Palate Tropical soft and round with just enough acidity to keep palate fresh and lively.
Suggested Cuisine Spicy san choy bow or scallops with ginger, chilli and lime.
General Characteristics Dry / Medium Bodied
Cellaring This wine will develop in the bottle over the next two to three years.
Vintage Conditions 2013 saw low rainfall in spring with January being quite dry and warm. The dry weather allowed fruit to reach optimum ripeness with good balance of acidity and flavour. Some light showers fell in late February which helped to freshen the fruit but not enough for disease to take hold. Vintage started later than 2012 but finished with a flurry, with all whites and reds harvested by the end of March.
Winemaking 96% of the fruit is from River Regions which give generosity of flavours. 4% is King Valley Sauvignon to give the wine some more punch and structure to the palate. Wine making techniques included fermentation at elevated temperatures and fermentation with solids. These techniques improve texture and softness without sacrificing varietal expression.
Bouquet Lifted perfumed aromatics of musk, spice and ripened citrus.
Palate A generous and balanced palate of sweet rosewater and Turkish Delight complemented by the crisp acid Riesling component adding a citrus lift to the finish.
Suggested Cuisine Spicy pork buns or if youre adventurous, venison salad with Thai herbs.
General Characteristics Medium Sweet / Medium Bodied
Cellaring Drink whilst showing its youthful fruity flavours however, it can be cellared for up to two years.
Vintage Conditions 2013 saw low rainfall in Spring with January being quite dry and warm. The dry weather allowed fruit to reach optimum ripeness with good balance of acidity and flavour. Some light showers fell in late February which help to freshen the fruit but not enough for disease to take hold. Vintage started later than 2012 but finished with a flurry with all whites and reds harvested by the end of March. Quality is above average.
Winemaking Selected parcels of Traminer and Riesling were chosen for their varietal characteristics to enhance the flavour profile for this wine. With the Traminer we are looking for spicy musk, floral and rose petal flavours to combine with the floral and citrus flavours of the Riesling. Enlisting specific yeast strains to highlight varietal characteristics, individual parcels were fermented separately and temperature controlled for up to 14 days. Blending, clarification, stabilisation and final filtration occurring post fermentation prior to bottling.
Appearance Bright golden Bouquet Aromas of fresh fruits
Palate Velvety and full with a persistent bead and fresh finish Winemaking We select fruit from vines with generous canopies allowing natural fruit ripening. The fruit is picked and gently pressed and the juice allowed to settle naturally before being filtered. The wine is cold fermented to retain fresh fruit characters. Wine Analysis Alc/Vol : 8.0 % pH : 3.30 TA : 5.75 g/L
Cellaring Enjoy now
Suggested Cuisine The perfect aperitif on its own or enjoy with fresh fruits or seafood
General Characteristics Medium Sweet Light Bodied 4. Gulf Station Pinot Grigio 2012
Region Yarra Valley
Appearance Youthful straw with a lively green hue.
Bouquet Gentle perfumed aromatics of citrus and pear with some faint muscat like characters. Palate Refreshing palate showing varietal spice and delicacy. Textured flavours balanced by racey mineral acidity.
Suggested Cuisine Grilled Tuna or pasta with pesto.
General Characteristics Dry / Light Bodied
Vintage Conditions A generally cool growing season with good rainfall which particularly suited the aromatic varieties.
Winemaking Pinot Grigio is sourced both from our Yarra Estate vineyard as well as well as from the upper Yarra Valley. Fruit is hand picked and whole bunch pressed. The juice is roughly racked to both tank and cask. The cask components are stirred and topped fortnightly for six weeks before blending with the tank portion.
Cellaring Enjoy now or cellar for up to two years. 5. Coopers Crossing Semillon Chardonnay 2011
Vintage Conditions 2011 was a very difficult vintage with some of the largest rainfalls recorded in a growing season. However, the summer ripening period was cooler because of this rainfall. This led to long ripening periods and great flavour and acid balance, rarely seen in the Riverina region.
Winemaking Premium parcels of local fruit were picked at peak flavour ripeness showing concentrated varietal characters. Fruit was picked in the cool of the night and gently pressed, naturally settled and racked to fermentation. Fermentation in stainless steel was combined with fermentation on French and American oak to add complexity and palate definition. The majority of the wine spent time on yeast lees with stirring to build mid palate weight and texture.
Cellaring This wine is made for immediate consumption however can be cellared for up to two years.
Suggested Cuisine Oysters, seafood or grilled chicken.
General Characteristics Medium Dry Medium Bodied RED WINE 1. BellaRiva Sangiovese 2012
Product & Vintage: 2012 BellaRiva Sangiovese
Region: King Valley.
Winestyle: This wine is more about style than variety. It is meant to be bright, rustic, savoury, interesting and above all, delicious.
Varieties: Sangiovese. Native to Italy. In Australia, very suited to the King Valley as well as the more maritime climates.
Vineyard: In 1994, the De Bortoli family planted the BellaRiva vineyard on the King River at the base of the Victorian snowfields. The vineyard is planted on sandstone and shale deposits washed down by the river over time. It is planted with Pinot Grigio, Vermentino, Sangiovese, Merlot, Tempranillo and Moscato Giallo as well as some more traditional varieties.
Tasting Note: Medium red. Rustic earthy aromas, bright red fruits, dark chocolate. Plump, slightly savoury palate with good texture and length.
Vintage Conditions: In 2012 we experienced a moderate growing season with timely rainfall. Savage crop thinning was required to ensure perfect fruit.
Winemaking: Fruit is hand picked and fermented in 15T static fermenters for 10 - 12 days. The fruit is then pressed, settled and partially matured in French oak casks for 10 months before bottling. Some wine is retained in tanks for freshness.
Wine Analysis: Alc 13.5%, pH 3.60, TA 5.7
Cellaring: Enjoy now or cellar for three to four years.
Bouquet Lifted, fragrant blackberry-like fruits with dark chocolate and hints of cedar.
Palate Rich, full fruit palate with fine integrated tannins and subtle oak.
Vintage Conditions A warm, dry growing season and balanced crops resulted in a finely textured, rich flavoured blend.
Winemaking Fruit is sourced from carefully selected parcels of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot grown in the Yarra Valley. Fruit is harvested at 12.5-13.5 Baume to achieve a balance of fruit freshness, structure and ripeness. A very good season for Merlot. Grapes are destemmed and crushed into both static and rotary fermenters. The resultant must is then fermented for up to two weeks in skins prior to pressing and racking to barrel.
Wine Analysis Alc/Vol: 13.0% pH: 3.49 TA: 5.7g/L
Cellaring Although made for immediate enjoyment, this wine may be cellared for three to five years.
Suggested Cuisine Braised meats, hearty pasta and always terrific with cheese.
General Characteristics Dry Medium Bodied 3. Melba Lucia 2010
Region Yarra Valley
Appearance Vibrant mid red with some garnet edges.
Bouquet Fragrant leafy characters with dark chocolate, red fruits, spice and herb.
Palate Medium weight, slightly savoury palate with fine integrated tannins, a touch of undergrowth and prominent rusticity.
Suggested Cuisine Gourmet pizza or gnocchi with hare ragu.
General Characteristics Dry / Medium Bodied
Cellaring Five to fifteen years in good cellaring conditions.
Vintage Conditions The 2009 2010 growing season saw our earliest budburst for sometime. Timely rainfall in early summer gave the vineyard some relief from a dry winter and spring. Conditions for ripening were ideal with warm days and cool nights. The fruit was hand picked in the cool of the morning.
Winemaking Cabernet Sauvignon was planted in1990 and the Sangiovese in 2003. Cabernet is cane pruned and later shoot thinned to 18 bunches per vine. Sangiovese with higher planting density is pruned to six bunches per vine. Yarra Valley soils are quite old and weathered and often lack natural tannin that typical clarets have in abundance. Sangiovese is included in the blend to give some natural tannin and savouriness. Fruit is destemmed, partially crushed and tipped into closed 14 tonne fermenters. The fruit undergoes natural fermentation and once fermenting, is kept at a minimum of 25C and kept on skins for roughly 30 days. The wine is pressed, settled overnight and gravity filled to new and used casks where it matures at 16C for 14 months.
Bouquet Perfumed bouquet of cassis and blackberries with hints of milk chocolate.
Palate The soft medium bodied wine shows layers of plum, cherry and black currant leaf, enhanced by the soft supple tannins and touches of chocolate oak.
Suggested Cuisine Hearty pasta dishes or barbecued red meats.
General Characteristics Dry / Medium Bodied
Vintage Conditions A mild summer with a long ripening period and lower yields resulted in good natural acidity and some of the best varietal flavours seen for many years.
Winemaking Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot vineyards were selected and monitored to be able to select the fruit that exhibited the ripe black fruit characters with balanced sugar ripeness. Fermentation at warmer temperatures of 20-22C for five to seven days to optimise the extraction of desirable flavour and colour whilst retaining a soft tannin structure.
Cellaring Enjoy now or cellar up to three years. 5. Hunter Valley Shiraz 2011
Region Hunter Valley.
Appearance Dark medium red with garnet hues.
Bouquet Dark fruits, dried herb and a earthy complex.
Palate Serious detailed Shiraz with plum, black cherry and dried spice. Textural, dark chocolate and fine tannin.
Suggested Cuisine Pasta with rich tomato sauce.
General Characteristics Dry / Medium Bodied
Vintage Conditions A late start to Spring and a cool November and December lead to a lovely lead up to the vintage. Ten days of above average warm weather in January helped ripen fruit perfectly. Picking began in the third week of February.
Winemaking Fruit is picked in the cool of the morning and gently de-stemmed and cold macerated for three days. The ferment is allowed to proceed with Indigenous yeast to enhance complexity and texture. Total maceration time is 20 days before pressing, settling and racking to cask for 12 months.
Wine Analysis Alc/Vol : 13.5 % pH : 3.54 TA : 6.6 Cellaring Enjoy now or cellar up to five years plus.