The Australian Seduction (Part Six)
Earlier parts of this blog appeared on October 17 and 31, November 14 and 28, and December 12.
And so it was back to Barossa. But this time we were not in the hands of the big conglomerates. This time we were the guests of a number of (comparatively) smaller wineries who were anxious to show off the wines and wonders of this most famous of Australian wine regions.
Actually, the official Geographical Indication (GI) for Barossa is a zone. This zone is divided into two regions--Barossa Valley and the much smaller Eden Valley. Eden Valley is further subdivided into a sub-region called High Eden.
What the winemakers and owners wanted to impress upon us most of all was the diversity of soils and micro-climates within Barossa. Too often we tend to pigeon-hole wine regions. In most of our minds Barossa = Shiraz and that’s it. While it is true that Barossa produces considerably more Shiraz than anything else, there is also a good deal of Cabernet Sauvignon. Surprisingly, the third most widely-planted grape in Barossa is Riesling, much of it from the cooler Eden Valley. This is excellent quality Riesling that can arguably (pace Clare Valley) be called Australia’s best. Barossa’s fourth most planted grape is Chardonnay, followed by Grenache, Semillon, Merlot, Mataro (a.k.a. Mourvèdre), Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier. Winemakers also expressed a great interest in making wines from Italian varietals as well as Albariño. So obviously Barossa is about much more than Shiraz.
And even Shiraz can be made in a number of styles. My Russian colleague and I spent the morning driving around different parts of Barossa with winemaker Matthew McCulloch of Chateau Tanunda, tasting Shiraz from various vineyards in the vineyard itself. The diversity of microclimates and soils was a revelation to us. Gone are the days of the massive alcoholic fruit monster Shiraz of the past. Australian Shiraz today may be big but they are impeccably balanced and each microclimate offers fascinating nuances of what the grape can offer.
On the final morning our small group visited three vineyards in Barossa in which were found some of the oldest still-producing grapevines in the world. Australian winemakers are quick to point out that Australia has the oldest soil on earth, including neo-proterosoic soils that date back as much as 1,200 million years. But the big surprise is the age of some of the vines. Remembering that most of the Old World’s vines were destroyed by phylloxera in the late nineteenth century and had to be replanted by grafting American vines to Old World rootstock, the vines planted in Australia in the 1840s and 1850s are now the oldest in the world, and (along with Chile) the only original Old World vines of many varietals still existing.
Our first visit was to the Koch/Hewitson vineyard, home of the oldest Mataro (Mourvèdre) vines in the world, planted in 1853. These grapes were originally used to make sweet fortified wines and it wasn’t until 1998 that the first straight varietal was produced.
Next we went to the Cirillo Wine Estate where owner/winemaker Marco Cirillo showed us the oldest Grenache vineyards in the world, planted in 1850. This was only the third vineyard ever planted in South Australia, and the wine was amazingly rich, flavorful and balanced. A real treat!
Then it was on to Langmeil Winery, home of the oldest Shiraz vineyard in the world--the Freedom Vineyard, planted in 1843. Our host was the very friendly James Lindner, who along with his brother, winemaker Paul, showed us around the estate and allowed us to try a number of the spectacular Langmeil wines in the vineyards where they grew.
Our final stop was for a lunch and tasting at Pindarie. We ate and tasted al fresco on a beautiful September afternoon. The food and produce was, as in all meals I enjoyed in Australia, as good as any I have had. The tasting was free-pour and as this was the last stop and I wasn’t driving I allowed myself a little more than a taste of some of these excellent wines. The September sunshine and the food and wine made me feel mellow and when transportation arrived to take us away I couldn’t help but smile and say, “I’m not going. I’m just going to stay here.”
The first words we heard at the beginning of this trip were “You are going to be seduced.” Looking back at all the exceptional wine and food, the friendly people, the spectacular scenery that Australia has to offer I had to admit--I was.
Bill Stobbs, ABC Fine Wine & Spirits Wine Supervisor
Follow me on Twitter @abcwinebills
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