We had the pleasure of looking at two terrific line ups of wines over the last couple of days. One producer really well known to us here (Kerri Thomson from KT & The Falcon) the other, someone we had never heard of before, Michael Hall from Michael Hall Wines.
Kerri, or KT as she is affectionately known, produces some of Australia's most beautiful rieslings from several of the Clare Valley's sub-regions. Tasting through the (not yet bottled) 2010's you cannot help but wonder why this concept is not more widespread. Being such a transparent variety, like pinot noir, it is amazing to see the differences that site can offer particularly when vinification is almost identical. This is certainly obvious between the flagship 'Peglidis Vineyard' (steely,austere, lemon-pith) and the 'Churinga Vineyard' (textured, forward, lime juice flavours). The 'Melva' Riesling from 2010, however, was the one that really got us excited. This year it has 12g/l residual sugar which, whilst giving 'Melva' a small degree of sweetness, gives the wine a beautiful and seductive textural element. It is also wild fermented and spends time on lees which gives the wine a measured dose of 'funk'.
KT's reds too are pure, deeply flavoured and polished.There is a sumptuous shiraz from 2008 as well as a flavour-packed shiraz grenache tempranillo called '5452' from the same vintage. All in all a delicious range of wines.
Michael Hall is an Englishman who came to Australia nine years ago to study winemaking, where he went on to be dux of the excellent wine science course at Charles Sturt University. His indecision on where to settle and eventually make his own wine, led him to stints in Burgundy (Domaine Leflaive & Meo-Camuzet) The Rhone (Vieux Telegraphe) Provence (Domaine Trévallon) not to mention local postings at Cullen, Giaconda, Henschke and Rolf Binder!
He eventually took a position at the Rocland Winery in the Barossa (which acts as a large processing facility for contract winemaking) on the proviso that he could eventually vinify wine under his own label there.
For Michael Hall Wines, Chardonnay is sourced from the Adelaide Hills and two shiraz are made, one from Stonewell in the Barossa and one from Eden Valley. These are lavishly made wines, beautifully packaged and are significant for the quality they display from a difficult vintage.
The chardonnay is ripe, layered and intense; the 'Eden Valley Syrah' aromatic, spicy and savoury whilst the 'Stonewell Valley Shiraz' is more forward, plummy and structured. This is certainly a name to watch!
All the above wines will soon be available in store, except for the rieslings from KT & The Falcon which are due for release in September.
Cheers,
Rob.
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