HKD$580.00
Tasting Notes
Following straight on from the 2011, as there were no 2012 Hunter Valley reds, this wine has lifted fresh red fruit and spice characters. The colour still a vibrant deep red. Lovely savory, red cherry flavours and fine grained tannin from the perfectly ripe fruit and French oak. The oak takes a background seat due to the use of puncheons and mostly older oak. This is a fine Hunter Valley Shiraz.
Brokenwood’s 41st vintage got underway a lot earlier than anticipated. The continued dry weather across the eastern half of Australia intensified in early January with a run of above average temperatures. The heavy rain that disrupted the 2012 red harvest gave way to a typical dry winter and even drier spring when only 92mm of rain fell in the 4 months, July through October. November, December and the early part of January were also dry, leading to lighter canopies to go with the lighter crop load. Shiraz started rolling into the winery on February 2nd.
Part vinomatic and part open top 2-4 tonne fermenters. The latter plunged two times per day. Perfect grapes do not need a lot of input and after 7 days pressed off, with malolactic fermentation conducted in tank. The wine then went into 100% French oak made up of 25% puncheons and overall 25% new oak. The Shiraz grapes are sourced solely from the Graveyard Vineyard, being clonal vines planted through the 90s and massale selection from the 68 plantings, with the oldest nearing 10 years of age.
Veal, duck and 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.
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