Chardonnay of the new world
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Presentation of a wine tasting as a social activity had at EDPS on 12 September 2016. Chardonnay from South Africa, Australia and Chile
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Chardonnay of the new world
- 1. EDPS Social Activity Marco Moreschini – Qualified ONAV, AIS andWSET wine taster Chardonnays of the «NewWorld» Bruxelles, EDPS, 12 September 2016 Chardonnays of the « New World »
- 5. Wine drinkers: they find it flatteringly easy to enjoy, with its broad, exuberant charms, relatively high alcohol and low acidity, and lack of powerful scent. Vine growers find it easy to grow productively and profitably (it can yield well, ripen usefully early, although buds rather too early for frost-free comfort in cool climates). Winemakers revel in the range of different winemaking techniques to which Chardonnay readily submits: not just a wide range of dry white wines with more weight than most, but delicate sparkling wines and even a few extremely successful sweet white wines made with the benefit of 'noble rot'.
- 7. Epernay Chablis & Grand Auxerrois Côte de Nuits Côte de Beaune Côte Chalonnaise Mâconnais
- 13. Meat Pairings Chicken Breast, Turkey Breast, Pork Loin, Halibut, Trout, Cod, Sturgeon, Oily Flaky Fish, Atlantic Salmon, Lobster, Crab, Scallops, Shrimp, Clams, Oysters (unoaked) Cheese Pairings Better with soft – Semi Soft Cow’s Milk Cheese and Goat Cheese. Spices and Herbs Tarragon, Parsley, Thyme, Lemon Zest, Marjoram, White Pepper, Shallots, Poultry Seasoning Vegetables & Vegetarian Fare Yellow Squash, Peas, Zucchini, Asparagus, Sun Chokes, Seitan, White Mushrooms, Truffles, Chanterelles, Almonds
- 14. RESULTS
- 18. “The dynamic, gifted Chester Osborn makes an amazing array of wines in McLaren Vale, Australia, from his gorgeous assortment of value-priced offerings to his high-octane Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz. His wines have been gobbled up by an insatiable American audience looking for value and individuality, and he’s one of an increasing maverick breed of Australians who have done unbelievably well in this marketplace.” - Robert Parker Junior - TOP 40 Wine Personality's of the World
Editor's Notes
- So, although in terms of total area planted Chardonnay lags well behind such workhorse varieties as Spain's Airénand Italy's Trebbiano, it is more widely distributed than any other grape variety - probably even more widely than its red wine counterpart Cabernet Sauvignon, which needs more sunshine to ripen it than Chardonnay. Chardonnay mania, of which French coopers have been the major beneficiaries, was a phenomenon of the 1980s and 1990s but in the early 1970s it was hardly grown outside its Burgundian homeland and Champagne. It accounted for only a tiny proportion of all vines grown in California and Australia, for example, whereas by the early 1990s it had become the most planted white wine grape in both. At times demand for Chardonnay grapes from wine producers has been so much greater than supply (Australia in the mid 1990s springs to mind) that Chardonnay has been blended with one or two other varieties. Semillon-Chardonnay ('SemChard') and Chardonnay-Colombard blends became the pragmatic solution to an industry's problem.
- Chardonnay is the world’s most popular and important grape for producing white wine, as well as Champagne, sparkling wine and dessert wine. Today, there are 34 different clones of Chardonnay. But where did Chardonnay come from? Recent DNA research conducted at UC Davis, California concluded Chardonnay is the result of a cross between Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc and Gouais Blanc. Very little Gouais Blanc vines remain. Most of the remaining vines are found in Germany. Experts are not sure when or where the crossbreeding took place. It probably happened centuries ago. It is very likely that the Romans planted Gouais Blanc on French soils in areas where Pinot Noir was planted as well. From that point on, nature took its courseRead more at:http://www.thewinecellarinsider.com/wine-topics/wine-educational-questions/grapes-for-wine-making-flavor-characteristics-explained/chardonnay-wine-grapes-flavor-character-history/
- However, we can say that Chardonnay has a preference for rocky soil, rich in slate and iron, which make stand out its minerality but more often is also grown in rich soils which give rise to its roundness and its power.
- http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2001/Jun/20/il/il11ataste.html;
- The Chardonnay vine is nothing if not adaptable. Commercially acceptable Chardonnay can be produced in really quite hot wine regions such as the hot interiors of California, South Africa and Australia where clever winemaking can give it tropical fruit flavours and even some suggestion of oakiness, often using oak chips. In cooler wine regions such as Chablis, Carneros and Tasmania, on the other hand, it can produce apple-crisp juice which, in less ripe years, can have rapier-like acidity. The best examples can benefit from five or even more years in bottle to soften that acidity and develop rounder flavours to balance it - although less concentrated examples produced in cool years may simply taste even leaner as the bloom of youth fades. Excluding premier cru and grand cru burgundy, Chardonnay does not make wines for seriously long ageing.Thanks to an extraordinary boom in plantings, Chardonnay has become synonymous with white wine in California and is responsible for a remarkably homogenous ocean of off-dry, golden, quite alcoholic, easy-to-drink liquid. While the most commercial examples are usually deliberately slightly sweetened to give them wide appeal, the key to serious quality in a California Chardonnay is climate. Wherever coastal fogs reliably slow down the ripening process, extending the growing season of this early ripening variety, and yields are kept in check, then California can produce some very fine wines indeed, with considerable Burgundian savour to them, but without the Old World surliness in youth. Carneros, and much of Sonoma and the Central Coast, have all produced some fine Chardonnay made very much in the mould of a good Meursault. The variety is also grown almost everywhere in North America where it has even half a chance of thriving, including the cool wine regions of Canada and New York state (where Long Island has proved rather successful) as well as Washington and Oregon which may respectively be better suited to Riesling and Pinot Gris - although Oregon's Chardonnay is improving thanks to better clones.
- In the north of France, the Chablis winegrowing area is halfway between Paris and Beaune, and not far from Champagne. These are France's traditional Chardonnay vine strongholds but the variety's influence has been spreading within France as elsewhere. Wine producers in the Loire valley have embraced this fashionable grape so enthusiastically that the laws have to explicitly ban more than 20% of the variety in blends for sparkling Saumur and the dry whites of Anjou and Touraine in order to preserve the Loire's own traditional character. Some Muscadet producers have also been experimenting with oaked Chardonnays. And several of France's more cosmopolitan producers in distinctly non-Chardonnay territory have quietly planted a row or two for their own interest. Within the appellation system Chardonnay has invaded Limoux with the blessing of the authorities, to add finesse to the local sparkling Crémant de Limoux as well as producing rather fine, lemony barrel-fermented still wine. Vast amounts of Chardonnay are also grown on the lower, flatter vineyards of the Languedoc to produce generic IGP Pays d'Oc. As one would expect in an area known as France's New World, the quality of these wines varies according to the position of the vineyard(s) (for many of them are blends) and the quality and style of the winemaking. Price offers a fairly good guide. The cheapest Chardonnay d'Oc is simply a relatively full-bodied dry white wine, while the very best, usually given full oak treatment in the winery, can offer some of the class of Burgundy.
- The wines of Chablis in northern Burgundy, one of France's coolest wine regions, have a very particular flavour. It reminds me of wet stones, with some suggestion of very green fruit, but without the strong aroma and lean build of a Sauvignon Blanc. Because of its latitude, Chablis does not easily ripen the Chardonnay on which it exclusively depends. The wines are much higher in acidity and lighter in body than those made on the Côte d'Or to the south. Oak and malolactic fermentation are exceptional and - partly as a result - Chablis can age superbly. Sappy and refreshing in youth, it typically goes through a rather awkward adolescent stage where it can take on some odd wet wool odours and then, in glorious maturity at about 10 to 15 years old, it is an extraordinarily appetising drink reminiscent of wet stones and oatmeal. In more temperate climates Chardonnay can yield some of the finest dry white wine in the world. The heartland of Burgundy, the Côte d'Or, is effectively the nerve centre of this style of wine: savoury, dense, the grape a transparent medium through which different vineyards (and winemakers) can communicate their own individual styles, often only after many years in bottle. Indeed, the truly thrilling thing about Chardonnay grown on the Cote d'Or is that here, as nowhere else, it can express a sense of place, even if winemaking - which for top-quality Chardonnay produced anywhere almost invariably includes fermentation and maturation in different sorts of oak barrels; a second, softening malolactic fermentation; and different levels of stirring, or 'batonnage', of the lees at the bottom of the barrel - inevitably superimposes itself too - sometimes too much. Oak can be tasted in clumsier examples in the form of a certain toastiness, char - or even vanilla flavours in the case of American rather than the more normal French oak favoured by Burgundian wine producers. Montrachet, Puligny-Montrachet, Chassagne-Montrachet, Meursault and Corton-Charlemagne are some of the most famous names. Typical Meursault tends to be butter-golden and a little heavier and earlier-maturing than a typical wine from 'The Montrachets' (as the villages would doubtless be called in Britain) which has more lean, pure, nuanced character capable of developing for up to a decade in bottle, while Corton-Charlemagne can be nutty, almost almond-flavoured. But 'typical' burgundy hardly exists. Wines here are made with exasperatingly varied levels of skill, so that one winemaker's basic Bourgogne Blanc, the most basic appellation, may be better than another's Montrachet, even though it costs a fraction of the price. The name of the producer is generally more important than the name of the appellation. The Mâconnais tends to produce a more New World style of Chardonnay: plump, open, user-friendly wines that can taste of melon, or apples warmed by the sun. Most of these wines, particularly Mâcon Blanc and St-Véran, are designed to be drunk within two or three years of the vintage, although the most ambitious producers in the region, notably in Pouilly-Fuissé, are increasingly making wines to rival those of the Côte d'Or, without Côte d'Or prices. Chardonnay grown between the Mâconnais and the Côte d'Or in the Côte Chalonnaise tends to taste somewhere between the two styles. These are France's traditional Chardonnay vine strongholds but the variety's influence has been spreading within France as elsewhere. Wine producers in the Loire valley have embraced this fashionable grape so enthusiastically that the laws have to explicitly ban more than 20% of the variety in blends for sparkling Saumur and the dry whites of Anjou and Touraine in order to preserve the Loire's own traditional character. Some Muscadet producers have also been experimenting with oaked Chardonnays. And several of France's more cosmopolitan producers in distinctly non-Chardonnay territory have quietly planted a row or two for their own interest.
- Color Is the color bright, golden, does it look like a chardonnay. Make notes of alcohol level Fruit Aromatics Is the fruit up front bright, is it apply/pear/tropical. Or is it masked by other aromas Secondary Aromatics Is there a sense of minerals, oak, herbs or flowers. Make note of alcohol and oak notes Taste fruit Does the palate match the fruit from nose, is it enhanced with other fruits or is it lost Texture Does the wine have weight, is it creamy, or lush, is it full body? Oak integration If there is oak, does it enhance the wine or does it dominate the wine, was the oak in the nose? Did it carry through into mouth? Is it noticeable, overwhelming or well integrated Acidity Is the acidity in balance with the fruit, or is overwhelming; is it clean and mouthwatering or tart and vinegar-like Alcohol Is the alcohol sensed in the nose? Is it apparent in the mouth? If so does it leave the tongue with overwhelming heat or is it cooling and refreshing well integrated with the wine Finish Does the wine fill your palate and linger or does it die off rapidly Roundness (UNAMI) What is the overall feeling of the wine, does it burst in the mouth, is it pleasing is it well balanced
- The light, unoaked style of Chardonnay was made popular by the French region of Chablis. This wine matches wonderfully with delicate flaky fish, scallops and oysters and makes a great cooking wine option for Beurre Blanc sauce. If you love a light white wine with floral notes and fruits then unoaked Chardonnay is your style. Wines range in taste from a fruitier profile of yellow apple, fresh pineapple and mango to a leaner, more floral profile of white flowers, green apple, pear and citrus peel How It’s Made and What to Look For This style of Chardonnay is more varietal-pure due to the fact that it doesn’t rely on additional flavors from oak. Wines are made in a reductive (less oxygen) environment in order to preserve the freshness and acidity in Chardonnay. Most wines will be fermented in stainless steel and only settle for a short while prior to being released. When seeking out this style, look for these clues: Seek out Chardonnay wines that are not aged in oak. Look for tasting descriptors that indicate no oak including lean, mineral, fresh, white flowers and citrus blossom. Most unoaked Chardonnay should be drunk young, although there are several examples (particularly in Chablis) that will age a decade or more. It should be served at 8°
- older styles of Chardonnay match wonderfully with bold, creamy dishes like mushroom risotto, lobster bisque and chicken, leek and ham pie. If you love a more full-bodied white, this is your style. Wines range in taste from a richer profile of lush tropical fruit, grilled pineapple, butterscotch and vanilla to a lighter profile of poached pear, lemon curd, baked apple and a textural chalky minerality. How It’s Made and What to Look For What really defines this style of Chardonnay is the use of oak in the winemaking process. The oak offers a few different features: First, it introduces more oxygen in the winemaking process which results in more baked apple, pie crust and hazelnut-like flavors. Second, the use of toasted new oak adds a few aroma compounds to the wine including vanilla, clove, cinnamon, and coconut. And finally, as the Chardonnay rests in oak barrels it often goes through an additional process (called Malolactic Fermentation) which increases the richness of the texture in the Chardonnay to an oily, butter-like texture. When seeking out this style, look for these clues: Seek out Chardonnay wines that are aged in oak or fermented and aged in oak. Look for tasting descriptors that imply oak was used, including vanilla, crème brûlée, baked apple, coconut, toasty oak, brioche, butter, cream and butterscotch Most oaked Chardonnay wines should be consumed within 3–5 years of the vintage, although a few stand-out wines will age well for 10 years. If you love this style of wine, definitely look into the alternative varieties of Marsanne, Viognier and Trebbiano. When oaked, these varietals make great alternatives to oaked Chardonnay. Why do some Chardonnays taste creamy? The smell of vanilla, butter, coconut and dill are all attributes of oak-aging. However, the texture that some Chardonnays have that can be described as Oily, Creamy, Smooth or Waxy are from a special kind of fermentation. It should be served at 12°
- Blanc de Blancs matches wonderfully with salty fried dishes from calamari to fried chicken. How It’s Made and What to Look For To make a sparkling Chardonnay, the grapes are picked a bit earlier to preserve the high acidity. After the wines are made (they are super tart!) the winemaker creates a blend, called a “cuvée”, which then undergoes a second fermentation within a Champagne-style bottle. Depending on how the wines were produced (in oak or stainless steel) and how long they age after the second fermentation (called tirage “tear-ajh”) is what will determine the primary taste profile. The longer the wine ages, the more creamy and nutty they become. When seeking out this style, look for these clues: Seek out 100% Chardonnay Blanc de Blancs sparkling wines Pay attention to the length of the tirage to find your style preference From Champagne, look for wines from villages in the Côtes de Blancs sub-region
- Malolactic fermentation (also known as malolactic conversion or MLF) is a process in winemaking in which tart-tasting malic acid, naturally present in grape must, is converted to softer-tasting lactic acid. Malolactic fermentation is most often performed as a secondary fermentation shortly after the end of the primary fermentation, but can sometimes run concurrently with it. The process is standard for most red wine production and common for some white grape varieties such as Chardonnay, where it can impart a "buttery" flavor from diacetyl, a byproduct of the reaction.[1] The fermentation reaction is undertaken by the family of lactic acid bacteria (LAB); Oenococcus oeni, and various species of Lactobacillus and Pediococcus. Chemically, malolactic fermentation is a decarboxylation, which means carbon dioxide is liberated in the process.[2][3] The primary function of all these bacteria is to convert one of the two major grape acids found in wine called L- malic acid, to another type of acid, L+ lactic acid. This can occur naturally. However, in commercial winemaking, malolactic conversion typically is initiated by an inoculation of desirable bacteria, usually O. oeni. This prevents undesirable bacterial strains from producing "off" flavors. Conversely, commercial winemakers actively prevent malolactic conversion when it is not desired, such as with fruity and floral white grape varieties such as Riesling and Gewürztraminer, to maintain a more tart or acidic profile in the finished wine.[4][5] Malolactic fermentation tends to create a rounder, fuller mouthfeel. Malic acid is typically associated with the taste of green apples, while lactic acid is richer and more buttery tasting. Grapes produced in cool regions tend to be high in acidity, much of which comes from the contribution of malic acid. Malolactic fermentation generally enhances the body and flavor persistence of wine, producing wines of greater palate softness. Many winemakers also feel that better integration of fruit and oak character can be achieved if malolactic fermentation occurs during the time the wine is in barrel.[6] A wine undergoing malolactic conversion will be cloudy because of the presence of bacteria, and may have the smell of buttered popcorn, the result of the production of diacetyl. The onset of malolactic fermentation in the bottle is usually considered a wine fault, as the wine will appear to the consumer to still be fermenting (as a result of CO2 being produced).[7] However, for early Vinho Verde production, this slight effervesce was considered a distinguishing trait, though Portuguese wine producers had to market the wine in opaque bottles because of the increase in turbidity and sediment that the "in-bottle MLF" produced. Today, most Vinho Verde producers no longer follow this practice and instead complete malolactic fermentation prior to bottle with the slight sparkle being added by artificial carbonation.[8]
- Wine writer David White says the tasting was a major turning point for the industry. "The 1976 judgment totally changed the game," says White, who runs the popular wine blog Terroirist and is the author of the forthcoming book But First, Champagne: A Modern Guide to the World's Favorite Wine. While winemaker Robert Mondavi played a major role in making California the wine powerhouse it is today, the Paris tasting was equally influential, White says. As the late Jim Barrett, part owner of Napa Valley's Chateau Montelena, told Taber back in 1976, the results were "not bad for kids from the sticks." And it wasn't just California that was transformed. The results "gave winemakers everywhere a reason to believe that they too could take on the greatest wines in the world," White says. In the aftermath of the tasting, new vineyards bloomed around the U.S. (think Oregon, Washington and Virginia) and the world — from Argentina to Australia. The Judgment of Paris prompted the world's winemakers to start sharing and comparing in a way they hadn't done before, says Warren Winiarski, the Polish-American founder of Stag's Leap, whose cabernet sauvignon took top honors among the reds in Paris. As a result, he said at a recent Smithsonian event in honor of that long-ago tasting, "the wines of the world are better, the wines of France are better." Which means the world's wine lovers were the real winners that day.
- Geographical Units, regions District, Wards and Estates . G:O. Western Cape - A large multi-regional designation covering every appellation except those in the Northern Cape. KwaZulu-Natal - The whole Province was designated as a Geographical Unit in August 2005. Eastern Cape - The Eastern Cape Province was designated South Africa’s newest wine region in 2009.[3] Limpopo Northern Cape Robertson Wine Robertson is a wine-producing area in the Breede River Valley region of the Western Cape, 100 miles (160km) east of Cape Town. Robertson is one of South Africa's better-known wine-producing areas and is associated with the production of rich, fruit-driven red and white wines made from Chardonnay and Shiraz. The area covers the land directly surrounding the town of Robertson, from the ward of Eilandia in the west to Bonnievale in the east. It is separated from the semi-aridKlein Karoo region in the north by the Langeberg Mountains. The Breede River meanders through the region, and many of Robertson’s scattered vineyards sit along its tributaries, as well as on the foothills of the mountains. The dry, hot climate in Robertson is optimal for the production of premium grapes. Annual rainfall is a scant 400mm, and the river is used often for irrigation. However, south-easterly breezes from the Indian Ocean 60 miles (90km) away have a cooling effect on the vineyards and bring moisture to the area. Occasional mists also bring refreshing coolness. While daytime temperatures can get up to 85F/30C, evenings are much cooler. This diurnal temperature variation means that the grapes have a chance to cool down overnight, letting them retain acidity while still developing rich flavor profiles. Winters are relatively cold, allowing the vines a period of dormancy before the next growing season. The distinctive medley of soil types gives growers in Robertson good options when it comes to site selection. Rich, alluvial soils in the river valley are perfect for the production of red wine, while red, gravelly soils reminiscent of the nearby Karoo desert are well suited to white-wine varieties. Chardonnay grapes thrive on the pockets of limestone soil found throughout Robertson. High levels of lime in the soil give a chalky minerality to the resultant wines, much like in the region of Chablis in France. Robertson is known locally as the ‘valley of wine and roses’. Farmers began to graze sheep in the area in the 18th Century, eventually leading to the establishment of a town in 1852. From the 19th Century, it has been home to ostrich farming and racehorse stud farms as well as vineyards. While Robertson is not as historically significant as Stellenbosch or Paarl, it is still home to some of South Africa’s best-known wine estates.
- Excellent Chardonnay!! Fermented with native wild yeast (hence the name!!) from the skins of the grapes. Strong gold in colour, really a lovely nose, pineapple, pear and even peach in flavours, great creamy palate, long citrus filled slightly sweet finish. Highly recommendable!!! My highest rated unwooded Chardonnay!! Technical Analysis: Winemaker: Abrie Bruwer Appellation: Robertson Alcohol: 14% Acidity: 6.0 g/l Residual Sugar: 1.4 g/l pH: 3.25
- McLaren Vale is a wine region approximately 35 km south of Adelaide in South Australia. It is internationally renowned for the wines it produces. Is an IGP. The wine zone includes the following wine regions - Currency Creek, Kangaroo Island, Langhorne Creek, McLaren Vale and the Southern Fleurieu.[1] McLaren Vale has a Mediterranean climate with four clear seasons. With a dry warm summer, the area has dry weather from December through to March or April, giving an easy change between summer and winter. It is gentle with long warm days and short cool nights. Winter rains of 580–700 mm per annum flow into a fresh spring. The region rarely experiences frost or drought due to its close proximity to the sea. The region is bounded to the south by the Sellicks Hill Range and to the west by the waters of Gulf St Vincent. It extends east to the historic town of Clarendon and the area around the Mount Bold Reservoir. To the north it reaches to Reynella, named after the first winemaker in the area John Reynell. The region rarely experiences frost or drought due to its close proximity to the sea. The region is bounded to the south by the Sellicks Hill Range and to the west by the waters of Gulf St Vincent. It extends east to the historic town of Clarendon and the area around the Mount Bold Reservoir. To the north it reaches to Reynella, named after the first winemaker in the areaJohn Reynell. Chardonnay is harvested in mid March. This is the major white variety of McLaren Vale. The most pronounced and distinctive feature is ripe peaches, with the wine from cooler sites displaying white peach. These wines maintain elegance and generally have long cellaring potential. Some McLaren Vale Chardonnay also features ripe melon, banana, fig and cashew nut flavours—rich and generous with pure elegance.
- Family owned d’Arenberg is located in the breathtaking McLaren Vale in South Australia, and produces an enviable range of wines. From humble beginnings (1912), these wines quickly gained cult status amongst imbibers and judges alike – it’s a deft combination of winemaking tradition and vinous innovation (60 wines from 25 different grapes). A tall order for some, but one that d’Arenberg takes in their stride as they continue to push the boundaries and get under the skin of each individual vineyard in order to get the best from the vines. This is backed up by an engaging consumer-friendly approach to the ‘deadly serious fun’ of wine. Tasting Note: This is a lively, balanced wine that will drink well in its youth. Peaches and cream, lemon zest and green apple are apparent on the nose with a freshness that is expected of young Chardonnay. The restrained use of oak allows stone fruit and nutty characters to shine through on the palate, which is aided by the small portions of Viognier and Marsanne that have been blended into this wine. Witches Berry is a weed that grows in the vineyards. Italian women once put the juice of the berry in their eyes which dilated their pupils, making them appear darker and more beautiful. The Winemaking Small batches of grapes are gently crushed, chilled and then transferred to specially designed steel basket presses. Gentle extraction of the juice is critical in these early stages to retain the delicate fruit characters. To add complexity and mouthfeel the wine is fermented and matured in old French oak for seven months. None of the white wines at d-Arenberg are subject to malolactic fermentation as we aim for the retention of fresh, natural acidity, which is integral to the balance and longevity of the wine.
- This year, d'Arenberg winery in South Australia is celebrating its 100th anniversary. Founded by Joseph Osborn, a teetotaler, the McLaren Vale winery is now run by Chester Osborn, his great-grandson. What do you see when you look in the mirror?Funnily enough, my uncle died quite recently. He was 87, and at the funeral, in the eulogy, it was mentioned how we are relatives of Captain James Cook*. Anyway, I had forgotten that, although years ago I looked in the mirror – at eight or nine years old – and thought, 'I do look like James Cook, actually.' He had long hair, like me, and the same sort of face shape. So who do I see when I look in the mirror? I'll say James Cook. Were you always destined to be in the wine industry?When I was about two, my mother apparently used to carry me around the winery and say, 'One day, you are going to be this great winemaker.' But it was really when I was seven and I sat on Len Evans' knee in the '60s and he asked what kind of wine I was going to make. I said, 'A yummy one.' The funny thing was he didn't ask me if I was going to be a winemaker. The next year, I told my father that I'd worked out my life. I was going to go to McLaren Vale Primary (which I was already going to), then go to a college in Adelaide, then take a year off and work interstate, and then go to Roseworthy College. I said I'd work overseas for a while, then I would come back and work at the winery. And I said to him: 'And what will you do then, Dad?' Who are you making wine for?I make wine for me. Hopefully, my customers like it as well. I drink a lot of high-end European wines with age and I love the elegance and minerality, and that's what I try to produce. I want the big ripeness of Australia without the oiliness, with the mineral train and pretty tannins that will age gracefully. What is it you dislike in a wine?I don’t like oily reds, because it shortens the palate. And I don't like oaky reds. I'm really quite a Nazi when it comes to oak. What music do you listen to in the winery?Well, it depends what part of the winery you are in. The press crew like it pretty heavy. Down in the barrel shed, they are getting a bit older – they have been with us for a while – and they have started to play a bit more classical. It's pretty weird because they used to play heavier stuff. I'd be playing Pink Floyd the whole time. That, and a bit of Deep Purple. Lots of old classics. Who are your heroes? I think just honest wine producers. Producers that are not tricking up wine: not trying to get it overripe, not using oak chips or lots of oak. Keeping the wine true to terroir [so] it expresses the soil beautifully and has some length and fragrance about it. It leaves it very open. But I haven't got a hero as such, except for a lot of Barolo producers. Where would you like to be buried? I've always said I want to be cremated. I just don't want to take up a bit of ground – it's just a useless waste of space. And I always said I wanted to be scattered over one of [our] top vineyards, the Amaranthine, which makes really purple, tannic, powerful and rich shiraz. Amaranthine means everlasting. What would be the last wine you would drink? A vintage 2050 Salon [Le Mesnil, Champagne] that had been aged on yeast lees for 50 years so. That means I've got to live for another 90 years. What's the secret of a long life?Well, everyone looks at me and says they can't believe I'm 50 and I just say back at them, 'Well, if you drink as much d'Arenberg as I have, you'll stay looking young as well.' Do you have any regrets?Maybe my regret is that I didn't start making the Dead Arm [shiraz] 10 years earlier. The first Dead Arm was 1993 and I started vintage as winemaker in 1984. I should have started straightaway, but it's pretty hard to say, 'This is the greatest vineyard I've got, so I'm going to start making a single-vineyard wine straightaway.' If you weren't human, what would you have been?A wild pixie, no doubt about it. But I did a personality test years ago and there were four questions. First question was, 'What's your favorite pet?' and mine was a jaguar. It's because it's cool, individual and fun, rules itself and it's big and strong. And afterwards I found out that is what you think of yourself. Then I got asked the question, 'What's your favorite wild animal?' Mine was a Tyrannosaurus rex, because I thought they have a cool smile, they're rulers and they're quite graceful. And that's apparently your ideal partner. Another question was: 'If you're stuck in a room for the rest of your life and you're allowed only one thing, what would it be?' Mine was the 'Encyclopaedia Britannica,' which apparently is what you put into a relationship. So I apparently put knowledge into a relationship, which is a bit of a worry. And then the last one was: 'What do you see when you look at the sea?' I see a lot of aggression, big waves rolling in, it's all happening. And apparently that's how sex is for you. What brings you the greatest happiness?My greatest happiness is my three daughters. They're just so alive and fun and beautiful. And the fact that my youngest, who's eight, wants to become a winemaker is beautiful. She's not that dissimilar to me: she has a round face, is about the same build and drifts off into la-la land all the time. She has a huge imagination and I think that's a really positive thing, because you have to have a strong imagination to taste wine. What do you think will make the world a better place? If every person in the world never got upset, they were all cruisey and enjoyed life in a full way. And wine wasn't over-oaked. What really matters? That everyone drinks wine they really love, and they all have loads of fun. * The 18th-century British navigator Captain James Cook claimed the east coast of Australia for the British Crown in 1770, naming it New South Wales.
- Limari Valley is a wine-growing region in the northern end of Chile's national vineyard, sitting at a latitude of 30 degrees south. In the northern hemisphere, this latitude is occupied by Cairo, Egypt and central Baja California, Mexico - needless to say, it is unusual to find fine wines being made this close to the equator. Due to its low latitude, Limari Valley's landscapes and climate are very hot and dry - the region is only a stone's throw from the Atacama - the driest desert in the world. Limari's vineyards have been historically devoted to the production of table grapes, and grapes for distilling into 'Pisco' - the Chilean eau de vie. In fact, less than one fifth of Limari's grapes go into making quality table wines. The Limari River runs through the centre of the region, bringing meltwater from the Andean peaks to the region's towns and fields. The Limari is regulated by a dam, just to the northwest of Ovalle, and it is thanks to this regulated water that the region's winegrowers maintain such control over their growing seasons, in an otherwise arid environment. To the east of Limari is the Embalse de Paloma, a large artificial lake, around which much of the region's viticulture is centered. It regulates the flow of three local rivers, as they make their way down from the Andes, through the valleys, to the Pacific Ocean. The limestone soil types which are found in Limari are rare in Chilean terroirs. It is the result of former seabeds which have been raised, by tectonic activity, into the Andes, and gradually washed downstream to the plains and valleys below - by glaciers and rivers. Chardonnay is the star of Limari, producing wines with certain minerality to them thanks to cool climate and the limestone content in the soil. Syrah is also successful here because of the climate and specific soil types, with savory styles coming from the cooler, coastal vineyards, and fuller, more fruit-driven styles coming from the warmer sites in the east. Very high altitudes and lack of water. Very expensive rights of access to water can create problems in the future for the region
- De Martino’s Legado ( founded in 1934) range showcases specific varietals and their cultivation in the best terroirs of Chile resulting in wines that reflect the true character of each region. Chardonnay is cultivated from a single vineyard in the cool climate Limari Valley in northern Chile. An elegant, full-bodied white, with deliciously ripe citrus fruit aromas and flavors and nutty undertones. A subtle hint of oak due to 11 months of aging in French oak barrels bestows a mild creamy finish that balances the naturally refreshing acidity of this varietal. The Legado line of wines from De Martino showcase a specific varietal and their cultivation in the best terroirs of Chile resulting in wines that express the true character of each region. A ripe bouquet consisting of citrus aromas accented by nutty nuances and subtle, well-integrated notes of oak. Ripe, yet crisp citrus fruit flavors envelope the palate. The superb adicity lingers just a bit on the finish. Perfectly suited to accompany shellfish, such as lobster and crabs, as well as meaty seafood dishes, such as trout and salmon. It also pairs nicely with pastas topped with cream-based sauces.