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$880.00
Semillon of the Year - 97pts
James Halliday Australian Wine Companion 2016
Trophy & Gold - 'Best Semillon'
2015 Shanghai International Wine Challenge'
Gold Medal
Sydney Royal Wine Show 2015
This wine has a beautiful colour, and perfect grapes/ripening means nothing interferes with the gentle aging. As the wine warms up, the citrus and some florals come in. Bees wax and then ‘toast’ will come in a few years. Lively palate, plenty of citrus pith and seamless acidity. A perfect follow up to the near perfect 2007 ILR and a wine that has a long future in front of it. Enjoy.
Mid January in the Hunter Valley always brings with it a slight nervousness in the wine industry. Having been battered in both previous years – drought in 2007 and pouring rain in 2008, it is no wonder. Black cats are certainly not wanted and ladders given a wide berth. Vintage 2009? The rain that plagued the 08 vintage finally eased up at the end of April and then no rain days in May. The middle three winter months normally dry for us saw another 250mm (10 inches) and then odd rain days through to the year end. Fruit set was not as complete but resulted in long loose bunches especially in the Shiraz. A good result.
Harvesting all by hand. The fruit was crushed, chilled and pressed immediately. Neutral yeasts were used for the fermentation, bottled in July. No oak and no malolactic ferment, only stainless steel.
Asian food, any seafood especially fresh shucked oysters.
Drinking well now but will improve with further bottle age.
HKD$520.00
The Beechworth ‘terroir’ has a distinctive fruit character of pear/peach fruit. The oak has minimal impact by using older French oak and mainly puncheons. The warm year has meant less citrus lift but has bran meal notes from the wild ferment and extended lees contact. The palate is quite rich with zesty acid line through to the finish. Maybe leave the 2012 and 2013 for a couple more years and enjoy this in its youth.
The success our neighbour (at Beechworth) Rick Kinzbrunner at Giaconda has had with Beechworth Chardonnay highlights the quality of this region. Different soils, aspect, clones & age of vines on the Indigo property will lead our Chardonnay in a different direction but with minimum winemaker input, the region still expresses itself. The two previous vintages of this wine have been very successful in wine shows around Australia and we think the 2014 will follow suit. A reduced crop due to frost on October 18 2013 and then a quite hot summer. Early picking avoided any heat damage.
Whole bunch pressing, wild ferment in new French oak have come together in spectacular fashion. The wine was fermented in 30% new French oak and the balance older, from a variety of cooperages.
Seafood to light meats.
Drinking well now but will improve with further bottle age.
HKD$470.00
The Beechworth ‘terroir’ has a distinctive fruit character of pear/peach fruit. The oak has minimal impact by using older French oak and mainly puncheons. The warm year has meant less citrus lift but has bran meal notes from the wild ferment and extended lees contact. The palate is quite rich with zesty acid line through to the finish. Maybe leave the 2012 and 2013 for a couple more years and enjoy this in its youth.
The success our neighbour (at Beechworth) Rick Kinzbrunner at Giaconda has had with Beechworth Chardonnay highlights the quality of this region. Different soils, aspect, clones & age of vines on the Indigo property will lead our Chardonnay in a different direction but with minimum winemaker input, the region still expresses itself. The two previous vintages of this wine have been very successful in wine shows around Australia and we think the 2014 will follow suit. A reduced crop due to frost on October 18 2013 and then a quite hot summer. Early picking avoided any heat damage.
Whole bunch pressing, wild ferment in new French oak have come together in spectacular fashion. The wine was fermented in 30% new French oak and the balance older, from a variety of cooperages.
Seafood to light meats.
Drinking well now but will improve with further bottle age.
HKD$670.00
Perfect youthful colour and a medium to dense depth. Aromas are red fruit spectrum – cherry and red spice with some vanillin, continuing on the initial flavours with lovely ‘weight’. Ripe fruit/ripe tannins and subtle oak from the 12 months in new French oak. As the vines get older, the quality of the fruit is definitely getting better and better. An excellent medium bodied Shiraz.
Along with clonal selected cuttings, we now have Selection Massale Shiraz. These cuttings were taken from the Graveyard Vineyard, Rayner Vineyard, Wade Block 2 and Seville Estate. We had enough fruit to vinify as separate batches and then each barrel tasted to give a final small bottling of our Indigo Vineyard Shiraz.
Every wine country and region has an ongoing debate over the pros and cons of selection massale versus clonal selection. The latter gives a vineyard of identical genetic make-up as opposed to the historic but random nature of the grape genetic material in massale.
The ‘State of Origin’ block on the Graveyard Vineyard mirrors the Indigo planting and future comparisons are keenly awaited.
Following the success of the 2012 vintage for the Beechworth region, fingers were crossed for 2013. A perfect winter with 670mm of rain and then a fine and warm spring/summer. Picking was again early to capture the best fruit flavours.
Processing started with 3-4 day cold soaking and then a 4-5 day ferment with hand plunging. Maturation was for 12 months in a new 2800L French oak cask, giving beautifully integrated oak.
Red meat dishes and cheese.
Drinking well now but will improve with further bottle age.
HKD$640.00
Perfect youthful colour and a medium to dense depth. Aromas are red fruit spectrum – cherry and red spice with some vanillin, continuing on the initial flavours with lovely ‘weight’. Ripe fruit/ripe tannins and subtle oak from the 12 months in new French oak. As the vines get older, the quality of the fruit is definitely getting better and better. An excellent medium bodied Shiraz.
Along with clonal selected cuttings, we now have Selection Massale Shiraz. These cuttings were taken from the Graveyard Vineyard, Rayner Vineyard, Wade Block 2 and Seville Estate. We had enough fruit to vinify as separate batches and then each barrel tasted to give a final small bottling of our Indigo Vineyard Shiraz.
Every wine country and region has an ongoing debate over the pros and cons of selection massale versus clonal selection. The latter gives a vineyard of identical genetic make-up as opposed to the historic but random nature of the grape genetic material in massale.
The ‘State of Origin’ block on the Graveyard Vineyard mirrors the Indigo planting and future comparisons are keenly awaited.
Following the success of the 2012 vintage for the Beechworth region, fingers were crossed for 2013. A perfect winter with 670mm of rain and then a fine and warm spring/summer. Picking was again early to capture the best fruit flavours.
Processing started with 3-4 day cold soaking and then a 4-5 day ferment with hand plunging. Maturation was for 12 months in a new 2800L French oak cask, giving beautifully integrated oak.
Red meat dishes and cheese.
Drinking well now but will improve with further bottle age.
HKD$600.00
Perfect youthful colour and a medium to dense depth. Aromas are red fruit spectrum – cherry and red spice with some vanillin, continuing on the initial flavours with lovely ‘weight’. Ripe fruit/ripe tannins and subtle oak from the 12 months in new French oak. As the vines get older, the quality of the fruit is definitely getting better and better. An excellent medium bodied Shiraz.
Along with clonal selected cuttings, we now have Selection Massale Shiraz. These cuttings were taken from the Graveyard Vineyard, Rayner Vineyard, Wade Block 2 and Seville Estate. We had enough fruit to vinify as separate batches and then each barrel tasted to give a final small bottling of our Indigo Vineyard Shiraz.
Every wine country and region has an ongoing debate over the pros and cons of selection massale versus clonal selection. The latter gives a vineyard of identical genetic make-up as opposed to the historic but random nature of the grape genetic material in massale.
The ‘State of Origin’ block on the Graveyard Vineyard mirrors the Indigo planting and future comparisons are keenly awaited.
Following the success of the 2012 vintage for the Beechworth region, fingers were crossed for 2013. A perfect winter with 670mm of rain and then a fine and warm spring/summer. Picking was again early to capture the best fruit flavours.
Processing started with 3-4 day cold soaking and then a 4-5 day ferment with hand plunging. Maturation was for 12 months in a new 2800L French oak cask, giving beautifully integrated oak.
Red meat dishes and cheese.
Drinking well now but will improve with further bottle age.
HKD$480.00
Highly Recommended - 91pts
James Halliday Australian Wine Companion 2015
Silver Ribbon - 93pts
Bob Campbell MW
The decision to pick all the Pinot Noir early paid off handsomely. The colour is medium density with lovely purple hues evident. Fragrant Pinot Noir aromas of red cherry and background sweet oak. Soft entry on the palate with forest/dried fruit richness and excellent fruit tannins. Will increase in complexity with bottle age or enjoyed in its youth as a vibrant Pinot Noir.
The 2002 Pinot Noir grapes were the first off the new Indigo Vineyard at Beechworth and a stunning vintage to debut. As there are three clones planted over different sites there is the opportunity to process as a number of different parcels. Hence we have the varietal bottling as well as a Single Vineyard wine.
Beechworth had a perfect spring and ripening period over summer led to very high expectations. Winemaker Simon Steele quickly recognized the potential of the early fruit and with two other vintage staff packed their swag and headed to Beechworth. The rain at the end of February delayed the late ripening red harvest but everything came in good order.
Rentention of fruit character is always important. Processing involved cold soak of the must for a few days and included approximately 10% whole bunches in the ferment. No post ferment maceration was under taken. Oak maturation was in predominantly used French oak barriques and bottled at the 12 month mark. This is a blend of the 3 clones 114, 115 & MV6.
Duck, quail and steak tartare.
This wine will mature further although enjoyable as a rich young Pinot Noir.
Sold Out - HKD$200.00
This wine has a cool year 10% alcohol and a beautiful green/yellow colour. Great aromas (that jump out of the glass) of fresh apple and tropical fruits. These carry to the palate, and given a bit more prominence due to the slightly riper grapes. The sweetness is balanced by the fresh apple acidity that runs through to the finish.
If we have said it once, we have said it a million times, the word normal just doesn’t exist for the Hunter Valley. There was a three week turn around in picking compared to 2014, and most Semillon was off in the last week of January. It was a very dry winter of 2014 with only 54mm of rain from May to July. A very good budburst and spring, but then a cold and wet December resulting in quite large canopies and disease pressure. Thankfully all of our Semillon is handpicked and the vineyard team did a great job of getting clean, sound fruit in. This vintage is stylistically on song, but a smaller production of Semillon than usual. All fruit was harvested before the damaging East Coast low wreaked havoc on the Hunter Valley. Excellent colours with plenty of luminous greens and bright acidity a feature.
Brokenwood has quite a history of Late Picked styles starting in 1983 and we have used Semillon, Gewurztraminer from the Hunter and Riesling from McLaren Vale. The fruit is allowed to get a bit riper and then the fermentation stopped when there was a perfect balance between acid, sugar and alcohol. Fermentation in stainless steel and using cultured yeast. Bottled in May 2013.
Fresh fruit and sunshine or an apple flan.
A vibrant wine style best consumed over the short term.
HKD$250.00
Lifted pear and floral aromas is definitely synonymous with Pinot Gris. The alcohol at 13.5% is balanced without any signs of oiliness and there’s plenty of musk fruit and natural richness from the slight phenolic grip that this variety has. The tropical fruit is balanced by a zesty acid.
Pinot Gris is widely planted in Alsace, France and is in fact a mutation of Pinot Noir, best noted for its coloured berries and sometimes deeply coloured wine (for a white that is). Pinot Grigio, as it is known in Italy, ranges from a full bodied white to a rather plain wine if picked before full ripeness. In terms of winemaking technique, both the French and Italians often leave some juice solids in the ferment to produce a fuller style.
Here the wines benefit from the cooler terrior but still have richness to them. The true character of Alsatian Pinot Gris lies somewhere between the intense perfume and musk of Gewurztraminer, and the floral finesse and purity of Riesling.
Beechworth is a very important region for us and the vineyard has bounced back from the frosts of late 2014. An excellent winter and spring leading up to a fine summer, some rain in mid-January but not enough to cause any concern. After a recent walk through, the pick of varieties included the Pinot Gris, Chardonnay the Shiraz on own roots and Pinot Noir.
Processing involved crush, drain and chilling of the juice at Oxley. The racked juice is then transported to the Hunter where fermentation is in stainless steel. As per previous years approximately 5% had old oak barrel fermentation.
Great accompanied with the Alsace specialty, Foie Gras. A terrine or rich consommé will be just as enjoyable.
Drinking well now.
HKD$1,333.00
In years we are unable to release our flagship Graveyard Vineyard Shiraz, we blend the best of its fruit with the Wade Block 2 Vineyard in McLaren Vale. Lifted red and dark fruit aromas, some plum and ripe cherry. Beautifully integrated oak, but low impact as we are now using 100% French oak and not much of it is new. Firm, ripe tannins underpin the pastille sweet fruit across the mid palate. Red fruit and fine tannins from the Hunter Valley and Turkish delight from McLaren Vale. As always with the Quail (and HBA), the sum is greater than the parts.
95 pts James Halliday
Sold Out - HKD$230.00
Very appealing, salmon hued colour. Fresh fruit compote aromas of strawberry and blueberry. These follow to the palate plus floral glace fruit characters. The savoury palate is quite dry and balanced by a crisp acidity. Best enjoyed with sunshine and good company.
If we have said it once, we have said it a million times, the word normal just doesn’t exist for the Hunter Valley. There was a three week turn around in picking compared to 2014, and most Semillon was off in the last week of January. It was a very dry winter of 2014 with only 54mm of rain from May to July. A very good budburst and spring, but then a cold and wet December resulting in quite large canopies and disease pressure. We harvested all our Shiraz and to help concentrate flavour, we ran juice off the skins before fermentation. The French term being saignee™.
After crushing, approximately 10% of the juice is run off to stainless steel tank and the resultant, slightly pink coloured juice, then treated as a white wine. Bottled early to maintain the bright vibrant fruit character.
Pairs well with antipasti and grissini - the metre long bread sticks. Foi Gras wouldn’t go astray either.
Drinking well now.
HKD$490.00
Medium density colour and quite bright, limpid as Sangiovese is certainly not known for intense colour. Lifted stewed cherry/sour cherry aromas that are very appealing as a food wine. Some oak on the palate but mainly bright savoury Sangiovese red fruit and juicy acid/tannin balance. Medium bodied and a spicy finish makes for a perfect summer wine.
Brokenwood winemakers and crew don’t need too much encouragement to taste a range of world wine styles and one of our favourite countries is Italy. Add to this a progression of young winemakers from Italy over the years espousing the qualities of Sangiovese and Nebbiolo; it is not surprising to see these varieties under the Brokenwood label. An excellent 2013 vintage and then a mild winter and early 2013 spring had everyone looking forward to 2014. The frost event of October 18 was so widespread that vineyards from central Victoria right through to Cowra and Orange in the NSW Hilltops were affected. The Indigo Vineyard lost quite a lot of fruit and then to really test the vineyard crew, temperatures in late December hit 41C and 44C in mid-January. Some rain, nearly 50mm in late January did cool things down.Brokenwood winemakers and crew don’t need too much encouragement to taste a range of world wine styles and one of our favourite countries is Italy. Add to this a progression of young winemakers from Italy over the years espousing the qualities of Sangiovese and Nebbiolo; it is not surprising to see these varieties under the Brokenwood label. An excellent 2013 vintage and then a mild winter and early 2013 spring had everyone looking forward to 2014. The frost event of October 18 was so widespread that vineyards from central Victoria right through to Cowra and Orange in the NSW Hilltops were affected. The Indigo Vineyard lost quite a lot of fruit and then to really test the vineyard crew, temperatures in late December hit 41C and 44C in mid-January. Some rain, nearly 50mm in late January did cool things down.
Processing started with 3-4 day cold soaking and then a 4-5 day ferment with hand plunging. The oak regime with this wine matured in older French oak with 30% puncheons.
Pasta, of course or a good old classic BBQ.
Drinking well now but will improve with further bottle age.
HKD$600.00
Gold Medal
Hunter Valley Wine Show 2015
Outstanding - 94pts
James Halliday Australian Wine Companion 2016
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$580.00
Gold Medal
Hunter Valley Wine Show 2015
Outstanding - 94pts
James Halliday Australian Wine Companion 2016
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.
Sold Out - HKD$580.00
Vibrant, youthful colour; medium density and lovely purple tints. Being a cooler year the aromas are more on the spice cherry side than ripe and opulent. The alcohol is still 14%. Medium weight palate and again spice and savoury edges. The tell-tale McLaren Vale jube fruit is their along with background oak
The eleventh bottling of the Wade Block 2 from McLaren Flat. Grown in deep sand, this is an amazing vineyard in that it is approximately 15 years old, but planted with cuttings sourced from a very old local vineyard and grown on own roots. Again, very distinctive and complex, and more than qualifies for the ‘Single Vineyard’ label.
Some would say that the change in weather fortunes (between the Hunter Valley and southern regions) for the 2011 vintage was overdue but then we copped the 2012 Hunter vintage. It not only put us in our place but added some on top. Brokenwood sources all its fruit from the Blewitt Springs/McLaren Flat end of McLaren Vale. This area did fair better in 2011 and as such we have no hesitation in releasing the Wade Block 2. A cool and wet season presented problems down south and vintage was pushed back at least 3 weeks. Our growers were diligent with their spray program and resultant fruit quality was high.
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 20% American and 80% French. The latter mostly new and 1 year old.
Beef.
Drinking well now but will reward with medium to long term cellaring.
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