HKD$480.00
Pleasing medium density colour and youthful purple tints on the rim. The aromas show some red fruit, leafy Cabernet Sauvignon with a touch of cedar. The oak regime was new and older barriques, all French oak and to match the medium bodied nature, only about 14 months in barrel. The palate at this young stage has dusty fruit and oak tannins that will integrate as the wine ages. Appropriate alcohol at 14% and a long finish. This wine will reward with further cellaring.
The blend for this wine is 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot and 4% Shiraz. The 2010 growing season and then into 2011 was unusually damp for the southern states. Our 3 growers are experienced enough to maintain the required sprays and as such we had no problems with fruit quality. Stylistically untypical, in that earlier picking was the norm and the usual McLaren Vale ‘fruit power’ are less obvious. However for our Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot blend there’s plenty of savoury, red berry fruit character.
Machine harvested, crushed and chilled to tanker in McLaren Vale. Vinomatic fermentation in the Hunter . Not overly rotated, as soft tannins are required. Oak maturation in a 75% French and 25% American barriques.
Roast meats and strong cheese.
Drinking well now but will improve with further bottle age.
HKD$280.00
The colour is a very appealing pale salmon. Nebbiolo has a floral element to its aroma and this dominates with almost but not quite, rose water background. The palate has vibrant spice/ginger notes and while technically a red wine, has plenty of zesty acid. A wine to be enjoyed over the next year or so.
Brokenwood’s fourth make of Rosé and again it is something special. For a start it is Rosato, Italian for Rose, as it is made from the Nebbiolo grape and in fact a combination of three clones 111 and 230 and MAT 10 grown at the Indigo Vineyard, Beechworth. Stylistically it is also European where the wine has fruit sweetness but a dry finish. The actual residual sugar is zero. We wanted to make a savoury wine that could withstand being chilled and have plenty of florals and texture on the palate. Enjoy.
Picked at optimum ripeness for the style, we partially crushed the fruit by foot stomping and then let the juice and skins steep overnight. The grapes were then pressed to tank and the juice dispatched to the Hunter Valley. A small amount was fermented in old oak but the majority in stainless steel tank. Bottled in early June 2019.
Nebbiolo is one of the main grapes of Piemonte in North West Italy and you can’t go past their famous cuisine, including antipasti and grissini - the metre long bread sticks. Foie Gras wouldn’t go astray either.
Best consumed over the medium term.
HKD$480.00
HKD$420.00
This wine has a burnished gold colour and lifted glace fruit/peel aromas. With the Botrytis the decision was made to age the wine in oak for a few months. This adds extra complexity and depth. Although low in alcohol, it has a luscious mouth feel from the retained sugar. Crème brulee and peel flavours continue on the palate supported by a zesty citrus acid. A superb dessert rich style without any cloying characters.
This wine is from a specially selected parcel of Semillon grapes that had a percentage of Botrytis or Noble Rot as it is sometimes known. A combination of the Botrytis and raisin fruit has allowed a luscious dessert style to be made.
The Botrytris infection of the grapes results in two things – one being the dehydration of the berry which causes concentration of fruit flavour and well as sugar and two being the added flavour (in a positive sense) of the Botrytis mould itself.
The raisin fruit usually requires a period of ‘soaking’ so that when pressed the high sugar juice is extracted. Sulphur and chilling is used to prevent wild yeast gaining hold. The ferment is usually slow due to the high sugar. The decision to stop the ferment (by chilling) is made depending on the balance of acid alcohol and sugar. This style is fermented in stainless steel and bottled immediately to retain freshness and characters.
Fresh fruit, especially peaches, light dessert or over ice cream.
Drinking well now but will improve with further bottle age.