon wired into their circuitry, which often kept their
lights from dulling as they aged. So it’s no surprise that Robert’s own Cabernets age and age. Here’s a relatively youthful 15-yearglass! GD
2010 Te Mata ‘Coleraine’ Cabernet Merlot
1996 Orlando ‘St Hugo’ Cabernet Sauvignon
2011 Domaine Guiberteau ‘Les Arboises’ Cabernet Franc
2012 Henschke ‘Marble Angel’ Single Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
1998 Jacobs Creek Cabernet Sauvignon 25th Anniversary Limited Release
2011 Domaine du Collier ‘Charpentrie’
2009 Irvine Grand Merlot
2006 Wendouree Malbec
Hawkes Bay, New Zealand
Coonawarra, SA
Saumur, Loire Valley, France
Light Pass, Barossa Valley
Barossa Valley, SA
Saumur, Loire Valley, France
Eden Valley, SA
Clare, SA
135
140
145
160
180
180
200
250
63
more cabernet, merlot, malbec & blends
2004 Cullen Diana Madeline Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot
1999 Pontet Canet 5me G.C.C, 1855
1999 Mount Mary ‘Quintet’
1997 Tenuta San Guido Bolgheri ‘Sassicaia’
1997 Marchese Lodovico Antinori Bolgheri ‘Ornellaia’
1997 Piero Antinori ‘Solaia’
Margaret River, WA
Pauillac, Bordeaux, France
Yarra Valley, Victoria
Tuscany, Italy
Tuscany, Italy
Tuscany, Italy
350
350
480
520
550
750
more cabernet, merlot, malbec & blends (the holmes suite…)
Just like Sherlock, Wednesday customers Jeremy and Heidi Holmes have a sleuth-like ability to follow a trail. A vinous trail that is. They have
th
sniffed out some of the oldest and rarest bottles that I have ever experienced. Although they haven’t yet offered me anything from the 18
Century or anything with a dusty trace of“Th J” etched into the glass, their ancient vinous bounty has been considerable, matched only by the
generosity with which they share their discoveries with their friends.
The pages of this list are strewn with other brilliant offerings from D’or to Door (Jeremy and Heidi’s wine agency) including current offerings from
Daniel Rion, Jean-Claude Boisset in Burgundy and Marc Chauvet in Champagne. Ancient wines from Vouvray may be found in the Chenin Blanc
and Dessert Wine sections of this list.
If you’re keen to learn about the good stuff, keen to source some of the most delicious wines (young and fresh as well as the more mature) with
comprehensive and reliably pedagogical and entertaining tasting notes, tap into their website: www.dortodoor.com or contact them about
purchasing a copy of their magazine ‘Repast’.
For this list Jeremy and Heidi have very kindly made available a few bottles of great older Bordeaux.
1993 Chateau Branaire
1992 Domaine Joguet ‘Varenne du Grand Clos’
1980 Chateau Montrose
1982 Chateau La Grave ‘Trigant de Boisset’
1972 Chateau Leoville Las Cases (Deuxièmes Cru)
1967 Chateau La Mission Haut Brion (mid shoulder)
1959 Chateau Balestard-La Tonnelle
1982 Chateau Angelus, Premier Grand Cru Classé (A) (no capsule)
1955 Chateau Pavie, Premier Grand Cru Classé (A)
1978 Chateau Margaux 1er Cru Classé
1985 Chateau Mouton Rothschild 1er Cru Classé
1986 Chateau Cheval Blanc Premier Grand Cru Classé (A) (scuffed label)
1937 Cos D’Estournel (Deuxièmes Cru)
1924 Chateau Lafite Rothschild, 1er Cru Classé
1959 Chat. Haut Brion, 1er Cru Classé (mid-shoulder)
1945 Chateau Cheval Blanc 1er GC Classé (A) Eschenauer bottled
Saint-Julien, Bordeaux, France
Chinon, Loire Valley, France
Saint-Estephe, Bordeaux, France
Pomerol, Bordeaux, France
Saint-Julien, Bordeaux, France
Graves, Bordeaux, France
St. Emilion, Bordeaux, France
St. Emilion, Bordeaux, France
St. Emilion, Bordeaux, France
Margaux, Medoc, Bordeaux, France
Pauillac, Bordeaux, France
Saint-Emilion, Bordeaux, France
Saint-Estèphe, Bordeaux, France
Pauillac, Bordeaux, France
Pessac-Léognan, Bordeaux, France
Saint-Emilion, Bordeaux, France
210
280
300
320
360
490
550
650
890
1000
1200
1400
2200
3300
4400
5500
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shiraz & blends (barossa)
2014 Teusner ‘The Wark Family’ Shiraz
Barossa Valley, SA
45
2014 Soul Growers ‘Provident’ Shiraz
Barossa Valley, SA
48
2014 Tscharke ‘Estate’ Shiraz
2012 Laughing Jack ‘Moppa Hill’ Shiraz
Marananga, Barossa Valley, SA
Barossa Valley, SA
48
52
2014 Cirillo Shiraz
Barossa Valley, SA
55
2010 Red Art Shiraz
Barossa Valley, SA
58
After a 35-year career devoted to the advancement of the Barossa’s wine industry, James Wark was deservedly made a Baron of
the Barossa in August 2014. His good friend Phil Lehmann initiated an association between James and the Teusner boys while
Phil was part of the Teusner wine making team. Teusner purchased shiraz from a patch of James’ Stonewell vineyard in 2012,
ostensibly to augment their ‘Riebke’. However Kym was so taken with the personality of the fruit that he decided to keep it
separate. The idea of a Wark Family Shiraz with a commissioned label by daughter Marnie began to ferment.
This wine, with its lovely melding of pure juicy fruit, gentle richness and velvety texture had me all slack-jawed with pleasure
when I first rolled a mouthful over my tongue. Easy on the oak, long on the finish; it’s a reminder of the paltry price one needs to
pay for artisanal Barossa deliciousness. GD
The concept of Providence has guided the settlement of the Barossa since its earliest European settlement. Guided by the belief
that God would guide and sustain, the Barossa was planted with a patchwork of orchards and vineyards. It was indeed provident
that the changing fashions of the wine market eventually embraced Shiraz and that the region’s rich endowment of ancient vines
would continue to provide sustenance for the fifth and sixth generations of families that lovingly tend the vines.
As I write these words, I hear the ‘Simple Gifts’ melody used in Aaron Copeland’s ballet ‘Appalachian Spring’ and consider the
words to that old Shaker tune: ‘It’s a gift to be simple, It’s a gift to be free, It’s the gift to come down where you ought to be, And
when we find ourselves in the place just right, Will be in the Valley of love and delight’. Sounds very Barossa.
This lithe and lovely Shiraz, from ancient Barossa vineyards is a perfect expression of the sentiment. Pure fruited, gentle,
generous and lovely. A simple gift indeed. GD
It was always part of my plan to have Laughing Jack represented within this list but so tightly allocated are Shawn’s wines that it
took more than three years to receive our first wine. What a beauty it is! Dark fruited, richly resonant; it highlights the
magnificence of the high altitude site on Moppa Hill from where the fruit comes and where classic irone-stone-strewn, sandy,
depleted Moppa soils force vines to struggle to yield the most intensely flavoured juice. Go on: Wagyu. GD
Marco Cirillo is a wine maker to watch. Like Black Caviar in her second or third outing. I feel a certain excitement each time he
drops me in a sample, and this bottle was no exception. We all know Barossa Shiraz: the templates drawn by masters of past and
present. And yet here, hot on the heels of McKinley’s ‘Little Wine’, we have another example that breaks the mould. Redefines
most deliciously. Wine speaks to me in musical analogy, and for this one the riot of Asian spice conjured up a cacophony of
gamelan, koto, temple-gongs and shakuhachi. Pentatonic melodic patterns scored for Satsuma, cardamon and star anise. It’s
going to sing like a Tibetan monk with our food. GD
Densely packed, black fruited, with an underlying layer of sooty fireplace smells, this sits in the more savoury hemisphere of
Barossa Shiraz expression. It’s more about lifted spice than sunshine or sweet fruit and background older-barrel oak flavours do
nothing to distract. Tannins are quietly firm but cleverly knitted into the concentration of dark satsuma flavours. The overriding
impression is one of impeccable balance and considerable potential longevity. However even in the short term this will match
the Pork Belly and Wagyu dishes deliciously. GD
2014 Romanee Tuff by Tommy Ruff: Syrah
2010 Chris Ringland / North Barossa Vintners Shiraz
Barossa Valley, SA
Ebenezer, Barossa Valley, SA
62
69
2012 Ruggabellus ‘Archaeus’ Shiraz, Mataro, Grenache
Barossa Valley, SA
69
The Barossa’s iconoclasts, intent on moving the flavour posts might pull focus right now, but credible and skilled growers and
winemakers with long-held belief systems continue to turn out wines that sing from a songbook orchestrated by legends such as
Colin Gramp, Max Schubert, Cyril Henschke and Peter Lehmann. Unashamedly rich, sweet-fruited and lovely, this Shiraz is a
passion project from a small group of very regular fermentAsian customers led by my old friend, mentor and former colleague
Chris Ringland. There’s also Hughesy, (probably on a table near you right now), Nathan Burley, and Ebenezer grape growing
supremo Adrian Hoffmann. Our other regulars, the Johns of AP John fame have also had a bit of a hand in framing up the robust
Ebenezer flavours within this bottle. Classic! GD
There’s often a grainy rawness that clings to the meniscus of an Abel Gibson wine, yet his reds are no less beautiful or tantalising
than more maquillaged or manicured drops inhabiting other pages of this list.
Through Zen-like blending sessions where visions of diverse flavour possibilities worry his sensory imagination, Abel sculpts
haunting wines full of gentle wonder; wines that somehow never feel like they have been powdered, pumiced or plucked.
The underlying poetry within each mouthful would make Charles Bukowski proud; the flow of each gravelly-voiced liquid
syllable over the whole length of tongue remains intensely and surprisingly sensual. The 2012 Archaeus is 77% Shiraz, but it’s
the lick of Mataro, some whole cluster action and delicate fleur de sel that lead to an overwhelming impression of natural beauty
in your glass. Rugged beauty. Ruggabellus. Appropriately named. GD
65
more shiraz & blends (barossa)
2013 Eperosa L.R.C. Greenock Shiraz
Greenock, Barossa Valley, SA
72
2012 Head ‘The Blonde’ Shiraz Viognier
Sami-Odi Little Wine #5
Stonewell, Barossa Valley, SA
Eben-Ezer, Barossa Valley, SA
72
75
2014 John Duval ‘Entity’ Shiraz
2014 Glaetzer ‘Anaperenna’ Shiraz Cabernet
2012 St Hallett Single Vineyard Release ‘Dawkins’ Shiraz
2014 Teusner ‘Big Jim’ Shiraz
Barossa, SA
Barossa Valley, SA
Eden Valley, SA
Stonewell, Barossa Valley, SA
80
80
82
88
There are certain wines that we pour by the glass every year. And when these wines are listed, the smiles on the faces of our
waiting staff are significantly bigger. Fired up by the opportunity to proselytise, they lead our guests towards promised-land
wines that we all love and believe in with completely reasonable fervor. This is one such wine. So different from your standard
sweet-fruited, mouth-coating, teeth-staining Barossa Shiraz: it’s finessed, gentle and quietly herbal. Spice drawer aromatics of
mace and allspice weave their way through the olfactory mix. And there’s a narrative to match: 144 Shiraz, a few Riesling, one
Mataro and one mystery vine make up a surviving boundary row of 45 year old vines owned by the Light Regional Council
(L.R.C.). Brett Grocke tends the vines and makes a very special wine each year. Don’t miss this. GD
It has been a rare privilege to have tracked the evolution of ‘Little Wine’, from its humble beginnings to this most recent
incarnation. What began as a bit of a stocking filler, a declassification of material surplus to the requirements of Fraser’s great
single vintage wines, has metamorphosed into a wine that evolves impressively within one’s glass. It pours with a tumult of
upholstered plushness, but a bit of swirling wrist-work reveals underlying tracery: bony structural elements, sweet fruity notes,
the gentle herbal and smoky complexities of whole cluster fermentation. The personalities of the represented vintages and the
ferrous, spice-laden characters of the different parcels within the Hoffman’s Dallwitz vineyard assert themselves, whilst the older
components add surprising depth. Expect all the usual goose bumps.
The Teusner boys’ penchant for wines of concentration and richness is given full expression here. The water was turned off in a
small patch of vines in James Wark’s Stonewall Shiraz vineyard, yields were severely reduced and the resulting black-coloured
juice has been plumped up with 50% new French. So impressive was the wine that it apparently brought to mind the
resplendent resident Rooster, Big Jim, named in honour of the hen-pecked breeder and vineyard owner.
(Artist) Marnie Wark has wrapped a jazzy representation of a richly feathered Big Jim around the bottle. This will sit nicely with
those seeking a tooth-staining, sweet-fruited Christmas pudd in a glass kind of Barossa Shiraz. But it’s actually more serious than
that. Oak presence is subtle, and there is a thrusting (and surprising) line of stone-tinged acidity that gives the wine very
pleasing shape through the mouth. Get some cock on the block! GD
2012 Henschke ‘Keyneton Euphonium’ Shiraz, Cabernet, Merlot Eden Valley, Barossa Valley, SA
2012 Head ‘The Brunette’ Shiraz
Moppa, Barossa Valley, SA
2012 Kaesler ‘Old Vine’
Barossa Valley, SA
2014 Sami-Odi ‘XIV’ Syrah
Barossa Valley, SA
2012 Dandelion ‘Red Queen of the Eden Valley’ Shiraz
Eden Valley, SA
2013 Sami-Odi ‘DW-OLD’
Barossa Valley, SA
2012 Sami-Odi ‘Baby Tui’ Syrah
Eben-Ezer, Barossa Valley, SA
96
120
130
145
148
158
180
66
more shiraz & blends (barossa)
1996 Rockford ‘Basket Press’ Shiraz
1998 Rockford ‘Basket Press’ Shiraz
1999 Rockford ‘Basket Press’ Shiraz
2000 Rockford ‘Basket Press’ Shiraz
2001 Rockford ‘Basket Press’ Shiraz
2002 Rockford ‘Basket Press’ Shiraz
Barossa Valley, SA
Barossa Valley, SA
Barossa Valley, SA
Barossa Valley, SA
Barossa Valley, SA
Barossa Valley, SA
2004 Rockford ‘Basket Press’ Shiraz
Barossa Valley, SA
350
350
320
280
220
300
st
240
A glimpse of Barossa magic, this may surprise those who have heard the legend, without tasting the wine. This was the 21
release of a wine that has captivated me since its beginnings. An assemblage of a diverse patchwork of old Barossa Shiraz
vineyards, from both High Eden and the Barossa floor, the wine in many ways defines the whole notion of balance. And in 2004,
when so many Barossa wine makers were madly ramping up ripeness, oak and alcohol in a futile attempt to captivate the US
market and it’s most revered scribe, Rockford stayed true to Robert O’Callaghan’s deeply held beliefs about the superiority of the
gentle, soft and finessed wines that the Barossa can produce so well. At twelve years of age, the wine is still tightly constrained
but is now offering glimpses of the flavour complexities that will grow within, over the decades to come. GD
2005 Rockford ‘Basket Press’ Shiraz
2006 Rockford ‘Basket Press’ Shiraz
2007 Rockford ‘Basket Press’ Shiraz
2008 Rockford ‘Basket Press’ Shiraz
2009 Rockford ‘Basket Press’ Shiraz
2010 Rockford ‘Basket Press’ Shiraz
Barossa Valley, SA
Barossa Valley, SA
Barossa Valley, SA
Barossa Valley, SA
Barossa Valley, SA
Barossa Valley, SA
250
250
200
220
200
160
1996 Rockford SVS ‘Hoffmann’ Shiraz
1996 Rockford SVS ‘Flaxman’ Shiraz
1996 Rockford SVS ‘Moorooroo’ Shiraz
1997 Rockford SVS ‘Hoffmann’ Shiraz
1998 Rockford SVS ‘Flaxman’ Shiraz
1998 Rockford SVS ‘Pressings’ Shiraz
1999 Rockford SVS ‘Flaxman’ Shiraz
1999 Rockford SVS ‘Pressings’ Shiraz
1999 Rockford SVS ‘Helbig’ Shiraz
Barossa Valley, SA
Eden Valley, SA
Barossa Valley, SA
Barossa Valley, SA
Eden Valley, SA
Barossa Valley, SA
Eden Valley, SA
Barossa Valley, SA
Barossa Valley, SA
420
420
380
380
380
380
380
380
550
1996 Henschke ‘Mount Edelstone’
2010 Henschke ‘Hill of Grace’
2004 Chris Ringland Shiraz (formerly ‘Three Rivers’)
1996 Ringland Vintners ’Three Rivers’
Eden Valley, SA
Eden Valley, SA
Eden Valley, SA
Eden Valley, SA
550
850
1200
2000
67
barossa wine archive: the late, great peter lehmann
No other figure exemplifies the essential spirit of the Barossa more than Peter Lehmann.
Much has been written about his brave stand against Dalgety, former owners of Saltram after their 1977
decision to stop buying fruit from their local growers for the 1978 vintage. Rather than renege on contracts
that he himself had shaken hands on, Peter continued to make wine for the grape-growing families, initially
at Saltram under the ‘Masterson’ banner and ultimately at Peter Lehmann Wines, established as a ‘winery for
the growers.’
‘Wine is made in a vineyard, not a boardroom. Without growers, there is no wine. It’s a circle of life you can’t
just cut off because of what the bottom line looks like.’ PETER LEHMANN
This potent social legacy and the associated folklore of the ‘weighbridge’ have perhaps distracted us from
recognising the pure brilliance of Peter Lehmann’s actual wine making. Since Peter’s passing, I have been
lucky to have had the opportunity to taste several old bottles of his wines, mostly made during his tenure as
Winemaker and Manager at Saltram. Bottles after bottle of the most brilliant wine, often from unheralded
vintages have been opened and reverentially decanted by Peter and Margaret’s sons Dave and Phil, and by
Jeremy and Heidi Holmes who continue the monumental job of cataloguing and releasing the bottles
remaining in Peter and Margaret’s Cellar.
The bottles listed here represent some of the greatest wines ever made in the Barossa and deserve to stand in
the pantheon alongside the best bottles of Hill of Grace and Grange.
Peter was a regular customer at our restaurant and enjoyed his meals with us. His legacy continues to be
keenly felt within these walls. David and Philip Lehmann are both great mates and their outstanding wines
are amongst our best selling bottles. Margaret Lehmann is a wonderful and generous mentor, (very) regular
customer and continues to channel enormous energy into the development and enrichment of artistic and
cultural endeavour here in our region. And Peter’s sidekicks Andrew Wigan, Ian Hongell and Tim Dolan
darken the doorways of fermentAsian on a fairly regular basis, ensuring that a close relationship continues to
develop between our staff and wines bearing the profile of the great man.
Many of these bottles have Peter’s own white cataloguing markings on their bases. A treasure trove indeed!
Lisa Perrotti-Brown’s Wine Advocate reviews from the September tasting organised by Jeremy and Heidi are included in the back of this list.
2002 Peter Lehmann Shiraz Muscadelle
Barossa Valley, SA
2010 Peter Lehmann Stonewell Shiraz
Barossa Valley, SA
2000 Peter Lehmann Stonewell Shiraz
Barossa Valley, SA
1996 Peter Lehmann Stonewell Shiraz
Barossa Valley, SA
1991 Peter Lehmann Stonewell Shiraz
Barossa Valley, SA
1989 Peter Lehmann Stonewell Shiraz (rare 750ml format)
Barossa Valley, SA
1984 Peter Lehmann; Anders-Lehmann-Schahinger ALS Blend Shiraz Cabernet Barossa Valley, SA
175
150
330
550
420
900
200
The 1984 ALS Blend Cabernet Shiraz was made by Peter for a couple of friends, purchasing quality Barossa Valley grapes at a
time when the industry was quite depressed. It is a terrific wine, drinking remarkably well today. There are some leaf and cassis
notes from the Cabernet and a heart of blueberry fruit from the Shiraz. There’s a little earth and chocolate development and the
wine is elegant and balanced and capable of aging for quite a bit more time. Jeremy Holmes 2015
1975 Saltram ‘Mamre Brook’
1972 Stonyfell ‘Metala’ Shiraz, Cabernet
1970 Saltram ‘Mamre Brook’ Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz
1978 Masterson Shiraz Cabernet
Barossa Valley, SA
Langhorne Creek, SA
Barossa Valley, SA
Barossa Valley, SA
An important little slice of Barossa history: this is the first wine made under the Masterson label, in the Saltram Cellars by Peter,
thereby extending a lifeline to his beloved growers. And amazing wine.
250
250
300
400
68
more peter lehmann
1971 Saltram ‘Bin 88’ Shiraz
1970 Saltram ‘Hydraulic Press’ Shiraz
1969 Saltram ‘Bin 54’ Shiraz
1968 Saltram ‘Bin 51’ Shiraz
1961 Saltram ‘Bin 32’ Shiraz Tokay
1951 Saltram Claret
1959 Saltram Vintage Port
1958 Saltram Vintage Port
NV Saltram Sweet Show White (Blended 1973 from 33 year old componants)
shiraz & blends (other australian)
2015 Green Road ‘Happy Days’ Shiraz / Cabernet Sauvignon
2012 Sanguine Estate ‘Progeny Shiraz’
Barossa Valley, SA
Barossa Valley, SA
Barossa Valley, SA
Barossa Valley, SA
Barossa Valley, SA
Barossa Valley, SA
Barossa Valley, SA
Barossa Valley, SA
Barossa Valley, SA
500
500
400
400
750
1000
700
700
950
McLaren Vale, SA
Heathcote, Victoria
45
54
In June 2013 I spent a couple of very pleasant days in Heathcote with Wine Australia and a group of sommeliers from some of
the best restaurants in Oz. This was one of the wines that stood out. Its charm lies in the fact that the Shiraz has been crafted
without manipulation, additions or lashings of expensive oak. It speaks of the ancient Cambrian soils pure and simple. I wasn’t
surprised to hear that the wine had cleaned up comprehensively at the Heathcote Wine Show, winning the trophy for best Shiraz.
2012 Farr Rising Shiraz
2012 Bindi ‘Pyrette’ Shiraz
2009 Syrahmi ‘Climat’
2013 tripe.Iscariot ‘Marrow’ Syrah / Malbec
2013 Karrawatta ‘Dairy Block’ Shiraz
Geelong, Victoria
Heathcote, Victoria
Heathcote, Victoria
Margaret River, WA
Meadows, Adelaide Hills, SA
64
64
64
66
68
2013 Glaetzer-Dixon ‘Mon Pere’ Shiraz
2011 Shiraz by Farr
Frogmore Creek, Tasmania
Bannockburn, Victoria
75
75
2014 Unico Zelo Syrah
Echunga, Adelaide Hills, SA
80
From a sunny patch of just fifteen rows within the Karrawatta vineyard in Meadows, this delicious wine indicates that SA’s cooler
regions can achieve expressions of Shiraz that exhibit impressively seductive richness. Concentrated blackberry compote and
whole-bunch smoky herbal notes play shotgun to the smells of hoisin and fennel-flecked charcouterie. These aromas successfully
transition into their oral equivalents and with a quick pinch of pink river salt, augment the wine’s luxury mouthfeel. Upholstered
in plush black velvet, the raised nap on the wine’s cushioned armrests represents the only (gentle) intrusion of tannin. 30% new
French oak, whilst evident, never pulls focus, and enhances a surprisingly complex and delicious palate. GD
A recent article penned by Bruce Schoenfeld in Saveur Magazine reinforced the fermentAsian approach to the selection of
Australian wines for this list. Schoenfeld, after tastings with Abel Gibson, Fraser McKinley, Marco Cirillo and Charlie Melton was
impressed that the “once exclusively overripe and robust Aussie Wines” have now “mellowed into middle age”.
Without even trying, the much-maligned 2011 vintage produced wines incapable of exuding even the faintest suggestion of
overripenes. This beautiful Shiraz made by Nick Farr in Geelong captures a kaleidoscope of herbal spice tones that remind me of
classic Fonsalette. GD
A one-off opportunity to play with a ton of grapes from one of the Adelaide Hills most celebrated Shiraz vineyards in Echunga
resulted in just 550 bottles of this beauty from Brendan Carter. Perfume and spice are woven through the finely threaded fabric
of the wine. A perfect combo of purple berry fruit, smoky herbals and lingering tang, all precicely wrought and weighted to sit
perfectly alongside Tuoi’s subtle flavour spectrum. GD
2009 Woodstock ‘The Stocks’
2009 Tyrrell’s ‘Vat 9’
2009 Syrahmi ‘La La’
2003 Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier
2004 Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier
2005 Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier
2006 Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier
2005 Giaconda ‘Warner Vineyard’
McLaren Vale, SA
Hunter Valley, NSW
Heathcote, Victoria
Canberra District, NSW
Canberra District, NSW
Canberra District, NSW
Canberra District, NSW
Beechworth, Victoria
92
130
180
220
220
220
220
250
69
shiraz & blends (new zealand)
2012 Salo Syrah
Hawkes Bay, NZ
65
2013 Alain Graillot Syrah No 2 13
2011 Alain Graillot ‘Syrocco’ Syrah
Heathcote, Victoria
Morocco
48
65
2011 Alain Graillot Syrah No 1 11
Heathcote, Victoria
78
If you’re dining with us after a day visiting local cellar doors, you may not be in the mood for yet another glass of Shiraz, but this
one might as well be from a vineyard in a completely different universe. Instead of the sweet-fruited richness presented by many
Barossa wine makers, here we have a stony, herbal darkness. Shadowy suggestions of blackberries and other black fruit make a
vague impression on the flavour frame, but are more than partially obscured by the pungency of coal dust, creosote, wet lichen,
fern fronds and various geological contributors. Some pleasantly bitter extract notes combine with the natural acidity on the
finish to make this food match gold. Steve Flamsteed has crafted one hell of a thought-provoking and delicious wine that will
wrestle nicely with the lush sweetness of the Pork Belly. GD
shiraz & blends (as expressed by alain graillot)
We have had this and previous vintages of this wine listed at fermentAsian since we first opened. Over that time, it has become
one of the mainstays of the list. A wine from Morocco: who would have thought?
The truth is that the wine exhibits a fine elegance with sufficient juicy and savoury mineral character to harmonise beautifully
with Tuoi’s flavours.
Apparently Alain Graillot stumbled on the Moroccan vineyard and winery Domaine des Ouleb Thaleb whilst cycling in the
spectacular Middle Atlas Mountains. All his instincts told him that this was a site of enormous syrah-growing promise. At an
altitude of 500 metres, the vines are cooled by brisk breezes that blow inland off the Atlantic. Ancient marine deposits in the red
clay and schist ensure that the red and black fruit characters are etched with filigreed mineral undercurrents. GD
One of Robert Walter’s own projects. I’ll let him tell the story:
‘In a nutshell, these wines are the result of an intense collaboration between myself and Alain Graillot, one of France’s most
respected wine growers. Those familiar with Graillot’s work in the Northern Rhône won’t be surprised to hear that Syrah is the
conduit of choice, with fruit selected from a single, eroded basalt and lime-rich vineyard in Heathcote. Both Alain and I were very
attracted by the idea of coming together to produce a sophisticated, restrained and linear expression of Australian Syrah from
what we felt was a special piece of dirt. Alain Graillot, a great lover and collector of Burgundy, was recently described to me as
“... the man who makes Syrah that tastes like Pinot...” His obsession with elegance shines through in this wine. From a single
vineyard that was chosen because it was a site that we felt could produce highly aromatic, pure, precise and super refined wines.
Initially we sourced fruit from across this vineyard, yet now we work with only one plot (that I’ve nicknamed ‘Clos Graillot’). It was
this plot that we found to produce exactly the style of wine we were after. The vines are tended without any herbicides or
pesticides. The grapes are handpicked, left to ferment without any yeast additions and are not fined or filtered. Almost no new
oak has been used and sulphur is kept to a minimum (none was used at bottling for example). The conditions of Alain’s
involvement were simple: only if he was able to produce the highest quality wine with the kind of elegance for which he is
renowned and that he likes to drink, would he be willing to put his name to this project’. ROBERT WALTERS
2010 Domaine Alain Graillot
Crozes Hermitage, France
150
This is one of the rarest and most sought after red wines in the world and a Holy Grail wine for many of my Australian winemaker
buddies. I heard the wine being talked about by Ben Radford in hallowed tones for many years before I had the chance to sample
its charms myself.
Fruit is from the Pont de l’Isère in Crozes Hermitage, where the soil profile varies between alluvial deposits of sand, gravel, rocks
and stones. Drainage is never an issue. The winemaking style is defined in the vineyard where the exclusive use of organic
methodologies, hand harvesting and ruthless selection are bywords. The grapes are macerated (whole cluster) prior to
fermentation for 2 – 5 days, followed by fermentation over the following 15 – 21. The wine is then matured for twelve months in
both Burgundian barrels and concrete vats. GD
2011 Domaine Alain Graillot
2012 Domaine Alain Graillot
1994 Domaine Alain Graillot
Crozes Hermitage, France
Crozes Hermitage, France
Hermitage, France
140
140
540
1995 Domaine Alain Graillot
1998 Domaine Alain Graillot
Hermitage, France
Hermitage, France
540
540
Hens’ teeth. Alain Graillot’s wines from the Hill of Hermitage are uber rare. They don’t make it into Australia through Graillot’s
distributor. These rare bottles were sourced through Jeremy and Heidi Holmes of d’Or to Door.
70
shiraz & blends (france)
2013 Hervé Souhaut Syrah
2009 Rousset St Joseph Rouge
2009 Rousset ‘Les Picaudieres’
2012 Domaine Gramenon ‘Sierra du Sud’
2011 Hervé Souhaut Saint Joseph
2011 Pierre Gonon Saint Joseph Rouge
2008 Maxime Graillot Equis Cornas
Ardèche, France
St Joseph, Rhone, France
Crozes Hermitage, France
Côtes du Rhône, Rhone, France
Saint Joseph, Rhone, France
Saint Joseph, Rhone, France
Cornas, France
75
75
75
78
104
120
123
2009 Guillaume Gilles Cornas
2011 Franck Balthazar ‘Chaillet’
2011 Hervé Souhaut ‘Sainte Épine’
Cornas, France
Cornas, France
Saint Joseph, Rhone, France
125
132
140
Alain Graillot’s son is forging a great career in his own right. Observing the same celebration of terroir that characterises his
father’s work, Maxime here gets to play with a patch of 60+ year old vines in the highly pedigreed Cornas lieux dit ‘Les Chaillots’.
The wine seems to tease out every possible geological nuance from the granitic soil, easier perhaps in a cooler vintage like 2008
when the wines are less likely to pick up the excess flesh associated with over-ripeness. The wine’s purity, heady perfume and
expression of fruit and mineral acidity highlight the stylistic connection between Syrah based wines of the Northern Rhone and
Pinot Noirs of the Cote de Nuit. GD
From a hallowed lieu-dit abutting the Hill of Hermitage. This evolves into something extraordinarily expressive with bottle age,
or even now with vigorous decanting and a big glass. That whole cornucopia of olfactory diversity that we look for in great
Burgundy is apparent here, and a reason that the greatest wines from the northern appellations of the Rhone share a similar
legendary status amongst those in the know.
Vines that are now more than century in age have contributed dark and dangerous aromatics that remain reticent and brooding,
but which begin to be teased out following a double decant. Working the wine in the glass gradually reveals a complex array of
blackberry, wet stone, lavender, thyme, white pepper and hanging venison. This really is worthy of your consideration! GD
2010 Benjamin and David Duclaux ‘La Germine’
Côte-Rôtie, Rhone, France
180
2009 Georges Vernay ‘Blonde du Seigneur’
2010 Benjamin and David Duclaux ‘Maison Rouge’
Côte-Rôtie, Rhone, France
Côte-Rôtie, Rhone, France
220
235
2011 La Grande Colline
Cornas, Rhone, France
260
2008 Domaine Auguste Clape
2002 Domaine Peyre Rose ‘Clos des Cistes’
2003 Domaine Peyre Rose ‘Syrah Léone’
Cornas, Rhone, France
Coteaux du Languedoc, France
Coteaux du Languedoc, France
260
270
270
A profound expression of youthful Northern Rhone Shiraz. Sulky and petulant for some minutes when first poured, the wine
gradually unfurls and stretches itself, picking up flesh to upholster graphite and ferrous geological indicators after about five
minutes in the glass. Eventually, insinuations of deep blood plum and sour cherry notes emerge from within the earthen chassis
and the wine begins to sing. One structured for the ages, but poised to delight even now. GD
There isn’t much chatter about the Duclaux brothers….yet. Representing a traditional approach to Côte Rôtie, the wines are
destemmed and aged in old large format oak. Whereas the ‘La Germine’ sees the addition of 5% Viognier, this flagship wine is
pure deep and dark meaty Shiraz. This isn’t for those customers who crave obviousness or fruit sweetness. It’s savoury, structured,
ferrous and profound. Plenty of stimulation here for the grey matter. GD
Hirotake Ooka is a Japanese vintner living and working in France. A stint working with Thierry Allemand sowed the final seeds in
a belief system based on indolence rather than industry. Ooka’s vines are essentially left to do their own thing and wines are
made from nothing but grapes, despite his early university training in chemistry. There is a big market for this ultimate form of
natural winemaking in his native Japan, and most of his production is exported to his homeland where he enjoys great renown.
GD
Best in importer Andrew Guard’s words: “These are wines that get right under your skin. Upon tasting, Peyre Rose wines are both
emotive and overwhelming because they have the rare ability to be at once powerful, precise and sensual. The impression of the
first Peyre Rose wine I tasted lingered in my memory many weeks after tasting (I remember this also happened the first time I
tasted Thierry Allemand’s Cornas ‘Reynard’ and Coche-Dury’s Meursault ‘Rougeots’!) showing just how great these Syrah
dominant blends from the Languedoc really are”.
I have had French winemakers in our restaurant astonished to find these wines listed. Such bottles are part of a vinous pantheon
of wines talked about reverentially, but rarely seen or tasted. Even in France. Opportunities to taste such mature examples are
rare indeed. GD
71
more shiraz & blends (france)
2009 Domaine Bernard Faurie ‘Greffieux / Bessard’
Hermitage, Rhone, France
280
2011 Thierry Allemand
Cornas, Rhone, France
320
Old school, in the best sense of the word. Old vines, planted by Faurie’s great grandfather back in the 1920s and ‘30s. No
destemming, long elevage. But it’s mostly about the soils that run through these sections of this most hallowed hill in the Rhone.
Greffieux comes from a glacial alluvium terrace with granite, shingles and clay. Bessards is all about sandy gravel over granite.
No wonder the wine expresses the juice of crushed rocks as much as it does the confit red raspberries of old-vine syrah.
Minuscule production of between 50 and 80 cases. GD
This remains one of the most evocative, concentrated and complete wines that I have tasted. But don’t even think about it if
you’re a fan of sweet fruit and opulence. This is intensely savoury, herbal, (naturally) grippy, and sensual: creosote and blood
plum concentrate. It weaves in and out of the flavours on your plate (regardless of cuisine) with a dexterity that will rival any
great Burgundy. I wait with eager anticipation to see it metamorphose into a great old bottle. GD
1981 Chapoutier ‘Cuvée Marie-Robert et Sophie’
Hermitage, Rhone, France
330
1983 Chapoutier ‘Cuvée Marie-Robert et Sophie’
1985 Chapoutier ‘Cuvée Marie-Robert et Sophie’
2010 Domaine Bernard Faurie ‘Greffieux / Bessard’
2000 Guigal ‘Ampuis’
2011 Thierry Allemand ‘Reynard’
1983 Guigal ‘Côte-Rôtie’ Côtes Brune et Blonde
2000 Guigal ‘La Landonne’
2001 Guigal ‘ex voto’
2001 Guigal ‘La Turque’
1981 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave
1961 Chapoutier ‘Monier de la Sizeranne’
Hermitage, Rhone, France
Hermitage, Rhone, France
Hermitage, Rhone, France
Côte-Rôtie, Rhone, France
Cornas, Rhone, France
Côte-Rôtie, Rhone, France
Côte-Rôtie, Rhone, France
Hermitage, Rhone, France
Côte-Rôtie, Rhone, France
Hermitage, Rhone, France
Hermitage, Rhone, France
330
330
350
360
365
400
900
1200
1200
1200
4000
I quietly chuckle inside each time I see a Tripadvisor comment describing our wine list as being ‘over-priced’. So many amazing
bargains are to be had within these pages. I mean, 35-year-old celebrated cuvees from the Hill of Hermitage by a great producer
for less than the wholesale price of several current releases? Hello…
primtivo and/or zinfandel
2015 La Prova Primitivo
2014 Broc Cellars ‘Vine Starr’
Langhorne Creek, SA
Sonoma County, California, USA
48
110
Perhaps defying the expectations surrounding Californian Zinfandel, this is made in a similar way to Cru Beaujolais and exhibits
the same saliva inducing freshness and purity. The wine that launched winemaker Chris Brockway’s cult status in the US. GD
72
Nebbiolo
2012 Giovanni Rosso Langhe Nebbiolo
2011 Luciano Sandrone Valmaggiore Nebbiolo D’Alba
Serralunga d’Alba, Piedmont, Italy
Barolo, Piedmont, Italy
75
95
2010 Henschke ‘The Rose Grower’ Nebbiolo
2012 Bera Barbaresco
2011 Massolino Barolo DOCG
Piedmont, Italy 135
2010 Sobrero ‘Ciabot Tanasio’ Barolo
Eden Valley, SA
Barbaresco, Piedmont, Italy
Serralunga
2010 Schiavenza Serralunga Barolo
2010 Albina Rocca Riserva ‘Vigeto Ronchi’
Serralunga d’Alba, Piedmont, Italy 135
Barbaresco, Piedmont, Italy
150
2009 Giaconda Nebbiolo
2009 Cavallotto Barolo ‘Bricco Boschis’
Beechworth, Victoria
180
Castiglione Falletto, Piedmont, Italy 190
96
105
d’Alba,
Castiglione Falletto, Piedmont, Italy 135
This drinks well straight out of the blocks, with the few years in bottle already tranquilising some of the more robust tannins. This
again indicates how 2010 Barolos shimmer with an abundance of fruit. Kirsch and toasted banana bread; rose petals and damp
rich loam. There’s an approachability about these wines that will convert a whole new audience. But working the wine in a big
glass sees the tannins gradually build: the wine gathers volume and grip, indicating that it has some serious evolution ahead.
This is poised to become a great old bottle. GD
2009 Massolino Barolo Margheria
Serralunga d’Alba, Piedmont, Italy
1967 Fontanafredda Barolo (375ml)
Serralunga d’Alba, Piedmont, Italy
2008 Giovanni Rosso Barolo ‘Cerretta’
Serralunga d’Alba, Piedmont, Italy
2007 Cavalotto Barolo Riserva ‘Bricci Boschis Vigna San Giuseppe’ Castiglione Falletto, Piedmont, Italy
1974 Cossetti Barolo
Barolo, Piedmont, Italy
1979 Fratelli Barale Barbaresco ‘Rabaja’ Riserva
Barbaresco, Piedmont, Italy
2003 Luciano Sandrone Barolo Le Vigne
Barolo, Piedmont, Italy
1968 Scanavino Zoccolaio Ai Barolo
Barolo, Piedmont, Italy
197
200
250
280
320
350
380
420
The first wine (and same vintage) to give renowned Wine writer Alice Feiring an ‘out of body’ wine experience!
2001 Massolino Vigna Rionda Riserva X Anni DOCG
1971 Ferruccio Nicolello Barolo
1974 Gigi Rosso Barbaresco
1966 Marchesi di Barolo Barolo
1974 Gallo Pietro Barolo
1999 Luciano Sandrone Barolo Le Vigne
1959 Antiche Cantine – Tenute Galarey Barolo
1965 Giacomo Conterno Barbaresco
Serralunga d’Alba, Piedmont, Italy
Barolo, Piedmont, Italy
Barbaresco, Piedmont, Italy
Barolo, Piedmont, Italy
Barolo, Piedmont, Italy
Barolo, Piedmont, Italy
Serralunga d’Alba, Piedmont, Italy
Barbaresco, Piedmont, Italy
450
450
500
500
500
550
790
1050
73
barbera, dolcetto, sangiovese et al
2012 Torzi Matthews ‘Vigna Cantina’ Negro Amaro
Barossa Valley, SA
38
2014 La Prova Nero d’Avola
Penrice, Barossa Valley, SA
42
2014 La Prova Sangiovese
Adelaide Hills / Barossa, SA
42
2015 La Prova Montepulciano
Langhorne Creek, SA
42
2013 Spinifex Aglianico
Kersbrook, Adelaide Hills, SA
42
2011 Heathvale ‘The Belief’ Sagrantino
Eden Valley, SA
44
I’m reminded of a Negro Amaro made by Chris Ringland during a Puglian sabbatical some 15 years ago. I can still visualise that
wine’s black satin negro sheen but recall my impression that any amaro had been concealed deep within the wine by Chris’
signature vinous structure, which in its (beautiful) heft reminded me of Rodin’s craggy Balzac. I have one last lingering precious
bottle of that wine in the cellar at home. So I was excited when Dom Torzi phoned and delivered news that he had a few wines to
show me that illustrated his own émigré status. This Negro Amaro immediately jumped out at me for a place on the list. Made to
drink joyously with food, it’s a wine-as-diet kind of a wine. Within textbook southern Italian savouriness, the amaro element
actually pulsates. Enjoy the sensation as it deliously fractures the sweet orangeness of Tuoi’s Pork Belly. GD
Nero d’Avola is a Sicilian variety that thrives in dry heat. By open-fermenting a parcel of destemmed fruit, pressing half of it off
into old oak after ten days while allowing the other half to macerate on skins for a further eight months, Sam Scott has crafted a
wine that’s deliciously spicy, savoury, vibrant and rustic. GD
We’ve been working our way through Sam Scott’s La Prova wines, serving by the glass, excited to bring them before our
discerning fermentAsian audience. Immediately charming, his Sangiovese smells like a CWA kitchen in full preservation mode:
Fowlers jars brimming with macerated cherries, toasted cinnamon quills and gentle dry spice. But it’s on the back end of the
palate that things get really interesting. A barb of gently muted tannic bitterness stimulates the saliva glands and pricks the
bitter receptors that line the inside of your oral cavity. The communion between the wash of wine and Tuoi’s sweetly sauced meat
dishes promises to be pretty memorable. GD
Many of the local expressions of Monte seen here would appear to have been exercises in pushing ripeness, pushing power,
pushing voluptuousness. Sadly, such expressions are often at odds with the flavour profile of our cuisine, so it’s great to see a
winemaker dialing the ripeness right back, intent on a more savoury outcome. The grapes here were provided by regular
customer and mate Brad Case and Sam Scott does his stuff in Jo Irvine’s Winewise facility. So it’s all in the family, you might say.
Peter Schell and Magali Gely were among the first to wean the Barossa’s audience off uber-ripe, sweet-fruited wines. For more
than a decade they have crafted wines loaded with an identifiable European savouriness. These are wines that combine well with
the flavours of today’s Australian diet, and wrap themselves very effectively around the sweeter fruit-based sauces on Tuoi’s
current menu. This Aglianico from Caj Amadio’s fruit grown just out of Williamstown in the Adelaide Hills exhibits deep, blackfruited smoky and brambly characters that pervade a medium-weight frame. Pomegranite and damson tang forges a dark path
over the tongue and resolves in a fresh powdery-tannin finish. This is a very special wine. GD
Sagrantino is native to central Italy, where its most renowned expression is Sagrantino di Montefalco in Umbria. For those who
enjoy a tannin jolt, Sagrantino might just provide the ultimate experience, although ferrous elements, rusticity and underlying
brooding black fruit complete a more complex flavour profile.
Trevor March experienced his personal Sagrantino epiphany back in 1996 during an Italian Varieties tasting at Regency TAFE
hosted by Dr Richard Smart. This black tannic grape red-lined all of Trevor’s internal sensory gauges. With a fundamentalist zeal,
he doggedly pursued the Sagrantino Sangreal for the following 13 years, despite viticultural and other setbacks. Three times he
th
had to replant! Appropriately, since the 11 Century, Sagrantino was usually crafted by winemaking Umbrian monks into
sacramental wine. Taste and believe brother. GD
2014 Tenuta di Gracciano Della Seta Rosso di Montepulciano (Sangiovese)
2015 Roots Nero d’Avola
2013 Bera Dolcetto D’Alba
2013 Paolo Conterno Dolcetto D’Alba
2015 Giacomo Borgogno Dolcetto d’Alba
2012 Ciro Picariello ’Zi Filicella’ Aglianico
2013 Gianni Brunelli Rosso di Montalcino (Sangiovese)
2013 Feudi Bizantini ‘Il Rabdomante’ Montepulciano D’Abruzzo
Montepulciano, Tuscany, Italy
The Riverland, SA
Piedmont, Italy
Monforte D’Alba, Piedmont, Italy
Barolo, Piedmont, Italy
Irpinia, Campania, Italy
Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy
Crecchio, Abruzzo, Italy
45
48
48
48
58
75
85
95
2013 Vietti Barbera d’Alba ‘Vigna Scarrone’
2005 Pian dell’Orino Brunello di Montalcino (Sangiovese)
2005 Cupano Brunello di Montalcino (Sangiovese)
Monforte D’Alba, Piedmont, Italy
Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy
Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy
130
250
280
This, the very first vintage of ‘Il Rabdomante’ was awarded ‘Best Italian Wine’ in Luca Maroni’s annual publication ‘I Migliori Vini
Italiani’. From a steep south-facing single site, vines are planted in lean limestone-rich soils. The vines are cooled by both
maritime and alpine breezes and high altitude results in wide diurnal temperature fluctuations, ensuring that a bright seam of
acidity accompanies the considerable body and structure. GD
74
tempranillo, carignan, mencía and other barstard Iberians
2013 Envinate ‘Albahra’ Garncha Tintorera (Alicante Bouschet)
Almansa, Spain
45
2014 Olivier Rivière ‘Rayos Uva’ (50% Tempranillo, 50% Graciano)
2012 Quinta Milú ‘La Cometa’ Tempranillo
Rioja, Spain
Ribera del Duero
54
62
Alicante Bouschet in the Barossa has come to mean Rosé, the inspiration being Rockford’s durable, miss-spelt beauty. Other
expressions are also possible, as this Biodynamic Spanish example indicates. 60% whole bunch, fermented and aged in concrete,
the wine is tangy, spicy, bright, rocky and energetic. GD
Back to basics Ribera del Duero. La Cometa (the Kite) is an expression from 70-100 year old Vines planted at 900m altitude.
Partially destemmed and then foot-stomped, open-fermented and aged for 14 months in old French barrels. Unfined, unfiltered
and bottled with just the merest hint of Sulphur. The wine tastes lively and energetic, bracingly fresh and delicious! GD
2010 Henschke ‘Stone Jar’ Tempranillo Graciano
Eden Valley, SA
75
2014 Broc Cellars ‘Love Red’ (75% Carignan; 14% Valdiguie; 11% Shiraz) Green Valley, Solano County, California, USA 75
2012 Robert & Bernard Plageoles ‘Le Duras’ (Duras)
Gaillac, SW France
75
A glass of this represents the work of vinous archaeologists father and son Plageoles in the region of Gaillac, midway between
Bordeaux and Montpellier in South-Western France. Drinking wine made from Duras, an (almost) extinct, forgotten indigenous
grape variety, is the vinous equivalent of treading on fresh Tasmanian Tiger scat, or retrieving a bunch of DoDo feathers from the
mouth of your cat. Duras is one of a number of such variatels that have been resurrected by the Plageoles and crafted into
amazing organic natural wines. Impressions? Black. Like licking a coal seam. Rich. Dried herbs and distant smoke-house. There’s
a hit of bay leaf, raspberry, plum, earth, soot, blood and exotic spice. Contemplative, different but undeniably delicious. GD
2012 Quinta da Muradella ‘Alanda Tinto’
Monterrei, Spain
86
Tasted by the ferment wine team after a busy Sunday lunch, this surprised us all. A curious field blend, from a number of
different sites, its varietal mix includes Mencia, Bastardo, Garnacha, Tintoria, Mouratón and Arauxa. Partially destemmed. 14
months in old wood; 6 months in vat. The wine has been lurking on the list for a while: I mean who’s going to come waltzing
through the door with the intention of lashing out on a wine from Monterrei? Who’s even heard of Monterrei? If you’re curious,
it’s just above the Portuguese border in NW Spain.
Well I predict that the few bottles in stock are now not going to last too much longer. The wine is just too good not to put in front
of people. It opens with an attractive waft of wood spice. I remember pulling out drawers in an old cedar spice cabinet when I was
a kid and being teased by the cacophony of aromas that leapt out, Aladdin-like. There’s something of that here, but it’s really just
a precursor for the seductive berry-fruit smells that quickly begin to assert themselves. Blueberries and raspberries, dusted with
fine fleur de sel and icing sugar. The briny acidity hails from the rakish, salt-laden winds that blow in off the Atlantic Ocean. The
texture is gentle and filigreed, the palate elegant and precise. This represents an epiphanal match with our food. GD
2010 Abel Mendosa ‘Jarrarte’ Tempranillo
Rioja, Spain
2013 Maxime Magnon ‘Campagnes’ Carignan
Corbières, Languedoc, France
2011 L’Anglore ‘Comeyre’ Carignan
Tavel, Southern Rhone France
2010 Leon Barral Faugères ‘Jadis’ 50% Carignan, 30% Syrah, 20% Grenache
Languedoc, France
2005 Valenciso ‘Reserva’ Tempranillo
Rioja, Spain
2008 Domaine de l’Horizon Vin de Pays (66% Carignan; 33% Grenache) Roussillon, France
88
98
98
98
98
115
Roussillon and its craggy surrounds have always supplied some of the ‘character wines’ on this list.
Much as I admire the George Clooneys and Leonardo diCaprios of the silver screen, I would always prefer to be at a dinner party
squeezed between a couple of bit-part players; character actors. I’m thinking Danny DeVito, Peter Lorre, Tom Waits or the
lugubrious Vincent Schiavelli. All pretty damned crusty, with faces that only a mother could love. But in terms of interest,
dimension, and sheer bloody memorability, you carry their characterisations with you forever. You just know that the ebb and
flow of conversation around such a table would be colourful, compelling and real.
Wine can be like that. Some of the most handsome, well-tailored, not-a-hair-out-of-place wines of the world are stonkingly
beautiful, but sadly, just not that memorable. You suddenly realise that there’s a commodity factor out there supplying grapegrowing and winemaking formulas that will keep every John and Jane Doe vinously satisfied. This VdP Rouge is different. It’s a
veritable Dennis Hopper of a wine. Two-thirds old vine Carignan: yes, real century old bushes, and one-third Grenache. The
wizened and wind-stunted vines have been sucking up moisture from a rich cocktail of character-building soils. There’s calciumrich marne, plenty of bleached and depleted chalky stuff and the usual southern French quartz-laden broken schist.
The wine comes out the other end smelling like earth, compost, ashes, soused herbs and lapsang souchong tea. There’s also an
intriguing and grunty kind of animal character. No, it’s actually a deeply human smell, though perhaps not a scent of the
regularly abluted. It’s more visceral, sweaty and strangely suggestive of all manner of bodily fluids and functions. Rich and
Strange. I’m not sure if I’m getting the words out effectively here, for I’d be remiss if I’ve given the impression that this wine is
anything less than wildly attractive. Closing my eyes and breathing the perfume makes my heart race and gives me some pretty
wild urges. I feel a weird animal magnetism towards the rich strangeness of the wine as it sloshes around the bottom of my glass.
In fact part of me wants to keep the few bottles I have remaining for very personal consumption. Or perhaps to share with Helen
Mirren or Toni Collette at a future dinner party. Because there are of course, many great character actresses too. GD
75
more tempranillo, carignan, mencía, et al
2008 Dominio Do Bibei ‘Lacima’ (Mencía)
Ribeira Sacra, Spain
2012 Olivier Rivière ‘Vinas del Cadastro’ (95% Tempranillo, 5% Garnacha) Covarrubias, Arlanza, Spain
2011 Algueira ‘Pizarra’ (Mencía)
Ribeira Sacra, Spain
115
120
140
2012 Algueira Merenzao
140
This wine gets a big nod of approval in Jesús Barquín’s ‘The Finest Wines of Rioja and Northwest Spain’. In fact it’s listed as one of
Galicia’s top 10 red wines. Ripe cherries and redcurrants dominate at this stage of its primary development, but there are also
geological stony notes and a salty, bloody ferrous presence on the nose and across the palate. Despite this complexity, the
overall impression is one of purity, finesse and precision. Delicate tannins and a quite electrifying acidic drive through the mouth
ensure that the overall sensation is both refreshing and flavourful. GD
Ribeira Sacra, Spain
Ribeira Sacra remains a magnet for Roman Catholic pilgims. Perhaps the passage of Cistercian monks along the well-worn trails
of pilgrimage that have criss-crossed Europe for over a thousand years explains the aged plantings of both native (and closely
related) Juran varieties Trousseau and Savagnin on the Iberian Peninsular and on the Isle of Madeira. In Portugal Trousseau is
known as ‘Bastardo’; in Ribera Sacra, just to the north of Portugal’s northern border, it is known as Merenzau.
This is an extraordinary and unique expression, defined by varietal (fleshy, plum-scented, opulent), site (geological contributions
of slate and schist) and natural winemaking (wild ferment, 100% whole bunch, foot stomping, large format old oak, no fining or
filtering). An epiphanal wine. GD
2008 Standish Wines ‘El Standito Provecto’ Garnacha Tintoria
2010 Goyo Garcia ‘Finca Valdeolmos’
Yecla, Spain
Ribera del Duero, Spain
142
148
2004 La Rioja Alta ‘Gran Reserva 904’
2009 Pedro Balda Majuelo de la Rad Cosecha (Tempranillo)
Rioja, Spain
Rioja, Spain
155
160
High altitude (1100m) field blend of 80-year-old Tempranillo and Abillo vines, planted across two sites in stony limestone soils.
The grapes have been picked early to retain natural acidity, wild-co-fermented and elevaged in old fine-grained French barriques
without sulphor addition. Interestingly, Goyo credits Pierre Overnoy from the Jura as a major influence. GD
Unbelievably beautiful wine. Pure, rich and intense, but with a precision, power and freshness about the flavour-profile that
reminds me of Dan Standish’s recent Barossa Shirazes. Pedro Balda is a University of Logrono oenology lecturer and a long-time
friend of Stephen and Prue Henschke. His wines are incredibly rare and very special. Note that his wines are made without any
sulphur additions. If you’re a Tempranillo aficionado, don’t miss this! GD
2008 Rene Barbier ‘Manyetes’ Old Vine
Gratallops, Priorat, Spain
2006 Bodegas Roda
Roda 1 ‘Reserva’
Rioja, Spain
2009 Pedro Balda Rioja Majuelo de la Rad Vendimia Seleccionada Rioja, Spain
2009 Rene Barbier ‘Manyetes’ Old Vine
Gratallops, Priorat, Spain
200
209
210
210
1982 Martinez Bujanda Conde De Valdemar ‘Gran Reserva’
1982 Marques de Riscal ‘Gran Riserva’
1967 Bodegas Riojanas ‘Reserva Monte Real’
1962 Franco Espanolas ‘Tete de Cuvee Royal’
320
390
430
550
Cariñena (Carignan) is the most important ‘native’ variety in Priorat, which makes this wine (a 90% Carignan 10% Garnacha
blend in 2009) one of the most important and authentic expressions of the region. From vines that are all older than eighty years,
the wine is more traditional in style than its Mogodor sibling. It shares with that wine a certain identifyable house style: similar
power, potency, concentration and depth of flavour, but perhaps the llicorella-soil minerality is more front and centre in the
flavour profile. There is certainly a very apparent geological aspect to the wine, a flinty minerality that drives through the Indian
ink, iodine and savoury fruit. GD
Rioja, Spain
Rioja, Spain
Rioja, Spain
Rioja, Spain
76
wine for grownups: the big bottles (1500ml unless indicated otherwise)
sparkling
(NM) NV Pol Roger ‘Brut Cuvee’
(RM) 2009 Vouette et Sorbée ‘Fidele’ Extra Brut Blanc de Noirs
(RM) NV Champagne Bérèche et fils ‘Reflet d’Antan’
Champagne, France
Aube, Champagne, France
Ludes, Champagne, France
(NM) NV Champagne Ruinart Blanc de Blancs
(NM) NV Champagne Ruinart Brut Rosé
(RM) NV Egly-Ouriet Grand Cru Brut Rosé
Reims, Champagne, France
750
Reims, Champagne, France
750
Ambonnay, Montagne de Reims, Fr. 790
From a solera (equal componants of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Meunier) started in 1990, stored in 600-litre demi-muids and
bottled under cork for the secondary fermentation. This Magnum was disgorged in 2012 and dosed with 6g/l. A wine of honeyed
richness and exotic spice. GD
300
400
600
white
2015 Rieslingfreak No. 2
2008 Radford ‘Quartz Garden’ Riesling
Polish Hill, Clare Valley, SA
Eden Valley, SA
130
190
2012 Zilliken ‘Rausch’ Riesling Auslese
Saarburg, Saar, Germany
2014 Schafer-Frohlich ‘Felseneck’ Grosses Gewachs
Nahe, Germany
2012 Willi Schaefer ‘Graacher Domprobst’ Auslese #14
Mosel, Germany
2010 Joh. Jos. Prüm ‘Wehlener Sonnenuhr’ Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel Mosel, Germany
2011 Joh. Jos. Prüm ‘Wehlener Sonnenuhr’ Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel Mosel, Germany
440
500
580
650
650
2008 Hubert Lamy ‘Clos de la Chateniere’ 1er Cru (3000ml)
2008 Hubert Lamy ‘Les Frionnes’ 1er Cru (3000ml)
2011 Philippe Valette ‘Je Suis Viré’ (Chardonnay)
2009 Domaine Valette ‘Pouilly-Vinzelles’ VV (Chardonnay)
Saint-Aubin, Burgundy, France
Saint-Aubin, Burgundy, France
Vin de France (Macon), Burgundy, Fr.
Pouilly-Vinzelles, Macon, France
850
750
280
280
2000 Vichot-Girod Côtes du Jura Savagnin
Nevy-Sur-Seille, Jura, France
400
77
more wine for grownups: the big bottles (1500ml unless indicated otherwise)
red
2011 Domaine du Vissoux Fleurie ‘Les Garants’ Gamay
2011 Domaine du Vissoux ‘Les Trois Roches’ Gamay
2013 Chignard Fleurie ‘Vieilles Vignes’
Fleurie, Beaujolais, France
Moulin-à-Vent, Beaujolais, France
Fleurie, Beaujolais, France
140
160
160
2013 Tolpuddle Vineyard Pinot Noir
2013 Ata Rangi Pinot Noir
2011 Felton Road ‘Bannockburn’ Pinot Noir
2012 Felton Road ‘Cornish Point’ Pinot Noir
2012 Felton Road ‘Block 5’ Pinot Noir
2013 Felton Road ‘Cornish Point’ Pinot Noir
2013 Felton Road ‘Calvert’ Pinot Noir
2013 Felton Road ‘Block 3’ Pinot Noir
2013 Felton Road ‘Block 5’ Pinot Noir
Coal River Valley, Tasmania
Martinborough, NZ
Central Otago, NZ
Central Otago, NZ
Central Otago, NZ
Central Otago, NZ
Central Otago, NZ
Central Otago, NZ
Central Otago, NZ
280
300
280
350
420
350
350
420
420
1996 Hubert Lamy ‘La Goujonne’ VV (Pinot Noir)
Chassagne-Montrachet, Burgundy, Fr. 490
1999 Hubert Lamy ‘Derrière Chez Edouard’ 1er Cru (Pinot Noir) Saint-Aubin, Burgundy, France
690
2012 Benjamin Leroux ‘Clos de la Roche’ Grand Cru (Pinot Noir) Morey-St-Denis, Côte de Nuits, Fr. 1500
2012 Dom. Clos de Tart ‘Clos de Tart’ Grand Cru Monopole (Pinot Noir) Morey-St-Denis, Côte de Nuits, Fr. 2300
2012 Chateau De La Tour ’Clos Vougeot’ Grand Cru (Pinot Noir) Vougeot, Côte de Nuits, France
950
2012 Chateau De La Tour ’Clos Vougeot’ VV Grand Cru (Pinot Noir) Vougeot, Côte de Nuits, France
1500
2010 Domaine Prieuré Roch ‘Les Clous’
Vosne-Romanée, Côte de Nuits, Fr. 990
2010 Domaine Marcoux Chateauneuf du Pape
2011 Domaine Marcoux Chateauneuf du Pape
2012 Domaine Marcoux Chateauneuf du Pape
2010 Château de la Charbonnière
2010 Château de la Charbonnière ‘Cuvée Spéciale’
1998 Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe ‘La Crau’
1998 Château de Beaucastel
1978 Château Mont-Redon Chateauneuf du Pape
Chateauneuf du Pape, Rhone, France
Chateauneuf du Pape, Rhone, France
Chateauneuf du Pape, Rhone, France
Chateauneuf du Pape, Rhone, France
Chateauneuf du Pape, Rhone, France
Chateauneuf du Pape, Rhone, France
Chateauneuf du Pape, Rhone, France
Chateauneuf du Pape, Rhone, France
550
500
450
350
450
790
890
950
2010 Albina Rocca Riserva ‘Vigeto Ronchi’
2004 Massolino Barolo DOCG ‘Vigna Rionda’ X Anni (Nebbiolo)
Barbaresco, Piedmont, Italy
Barolo, Piedmont, Italy
420
900
2005 Telmo Rodriguez Pegaso ‘Pizzara’ Garnacha
2007 Cillar de Silos Tempranillo ‘Toresilo’
2012 Artadi ‘La Poza de Ballesteros’ (Tempranillo)
Castilla Y Leon, Spain
Ribera del Duero, Spain
Rioja, Spain
380
480
480
78
more wine for grownups: the big bottles (1500ml unless indicated otherwise)
1999 RBJ Grenache Mataro
Barossa Valley, SA
350
1992 Rockford ‘Home Block’ Cabernet Sauvignon
1998 Rockford ‘Home Block’ Cabernet Sauvignon
2002 Rockford ‘Home Block’ Cabernet Sauvignon
2006 Rockford ‘Home Block’ Cabernet Sauvignon
Barossa Valley, SA
Barossa Valley, SA
Barossa Valley, SA
Barossa Valley, SA
440
550
490
380
1995 Rockford Basket Press Shiraz
1996 Rockford Basket Press Shiraz
1997 Rockford Basket Press Shiraz
1998 Rockford Basket Press Shiraz
1999 Rockford Basket Press Shiraz
2001 Rockford Basket Press Shiraz
2002 Rockford Basket Press Shiraz
2003 Rockford Basket Press Shiraz
2004 Rockford Basket Press Shiraz
2005 Rockford Basket Press Shiraz
2006 Rockford Basket Press Shiraz
2007 Rockford Basket Press Shiraz
2008 Rockford Basket Press Shiraz
Barossa Valley, SA
Barossa Valley, SA
Barossa Valley, SA
Barossa Valley, SA
Barossa Valley, SA
Barossa Valley, SA
Barossa Valley, SA
Barossa Valley, SA
Barossa Valley, SA
Barossa Valley, SA
Barossa Valley, SA
Barossa Valley, SA
Barossa, SA
680
850
680
850
750
680
750
650
650
690
650
590
620
2003 Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier
2004 Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier
2008 Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier
2009 Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier
Canberra District, NSW
Canberra District, NSW
Canberra District, NSW
Canberra District, NSW
550
490
450
420
2001 Cullen ‘Diana Madeline’ Cabernet Merlot
Margaret River, WA
790
79
dessert wines (375ml unless indicated)
2015 Bera Moscato d’Asti
Joanne Irvine ‘Mistelle’ Fortified Semillon
2007 Rockford ‘Cane Cut’ Semillon
2013 Henschke Noble Gewurztraminer
2014 Massolino Moscato D’Asti DOC (750 ml)
2013 Robert & Bernard Plageoles ‘Le Loin de l'Œil (500ml)
d’Asti, Piedmont, Italy
Barossa Valley, SA
Barossa Valley, SA
Eden Valley / Adelaide Hills
Piedmont, Italy
Gaillac, SW France
2010 Carmes de Rieussec
2011 Bernabeleva Cantcuerdas Moscatel (500 ml)
Sauternes, France
Vinous archaeologists Robert and Bernard Plageoles have again shone the spotlight on their region’s dark and distant past. Loin
de l'Œil is an ancient Gaillac grape variety. Miniscule yields are fermented in old oak. The resulting wine is aromatic, creamy and
complex and finishes with a tail of clean acidity and spice. I’m wondering how long it’s going to take for Geoffrey Hunt to pair this
with the snapper curry. I predict a very good match! GD
38
42
50
52
58
70
75
San Martín de Valdeiglesias (Vinos de Madrid), Spain 75
Haphazard remnants of gnarled, ancient vineyards dot the bony, granite-strewn landscape of the hills west of Madrid. This is
from the same patch of dirt that supplies Bernabeleva’s amazing Albillo, and although few vines survive, historically it was also
an important site for Moscatel de Grano Menudo (Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains). This particular vineyard is characterised by deep
granitic sands, which help to preserve attractive, mouth-shaping and racy acidity whilst plumping up the flavours will all manner
of florals, spices and orange-zest. The sweetness is moderate: there are only 50g/l of sugars remaining, so the impression in the
mouth is one of freshness and delicacy. A perfect accompaniment for Tuoi’s Lime Brulee or Pannacotta. GD
2004 Henschke Noble Rot Riesling
2000 Chateau Filhot Cru Classé en 1855
2013 Robert & Bernard Plageoles ‘Muscadelle’ (750ml)
2010 Chateau La Tour Blanche1er Cru Classé en 1855
2003 Isole E Olena ‘Vin Santo’
2010 J. J. Prüm Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Auslese (750 ml)
2010 Chateau Suduiraut 1er Cru Classé en 1855
2002 Huet Clos Du Bourg Moelleux 1er Trie
Eden Valley, SA
Sauternes, France
Gaillac, SW France
Sauternes, France
Chianti, Tuscany, Italy
Mosel, Germany
Sauternes, France
Vouvray, Loire Valley, France
Sweetness per se, rarely does it for me. But sweetness harnessed to electric acidity is more than compelling. This Moelleux is
almost an exercise in racy intensity and cleaves a passage through your mouth, stimulating your saliva glands, and yet at the
same time, allowing an incredible succulence and lush sweetness caress your softer oral membranes.
Just how do they do it?
You need a great vineyard with a long pedigree of generating mineral acidity; you need a conspiring vintage that produces
hedonistic sugar levels and also botrytis. And then it’s all about that first pick, the 1er Trie, the first selection of botrytised berries,
still bursting with fresh, vibrant acidity.
I often think about equivalent experiences across each of our senses. I know which moments in Puccini’s ‘Tosca’ or Gustav
th
Mahler’s 6 Symphony trigger an emotional response. I know which poems by Keats or Neruda make tears flow; which paintings
by Kandinsky quicken my pulse. This wine, perhaps more than almost any other, triggers something beyond a mere appreciation
of the nuts and bolts of flavour, sweetness, fruit and acidity. GD
79
85
89
110
120
120
130
190
2009 Clemens Busch Riesling Marienburg 1er Auslese ‘Falkenlay’ Mosel, Germany
2010 Robert Weil Kiedrich Gräfenberg Riesling Auslese
Rheingau, Germany
2000 Domaine Disznókö Tokaji Aszu 6 Puttonyos (500ml) Tokaji, Hungary
2009 François Chidaine ‘Les Lys’ (750 ml)
Montlouis, Loire Valley, France
141
164
180
186
2009 Weinbach Altenbourg Riesling Vendages Tardives
200
Very rare, very special. Made only in exceptional years, this defies gravity and almost seems to float within the confines of one’s
glass. It’s silky, ethereal and almost eternal; it preserves a vial of just-captured lys (lily) essences as well as any master perfumier
might have managed. Perhaps what I love most about this wine though, is the manner in which it has managed to retain a thirstquenching refreshment factor. The said lilies are all freshly cut, without a single drooping bloom within the pretty bunch. And it
will retain this freshness for yonks. GD
Alsace, France
Another monument to the genius of Weinbach’s late wine maker, Laurence Faller. Ethereal and profound, yet with such piercing
mineral drive through the mouth to be super exciting.
Sipping on the chilled contents of your glass is akin to driving an open-topped 1967 Alfa Romeo Spider Duetto full throttle down
a narrow winding mountain pass. So incredibly responsive, precise and thrilling.
Expect power and silky texture, flowers, ginger and rocks. Expect a burst of fresh mineral acidity (6.65g/l) that explodes against
the gums, all but neutralising the 125.5g/l residual sugar. Vale a beautiful genius. GD
80
more dessert wines (375ml unless indicated)
2005 Nikolaihof Trockenbeerenauslese ‘Nikolauswein’
1999 Jacques Puffeney ‘Vin de Paille’
Wachau, Austria
Arbois, Jura, France
250
258
2003 Joh. Jos. Prüm Graacher Himmelreich Auslese Goldkapsel
1979 Domaine Tissot ‘Vin de Paille’
Mosel, Germany
Arbois, Jura, France
260
266
Puffeney makes his Vin de Paille from Chardonnay, Savagnin and Poulsard. After raisining the grapes, there is a long maceration
and fermentation. The color has an orange tint, the sweetness of the wine is married to lively acidity and the concentration level
is formidable revealing note of citrus confit and honey. GD
Raisined grapes from the three varieties Poulsard, Chardonnay and Savagnin. Aromas of candied fruits and honey.
2004 Dom. de Belliviere ‘Elixir de Tuf ‘Chenin Blanc (500ml)
Jasnieres, Loire Valley, France
1997 Dom. de Belliviere ‘Discours de Tuf’ Chenin Blanc (500ml) Jasnieres, Loire Valley, France
2009 Domaine Dagueneau ‘Les Jardins de Babylon’ Moelleux (500ml) Jurançon, France
300
320
320
2007 Clemens Busch Riesling Marienburg 1er Cru Beerenauslese
2008 Robert Weil Kiedrich Gräfenberg Riesling Beerenauslese
Mosel, Germany
Rheingau, Germany
385
800
1939 Chateau Rabaud Premier Cru Classé (750 ml)
1908 Chateau La Montagne (750 ml)
1990 Château d’Yquem Grand Cru Classé (750ml)
Sauternes, France
Sauternes, France
Sauternes, France
This wine, made in tiny quantities from ridiculously low yields of Petit Manseng, offers all the purity and precision of
Dagueneau’s greatest wines. The pricing reflects the costs of making the wine (via a berry-by-berry selection) despite the fact that
no botrytis is involved here. To arrive at the sale price Didier previously claimed he simply totalled up what he needed to recover
from the project each year and divided this total by the number of bottles made! Both vintages offered are intense wines with
ethereal, racy personalities and offer all sorts of florals, stone fruits, citrus and honey aromas and flavours. The 2009 is seductive
and juicy with approximately 125g/l residual sugar. It glides across the palate with mouth-watering, tangy acidity keeping it
fresh and impulsively moreish. A superb achievement, these beautiful sweet wines will drink well for decades. ROBERT WALTERS,
BIBENDUM, edited GD
Beautiful numbers:
350 litres only.
Picked at -7°C degrees.
Alcohol: 7.5%
Acidity: 10.2 g/l
Residual sugar: 214.5 g/l
th
And the 20 consecutive vintage that Beerenauslese, Trockenbeerenauslese and Eiswein have all been produced from the
Gräfenberg vineyard. The only time and place anywhere that such an unbroken sequence has been possible.
Hens’ teeth. Expect a life-changing experience. Just once. GD
1000
1800
3600
please don’t hesitate to request cassaly fitzgerald’s dessert & digestive list
81
fortifieds by the Glass (60ml)
Liebich Classic Fortified Semillon
Rockford ‘PS Marion’ Tawny
Seppeltsfield Grand Muscat
Seppeltsfield Grand Tokay
Valdespino Pedro Ximenez Yellow Label
2009 Pierre Gaillard ‘Cirera’ Banyuls Rouge
Barossa Valley, SA
Barossa Valley, SA
Rutherglen, Vic
Rutherglen, Vic
Jerez, Spain
Pays Catalan, France
12
12
12
12
12
15
2011 Pierre Gaillard ‘Asphodèles’ Banyuls Blanc
Pays Catalan, France
15
Seppeltsfield Para 21yr Old Vintage Tawny
Henriques and Henriques 15YO Malvasia (Malmsey)
1999 Pereira D’Oliveiras Sercial Dry Colheita (bottled 2013)
Barossa Valley, SA
Madeira, Portugal
Madeira, Portugal
18
19
24
1983 Toro Albalá Don PX Gran Reserva 1983
1987 D’Oliveiras Boal Medium Sweet Frasqueira (bottled 2012)
Cordoba, Spain
Madeira, Portugal
24
30
Made from predominately Grenache, with a 100g/l residual sugar and aged in 30-hl casks (15% new) for a minimum of 10
months, this vintage Banyuls is a creamy, chocolatey wine that is velvety, inky and pure, with no alcoholic “heat” to speak of.
Notes of the ocean creep in adding a welcome savoury edge. ROBERT WALTERS BIBENDUM
Banyuls blanc is a rare commodity. Gaillard produces just 1000 bottles of this wine which is made from Grenache Gris and
named after the small white Mediterranean flower, L'Asphodèle Blanc, whose sweet aroma the wine is said to resemble. It's a
winner. The aromas are redolent of the Mediterranean country; of citrus and orange peel, honeyed orchard fruit and blossom. In
the mouth it's viscous and pulpy with a combination of sweetness, figgy depth, freshness and lingering flavours of honeycomb
and peach. ROBERT WALTERS, BIBENDUM WINE CO
With age comes a fuller array of complex wood-volatile-ester secondaries: here, the beautiful smell of an old cricket bat
embalmed in linseed oil, along with deep grilled nut edged by citrus rind, with brandy snap and ginger cookie touches. In the
mouth, marmalade and grilled nut lead into a rainwater shower of juicy acid so typical of these beautiful wines. Firm spirit
dryness gives the mid-palate a hold, at which point it's almost peaty sweet and then comes a long, fine earthily dry end, which is
almost ruler-straight, but gentle - unforced, and not forceful, a wine of considerable grace. SCOTT WASLEY
Rich, raisined fruits are figgy with touches of maraschino and fat walnuts in a jam-packed, luscious nose. It's grapey and
succulent, but there's lift and freshness, too - the smell of first rain after a long dry spell, with fine old balsamic timber complexity.
Wonderful toasty-carob and grapey-raisin. The twin-tracked sweetness is beautifully rounded through two-thirds of the palate,
then planes out and becomes lighter, drier and more lingering. Nuts and dates slide along a praline slick to a long, salt-braced
drying finish. SCOTT WASLEY
82
super-rare sherry by the bottle (375ml unless specified otherwise)
Bodegas el Maestro Sierra
Bodegas el Maestro Sierra
Bodegas el Maestro Sierra
Amontillado 1830 VORS
Palo Cortado VORS
Oloroso Extra Viejo1/7 VORS
Jerez, Andalusia Spain
Jerez, Andalusia Spain
Jerez, Andalusia Spain
220
220
290
Jerez has been through many changes over the past 40 years with bodegas closing or being incorporated into other larger
houses. The industry was built on selling what the Spanish call ‘export Sherries’ to primarily Britain,
the Netherlands and Germany, but those markets have collapsed as a new generation have turned to other wines.
The vineyard area of the sherry triangle has dwindled to about 15,000 acres from more than 70,000. Despite this a small, likeminded group of Sherry bodegas are offering a ray of hope by bottling tiny quantities of extraordinary Sherries of great character
and distinction that challenge preconceptions. Spear heading this change are Equipo Navazos, Bodegas Tradicion and El Maestro
Sierra.
The stocks at Maestro Sierra are some of the oldest in Jerez, having remained virtually untouched and the soleras are anywhere
between 60-100 years of age. Unfortunately legislation only allows for wines to be labelled as old as 30 years old (VORS). Juan
Clavijo has been the Capataz (cellarmaster) of the winery for over 50 years. He does everything entirely by hand and in
accordance to old traditions even though these methods are highly labour intensive.
The biologically aged wines of Maestro Sierra are strongly marked by rich notes of flor: the bodegas location on a high plateau in
the centre of town exposes it to the sea breezes from El Puerto, creating an ideal environment for flor to thrive; in addition, the
water table in the Plaza Silos is unusually high, resulting in plenty of natural humidity. Liz Carey, ALIMENTARIA
"The bodega's greatest treasures are undoubtedly its stunning collection of VORS wines, of which a mere 400btls of each are
released every year... each is an outstanding example of its type" Peter Liem and Jesus Barquin in Sherry, Manzanilla, Montilla
"Hijos de Rainera Pérez Marín. Sanlúcar de Barrameda. Cask sample – due to be bottled in September 2012. Tingly, bone dry.
Somehow reminiscent of old parchment? Incredibly long." 19/20 points, Jancis Robinson, www.jancisrobinson.com
NV Equipo Navazos No 50
La Bota de Manzanilla Pasada ‘Bota Punta’ (500ml)
NV Equipo Navazos No 48
La Bota de Palo Cortado Viejísimo ‘Bota Punta’
NV Equipo Navazos No 49
La Bota de Amontillado Viejísimo ‘Bota A.R’
Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Spain 300
From a single cask. This comes from the same “Bota Punta” that sired the brilliant No. 20 and No. 40 Manzanilla Pasadas, and
this stunning wine easily lives up to the high expectations set up by its remarkable predecessors… It’s a wine that offers such
finesse, such minerality, such length. Such savoury, racy, essence of the ocean. And so long too. Lovers of authentic Manzanilla—
get ready to have your mind blown! ROBERT WALTERS, BIBENDUM WINE CO
Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Spain
o
“Today these butts [The “Bota NO” and the “Bota Punta” of Gaspar Florido’s GF-30 solera used for the N ’s 47 and 48] are stored at
the Sacristía of Pedro Romero, back to the heart of the "Barrio" and actually very near their original location. There is where we
had the opportunity to revisit them and sample them exhaustively in order to select our favorites for these editions of "La Bota":
it is again a truly extraordinary wine for its unlikely balance between sheer authenticity, concentration, and finesse; genuinely
amazing, with so much character and personality. And of course, it belongs to the higher echelon of traditional Andalusian wines
- which is as much as to say the greatest wines in the world.” Equipo Navazos, equiponavazos.com
Cordoba Spain
La Bota de Amontillado 49 "Bota A. R." belongs to Navazos’ series of old single-cask wines from Gaspar Florido (via Bodegas
Pedro Romero). This series started with La Bota de Palo Cortado 41 "Bota NO" and was followed by La Bota de Palo Cortado 47
"Bota NO" and then La Bota de Palo Cortado 48 "Bota Punta". Until they were bottled in 2013-2014, the butts that produced
these bottlings have been quietly resting in the cellars of Bodegas Pedro Romero, located in the "Barrio" of Sanlúcar, very close
to the original location of Bodegas Gaspar Florido. The estimated average age of these wines ranges between 55+ for the
"youngest" up to more than 80 or 90 years for the oldest one. This wine is believed to be at least 90 years of age and is made
from 100% Palomino, probably from Sanlucar.
La Bota de Amontillado 49 "Bota A. R." provides an increasingly rare opportunity to get a taste of the pure history of the Sherry
region. Unfortunately, there are very few casks of very old wines of this quality left in Jerez, El Puerto, and Sanlúcar. The team at
Navazos knows that the chance to try and buy such gems will become less and less likely in the future. Which makes this wine
even more special. The acronym "A. R." honors a unique solera named "Ánser Real" from which this cask was selected. Ánser Real
is a type of goose, and the solera derived this fitting nickname for its ability to cover the taster in goose pimples. It’s that good.
Those who have tried the previous releases will not hesitate. This is a totally extreme wine! Unbelievably focused and intense
with room filling perfume and a palate that etches itself into your unconsciousness! Such extract, concentration, freshness and
complexity. For sipping and deep contemplation, this will keep for years after opening. For your finest customers. Quite simply,
one of the greatest sherries to have passed our lips. A jewel. ROB WALTERS BIBENDUM WINE CO.
480
480
83
more super-rare sherry by the bottle (375ml unless specified otherwise)
NV Equipo Navazos No 38
La Bota de Viejo Cream ‘Bota NO’
DO Jerez-Xérès, Andalusia, Spain
La Bota de Viejo Cream 38 "Bota NO" is a new release of edition 19 in the series: a sweet oloroso that has aged as such in a 9-butt
solera under the label “Viejo Cream”, never before commercially available except for a few exceptional sacas for British
customers. This solera has in turn a bota NO as well as a double NO—of notably higher age and character, and which is where this
wine has been sourced, again in limited volumes. This sweet oloroso results from a blending process with top-quality pedro
ximénez that was performed early on, when the solera was founded, likely over a century ago. Harmonious integration during
these decades has made the wine finer and rounder, thanks to the patience of several generations of winemakers, reaching
today a prodigious balance between the raciness of dry oloroso and the mellowness of sweet PX. This “Viejo Cream” is a very old
yet delicate and complex wine that seduces wine connoisseurs but also appeals to the palates of those who are not (shall we say
yet) used to the livewire acidity and tremendous concentration of dry sherries of similar age. 96/100 points, Guía Peñín
450
1983 Toro Albala ‘Don PX” Gran Reserva (375 ml)
Cordoba Spain
NV Equipo Navazos No 36 La Bota de Pedro Ximénez ‘Bota NO’ (500ml) Cordoba Spain
120
360
1946 Toro Albala ‘Don PX” Convento Selección (750 ml)
850
“The Lot 36 La Bota de Pedro Ximenez comes from the old Solera of sweet PX from Bodegas Fernando de Castilla that probably
averages around 30-years in age and has pronounced oxidation and low alcohol. The selection for this bottling demonstrated the
most depth and definition. Dark brown in color, this oozes out of the bottle. It has wonderful definition on the nose with
marmalade, molasses and just a very faint adhesive scent. The palate is unctuous on the entry but extraordinarily well-balanced
as the acidity slices through the thickly layered treacle infused with molasses, cloves and a pinch of white pepper. Long and
sensual, this is an intense PX that threatens to overwhelm the senses and yet it is so perfectly balanced and harmonious that you
just fall into its arms. This PX can be summed up in three letters. WOW.” 98 points, Neal Martin, eRobertParker.com #208
Cordoba Spain
“The 1946 Don PX Convento Seleccion produced with Pedro Ximenez grapes dehydrated under the sun at the time of the
Second World War, was only bottled in September 2011. This is an extreme wine, my first descriptor was ultra-mega-super
concentrated. It is unbelievably powerful, both in the nose and the palate, full of umami, with sweet cinnamon, Christmas cake,
camphor, petrol, lemongrass, Belgian chocolate and butter. Incredibly complex and rich, sweet, balanced and smooth in the
palate, it is both very sweet and somehow salty, and with time it develops a black olive note. It combines the texture of the 1962
and the elegance of the 1949. It is as decadent as it gets. 825 bottles were produced. This wine will survive all of us. These wines
are kept for generations and offered in very small quantities, but it’s amazing that you can still buy and drink something so old,
and I’m even tempted to say that it might represent good value for what it is. A real tour de force sweet wine. Drink it if you ever
have the privilege to do so from 2013-2060.” 100 points Luis Gutiérrez, Wine Advocate, Aug 1, 2013
other fortifieds by the bottle
2014 Kalleske JMK Shiraz VP (375ml)
NV Espelt ‘Airam Vino Dulce’ (500ml) (Garnacha)
Barossa Valley, SA
Emporda, Spain
48
67
NV Henriques and Henriques 10YO Sercial (Dry) (500ml)
2005 Rockford Shiraz ‘VP’
2000 Croft Vintage Port (375ml)
Madeira, Portugal
Barossa Valley, SA
Portugal
80
125
200
The Espelt vineyards lie between the Pyrenees Mountains and the Mediterranean Sea. Over half of their vines are planted in the
Cap de Creus and Alberes National Parks where the road to El Bulli runs through some of these vineyards.
One of the most special wines from Espelt is Airam. A blend of 80% Garnacha and 20% Garnacha Gris, the saignee juice ferments
until it reaches 90gm residual. It is then fortified to 15% and goes into a Solera for oxidative aging, 12 – 18 months approx. The
Solera was started in 1997 LIZ CAREY, ALIMENTARIA
84
please don’t hesitate to request cassaly fitzgerald’s dessert & digestive list.
digestives and end of meal spirit lifters by the glass (30ml)
scotch whisky (30ml)
Dalwhinnie 15YO
Caol Ila 12YO
Oban
Lagavulin 16YO
Talisker 18YO
Highlands
Islay
Highlands
Islay
Isle of Skye
13
16
16
18
28
Ireland
17
Hyogo, Japan
16
Kentucky, USA
24
Guatemala
Venezuela
15
25
irish whiskey (30ml)
Bushmills (Matured in 3 woods) 16YO
japanese whisky (30ml)
White Oak ‘Akashi’ Signature Single Malt
american whiskey (30ml)
Bulleit 10YO Bourbon
rum (30ml)
Zacapa Cent 23YO
Pampero Anniversario
more digestives by the glass (30ml)
Limoncello
(served from freezer)
Sorrento IGP, Italy
Nonino Amaro
Udine, Friuli, Italy
Cognac Tesseron Lot No. 90 XO “Selection”
Cognac, France
Weinbach Marc de Gewurztraminer 45°
Alsace, France
2009 Laurent Cazottes Eau de Vie, Goutte de Mauzac Rose (Mauzac Rose Grape)
2010 Laurent Cazottes Eau de Vie, Goutte de Reine-Claude Dorée (Golden Plum)
Sassicaia di Grappa
Chianti, Tuscany,
Cognac Tesseron Lot No. 53 XO “Perfection”
Cognac, France
A blend of Tesseron’s sublime stocks of Grande Champagne Cognac distilled in the 1950s. This is what the Tesseron family call
their “two generations” Cognac and it is truly a Cognac that borders on perfection! It is incredibly complex, powerful, round and
long and includes some Colombard adding both richness and texture. Here the Grande Champagne terroir really comes into its
own, the wine having fully opened, with layer after layer of rich, hedonistic waves of nuts, mixed peel, raisins, dark chocolate,
charcoal and wild honey notes. For all of its mouth coating richness and intensity, there is a knock out, pillowy texture and
perfect spirit integration. Like many great wines, there is somehow both tremendous elegance and power on show in the one
glass. ROBERT WALTERS, BIBENDUM WINE CO
There is an old cognac in the Tesseron range that is subtle and complex and probably (for aficionados) good value. But for my
money, the best value is this brooding (Lot 53). Reticent at first, reluctant to release its aromas of woodsmoke and grilled nuts,
but one sip persuades you to admire its refined, citrussy, silky, haunting beauty. Max Allen, the Australian ‘Wish’ magazine, April
2008
12
15
15
15
18
18
19
48
85
Appendices
A New Take on Old Sherry
The renewal of interest in Sherry this enterprise has caused,
despite its tiny production, has been amazing.
Equipo Navazos is a peculiar team made up of a winemaker in Jerez (Eduardo
Ojeda of the Estévez group—Valdespino, Tío Mateo, Real Tesoro); a professor of
criminology at Granada University (Jesús Barquín, who also writes about Sherry);
and a science historian with the Superior Center of Scientific Studies in Barcelona
(Alvaro Girón Sierra). This trio of Sherry fanatics has an encyclopedic knowledge
of every old butt in every nook and cranny of bodegas in Jerez (and Montilla).
They select outstanding old butts, buy the contents from the producer and then
bottle a few hundred bottles of amazing dry and sweet Sherries of very old age
(and now, for the first time, an old brandy). Their aim is to make world-class old
Sherry known and available to fans everywhere, thus preventing it from getting
dumped into large commercial blends. The renewal of interest in Sherry this
enterprise has caused, despite its tiny production, has been amazing.
—VICTOR DE LA SERNA
Equipo Navazos produced only 600 bottles of their first wine, called La Bota de
Amontillado #1, in December of 2005. Subsequent releases from various other
soleras have been similarly labeled (La Bota de...) and numbered in purely
chronological order: Their most recent wine, the June 2008 bottling of La Bota de
Fino Macharnudo Alto, is release #15, of which they made 2,500 bottles. With the
unwieldy names, erratic schedule of releases and miniscule quantities of
production, this project is clearly a labor of love, which was exactly how it was
conceived. “This didn’t start as a commercial venture,” says Jesús Barquín. “We
found some excellent wines that were not on the market, and we wanted to bottle
them [for ourselves].” Worldwide attention and a resulting increase in demand
have encouraged the team to expand their production and continue to seek out
hidden gems among Jerez’s vast collection of soleras. “Mainly we are looking for
two things: authenticity and quality,” says Barquín. The project’s artisanal
approach and focus on individuality of character is taking Sherry in a new
direction, opening the door to as yet unrealized possibilities: If a Sherry revolution
does arrive, Equipo Navazos will certainly have been one of its progenitors.
—PETER LIEM
86
ÁngelRodríguez
StorytimeRueda—2013MartínsanchoVerdejo
Onascalefrom1to10–withonebeingamodernwinerysetupandtenbeingmedieval–Ángel
Rodríguez’sjointratesabouta9.5.TuckedawayinthebackstreetsofLaSeca,thisplaceisn’tso
much a bastion of traditional winemaking—it’s an impenetrable fortress. There is only a single
wineproducedhere;lessthan2000casesofaVerdejothattakesitsnamefroma17thcentury
vineyardormajuelocalledMartínsancho.Theoldestvinesinthis‘museum’vineyardarepushing
200yearsoldandaretheoldestVerdejointheworld.Ifyou’rewondering,Verdejoisanancient,
indigenous variety to Rueda and has nothing to do with Verdello. The original, ancient
Martínsanchoplotwasexpandedinthe1970’susingmassalecuttingsfromtheancientplot,yet
thoseoriginalvinesstillpersist,producingtinyvolumesoffruit,andlookinglikepropsfromthe
BlairWitchProject.
The Martínsancho vineyard is something to behold; all old bush grown vines rooted in ancient
alluvialgravelssome30metresdeep.Itismanagedorganically,un-irrigatedandcroppedatvery
low levels. Along with South Tyrol, Rueda is Europe’s highest vineyard. Up here in the Rueda
tablelands,theharsh,continentalclimateandaltitudeensuresmallcropsofjuicy,thick-skinned
fruit…enviablerawmaterialsbyanymeasure.
Things get even more archaic when the fruit makes its way to the bodega. The cellars here,
unusualforSpain,areunderground,andthegrapesareslowpressedintotwohugeglass-lined
tanks where the juice ferments naturally before being transferred, via gravity, to the
underground cellars for an undisturbed élevage in the huge, century old 5,000-litre oak botas.
Thesecellarsareextremelycold(theyholdat10degreeC)andthisenablestheRodríguezclanto
avoid sulphur during winemaking while the wine matures slowly on its lees. Each of the huge
caskshasafeatherstickingoutofit,whichisobviouslyasurpriseforfirsttimevisitors.Askfora
tasteandÁngelRodríguezholdsupaglassandplucksoutthefeatherwhichhasalittlecorkon
theotherend.Thiscorkhadstoppedatinyholeinthecask,whichnowshootsajetofRueda
thatheexpertlycatchesintheglass.Yes,cultureshockisstillsomethingthatthewinetraveller
canencounteronthewineroute.
Thespritely85-year-old‘godfatherofRueda’,ÁngelRodríguez,andsonRicardowouldseemto
personify the opposite of “progress”. And yet as anachronistic as they may seem, this is (by
default) a producer in the vanguard - the organic viticulture, old vines, hand harvesting,
minimalistwinemakingandtheabsenceofsauvignonblanc(acurseinRueda)offersashining,
idealistic example for newer, forward thinking producers. The racy, rocky purity of the wine
bringsitallhome.Everythingoldisnewagain.Luckilyforus,theEstate’swinecultureisn’tthe
only thing here untouched by time; Senor Rodríguez’s tariff hasn’t budged in the 10 years we
havebeenshippinghiswine.
100%Verdejo,NOSauvignonblanc,nonewoakorsmalloak.Justpure,oldvineRuedaagedin
largeneutraloak.Thiswineisalwaysjuicyandtextural,withafreshracymouthfeelandthekind
ofpalate-awakeningprecisionthatbeliesitsmodestpricetag.Vintage2013furthersthecause
with magic gooseberry, green melon, pulpy nectarine, bay leaf and complex mineral notes.
There’s a lovely juicy texture leading to a sappy, zesty, racy close. Totally unique and 100%
authentic,thisisforusthebenchmarkRuedaand,atthisprice,isalmosttoogoodtobetrue.A
steal.ROBWALTERS,STUARTNORTHEY,BIBENDUMWINECO
87
The Peter Lehmann Cellar
Hi Jimmy and Grant,
LPB has just put up her article on the older wines on The Wine Advocate site. I have cut and pasted articles and reviews below. The
Sweet Show White got 100 points. I reckon it deserves 101.
Cheers
Jeremy
In September 2015, Margaret Lehmann and her sons David and Philip hosted an extraordinary tasting of historic wines from the
late Peter Lehmann’s (1930-2013) personal collection. Margaret explained that her husband was something of a wine hoarder and
had left behind a cellar containing far more wine than the family could possibly drink. They enlisted the help of wine merchants
Jeremy and Heidi Holmes to facilitate the sale of a portion of the cellar. The Lehmanns and Holmes spent about a year cataloguing
and performing triage on the cellar, painstakingly checking each bottle before recorking. All the wines for recorking were tasted to
ensure they were in condition. Dry ice was then added before topping the ullage space with a neutral young red if necessary and
recorking.
This tasting of a selection of the reconditioned bottles was special because all the wines shown were actually made by Peter
Lehmann throughout three decades of his long career as one of Barossa’s greatest winemaking legends. Prior to starting his
eponymous label, Peter was winemaker at Saltram winery from 1960-1980. In 1977 Lehmann started the “Masterson” label
(named after the gambler “Sky Masterson” from the musical “Guys and Dolls”), producing wine from Barossa growers at the Saltram
winery with permission from the owners. When a change of ownership forced him to stop producing the growers’ wines at Saltram,
Peter raised the funds to start what was to become the globally famous “Peter Lehmann” winery. “Naming the wines ‘Peter
Lehmann’ was never his goal,” Margaret informed me though. “He was embarrassed by this. But he was well known and his name
was easier to say than Masterson.”
Tasting these wines was a wonderful opportunity to appreciate not only the work of one of the Barossa’s most impressive talents,
but the greatness and ageability of pure, unadulterated fruit of this world-class terroir. These are wines from an era in the Barossa
that only had the means to employ large open-top fermenters and usually none or very little new oak. Margaret put it beautifully
when she remarked during the tasting, “There was no barrier between you and the ferment, back then. You’ve just got the fruit
singing. These wines are the purest expression of the fruit and vineyards.”
1984 ALS Blend: The Anders Lehmann Schahinger 1984 Shiraz Cabernet is medium brick in color with floral notes of dried roses
and potpourri over vanilla, baking spices, dried berries, kirsch and pencil shavings. It has a lovely intensity, and is both elegant and
chewy from the oak tannins. The finish is very long. 94 points
1964 Saltram Bin 38: “Tokay is actually a Muscadelle,” Margaret Lehmann commented while I tasted this wine. “1964 was a
wonderful vintage. It was fermented in big, old 500 liter barrels.”
The Tokay was used to lighten the Shiraz and the end result is a medium-brick color and an elegant, medium-bodied wine. The
1964 Saltram Bin 38 Shiraz Tokay is gorgeous, full of grilled hazelnuts and a profoundly scented nose of incense, sandalwood,
dried mulberries and potpourri. It has a lovely silky texture, great freshness, and is spicy in the long-lasting finish. 94 points
1975 Saltam Bin 88: Medium-deep brick in color and very pretty on the nose and palate, the Saltram 1975 Bin 88 Shiraz reveals a
perfume of sautéed nuts, caramel, leather and incense. Additional notes of menthol with touch of cinnamon toast come through on
the very elegant, soft and fresh palate. It is at its peak but makes a very delicious drop right now. 92 points
1973 Saltram HP Shiraz: 1973 was a cooler vintage for the Barossa. The 1973 Hydraulic Pressing Shiraz is deep brick in color with
pronounced meat, baking spices, eucalyptus, crème de cassis, tobacco and leather notes. It is really solidly structured, built like a
brick house, plus concentrated, rich and muscular with a ton of fruit. It ends with incredible length and a lively herbal lift. Seems
like it could have some Cabernet Sauvignon? This beauty still has a long life ahead of it. 97 points.
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1972 Saltram HP Shiraz: “1972 was very late for picking,” Margaret Lehmann explained to me as I tasted. “It was the year David was
born. These Hydraulic Pressings would have been the pick of the ferments and the fruit.”
Medium-deep brick-brown in color, the 1972 Hydraulic Pressing Shiraz is redolent of dates, toasted walnuts, Bovril, plus tons of
Indian spices, cardamom and a great core of black fruits preserves. It is big, full, ripe and opulent in the mouth, and drinking
beautifully; it is very fresh and chewy in the finish, carrying through lingering layers of spice. 97 points
1971 Saltram Bin 88: The 1971 Saltram Bin 88 Shiraz is medium-deep brick in color with layer upon layer of expressive aromas on
the nose: earthy, meaty, gamey, smoked bacon, leather, aniseed, dried figs and Christmas pudding. It possesses lovely, grainy
tannins, has a ton of flesh and a gorgeous palate plus a long, long finish with licorice notes coming through. 93 points
1969 Satram Vintage Port: “Peter used to say, ‘I want your dirty spirit!’ to the distiller. It used to be a big discussion – they wanted to
give him clean spirit,” Margaret Lehmann mentioned to me as I tasted this wine.
1968 Saltram Bin 51: “Tokay is actually a Muscadelle,” Margaret Lehmann commented while I tasted this wine. “The Tokay adds a
bit of complexity here. 1968 was regarded as a light year.”
The 1968 Saltram Bin 51 Shiraz Cabernet Tokay is medium-deep amber-brown, possessing lovely dried berries, figs and dates on
the nose with touches of walnuts, caramel, dried roses, dried fruits and notes of Christmas cake. This wine is full, rich, concentrated
and seductive, with tons of fruit and a solid structure, finishing with great complexity and length.
Deep brown with an amber rim, Saltram’s 1969 Vintage Port has a nose that is a bit reticent to begin, with roasted nuts, fruit cake
and pure licorice; it is very spicy and briny. The palate is sweet, rich and unctuous with loads of layers and an epically long finish.
There is also lovely lingering earthiness. Deliciously mature now, it should keep for many years yet. 98 points
Sweet Show White: This fortified wine was blended in 1973 and it was 33 years old then. This was produced as a sweet white,
fortified on the skins, pressed and then aged through a solera system.
The Saltram NV Sweet White Show is made from a Madeira clone of Semillon. The wine is amber in its core with a pale green rim. It
has an incredible nose with toasted almonds, hazelnuts, praline, crème caramel, salted caramel and coffee. The wine is big, rich, full
and unctuous, wonderfully complex, concentrated, multi-layered and so incredibly fresh and very long in the finish. 100 points
Spied a fairy ballerina in the vineyard…
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My sincere apologies to all those diners whose fermentAsian experience has been tarnished by
their dining companion’s magnetic attraction to the pages of this document. I have seen some
pretty ugly domestic situations brewing as gentlemen immerse themselves between these
pages, oblivious to the conversational requirements of their wives (and vice versa).
I considered embedding the list within a device that self-destructed after a vinous selection had
been made, but unfortunately the costs were prohibitive and the residual smell of cordite is less
than conducive to sensory evaluation and enjoyment of beverages and subtlety-spiced Asian
dishes! GD
Although every effort is made to ensure that each wine listed is available, and that vintages listed are correct, I
enthusiastically list wines of which tiny allocations are made available. I reprint frequently to update, but regret that on
occasions wines might have recently sold out or moved onto a subsequent vintage.
The input of the following wine professionals is acknowledged:
Glenn Beale; Dave Brookes; Nathan Burley; Christian Canala; Liz Carey; Lynette Collins; Tim Evans; Tom Grant; Andrew
Guard; Stephen Henschke; Bernard Hicken; Jeremy and Heidi Holmes; Geoffrey Hunt; Cameron Kidd; Fraser McKinley;
Alice McGilvray; Chris Newton-Smith, Stuart Northey, Ben and Gill Radford; Tim Stock; Scott Wasley; Rob Walters, Luke
Willis, Neville Yates
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