Riposte By Tim Knappstein The Dagger Pinot Noir
Penfolds Bin 23 Pinot Noir
Penfolds Bin 23 Adelaide Hills Pinot Noir is named after the maturation Cellar 23 at Magill Estate. Bin 23 Pinot Noir is a bold, new addition to the Bin collection and promises to be a dynamic member of the Bin family - reflecting its evolving style, regional definition and the complexities of the many & varied clones of Pinot Noir.
Cleanskin No 05 Adelaide Hills Pinot Grigio
The triumphant result of a meticulous search among many fine parcels of Pinot Gris. Bracing clean acidity, white stone fruits, pear and minerals. Superb.
Tomich Hill Pinot Grigio
This Tomich Hill Pinot Grigio has zesty citrus characters, balanced by just a touch of honey-like richness, and is complimented by a wonderful flinty crisp finish. This wine has a freshness that makes it enjoyable by many.
Bleasdale Adelaide Hills Pinot Gris
Deviation Road Altair Brut Rose Non-Vintage
We select the fruit from the cool south-facing slopes high in the Adelaide Hills. Sweet strawberry, cherry and spice aromas follow through to the palate, where the lively bubbles add lift and balance to these fruit flavours. This wine has wonderful length and supple mouth feel. Winemaking: The fruit is all hand-picked and whole bunch pressed into tank for fermentation. A remaining parcel of Pinot Noir is fermented as red wine in open top fermenters with daily plunging. Fermentation lasts around 12 days and the wines go through malo-lactic ferment over winter to soften the acids. Blending then takes place, combining the clear base wine with around 4-7% of the red wine to achieve the pale pink colour and fruit lift that is signature of this wine. Try with tuna sashimi, salmon or chilli prawns.
Wicks Estate Sparkling Chardonnay Pinot Noir
Bright Pale Straw with lifted fresh green apple and white stone fruits.Notes of apple and white peach with a clean fresh finish onthe palate. Enjoy with canapes and entrees.
Ashton Hills Piccadilly Valley Pinot Noir
Red cherries and strawberries along with notes of undergrowth and preserved lemon. Bright and juicy red fruit characters with a savoury back half of earth, leather and subtle dried herbs. The palate is of medium weight with graceful, fine tannins that lend it a plush quality throughout. Grapes were handpicked, keeping individual clones separate in small open fermenters. Some whole bunch fruit was added to ferments, enhancing aromatics and structural complexity. Fermentation was initiated by indigenous yeast (wild ferment). Each clonal parcel was basket pressed and filled to seasoned French oak barrels with full solids. All barrels were kept on lees to build palate, body and complexity. They were racked and blended just prior to bottling. Stephen Georges three hectare, dry-grown, Ashton Hills vineyard lies in the Piccadilly Valley sub region of the Adelaide Hills on a ridge just below the summit of Mount Lofty. Planted in 1982, its a quality site that, thanks to the humility and integrity of its gifted farmer, has been the source of some of South Australias most intriguing cool-climate wines, and certainly its most authentic and fascinating Pinot Noir. You dont need to spend much time in the Piccadilly Valley to realise why this area was granted sub-regional statusit is totally different to the rest of the Hills. In short, its much colder and wetter. Georges Estate vineyard lies at 570 metres above sea level and the vines shudder through some of the coolest vintage conditions in the country. Meanwhile, rainfall is a whopping 1200mm a year, well over double that of the Barossa. Whether its the lifted perfumes, elegant structure and Alpine freshness of the Pinot Noirs or the icy purity of the Riesling, Piccadilly Valleys bona-fide cool-climate imprint is never far away. A healthy portion of old-vines and the vineyards south-facing aspect afford George the luxury of late harvesting that plays a significant role in the personality of these wines. Terroir is one thing, how its worked is another, and Stephen George clearly has an intuitive touch and the drive to continually evolve. Most recently this evolution has resulted in George grubbing out all varieties except for Pinot Noir, and a little bit of Riesling, focusing his Pinot Noir on four specific clones selected from a line-up of 25 that he had tested. The Ashton Hills winery is incredibly basic, with an earth floor and next to no equipment whatsoever. The Pinot fruit is destemmed via a small, customised, gentle destemmer that keeps as many whole berries as possible. The fruit is then basket pressed, and the wine is made without any sulphur additions until bottling. Some whole bunches are included, and the percentage varies according to the style of the vintage. The red wines are mostly raised in aged, neutral French hogshead barrels. Having already cemented his living-legend status amongst his peers and compiled a storied CV that includes his role at Wendouree (since the 1980s) and twenty five vintages at the helm of Ashton Hills, you could forgive this reclusive winemaker for taking his foot off the gas. Not a bit of it. Stephen George is in fact making the best wines of his career.
Mr Brightside Rose
Cleanskin No 09 Adelaide Hills Rose
This Adelaide Hills Rose is crisp and refreshing, with berry fruits and a lovely persistence of flavour and acidity. Aromas of fresh strawberries, raspberries and lifted floral perfumes create a pretty pink wine, perfect with fresh seafood or a platter of spicy charcuterie.