FOOD & WINE
Uncorked Wine reviews by Kate Le Gallez
For the past few years, FLM’s wine reviews have been penned by the inimitable Gill Gordon-Smith. Her reviews were as approachable and invigorating as a crisp fiano on a summer’s day – her deep wine knowledge made accessible through evocative adjectives like ‘flirtatious’ and ‘smashable’. We thank her for her contribution.
Into this void steps: me. A wine reviewer of zero experience, but with a novice’s boundless enthusiasm for the task. As I took to the role, I recalled how research scientist Mango Parker explained that the ‘taste’ of wine isn’t only informed by what’s in the glass, but by our biology and our individual memory banks of tastes and smells. Each sip is a moment of sensory inspiration, both unique and universal. It made immediate sense to me – the enjoyment of wine is about the totality of the experience. The four wines in this issue are a Fleurieu mixtape of Southern Rhoneinspired hits. Many of the grape varieties that thrive in the Southern Rhone region of France have likewise found fame here – grenache and shiraz/syrah chief among them – but lesser-known varieties are also finding their niche. Championed by trailblazers like Yangarra Estate and interpreted for Australian palates by these four innovative winemakers, these wines are firmly grounded in the Fleurieu experience. Aphelion 2021 Welkin Clairette Light in colour and a little bit fussy, the clairette grape variety peaked in popularity in France around the same time as Napoleon. While liberty, fraternity and equality have stayed the distance, many French clairette plantings have been replaced over time but they’ve found a Fleurieu stronghold. Louise and Rob Mack of Aphelion Wines knew little of this when Louise suggested Clairette as the name for their first daughter. When they then travelled together to France, Rob made it his business to try as many clairette wines as possible before coming home to make his own from Yangarra fruit. The resulting wine is delicate and pretty, putting you in mind of a spring bouquet, but delivering fine acid and length on the palate. It’s a subtle wine that makes for a delightful start to the evening alongside a cheese plate with figs. Hither & Yon 2021 Syrah Brothers Richard and Malcolm Leask put people and soil first in all they do, in the firm belief that these priorities will pay them back in the glass. They carry on this conversation with their consumer beginning with the label for their first syrah, designed by Adnyamathanha and Dieri man Damien Coutlhard. Damien’s design tells of the ancestral spirit creators’ journey
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from Adnyamathanha Yarta through Nukunu and Ngaduri to Kaurna Yarta. Here, the Ampersand symbolises shared histories, shared experiences and seasonal movement across Country. Made with fruit from Kangarilla, this syrah is richly purple in colour and sings of dark berries and pepper. Matured in 3-4 year old French oak puncheons and hogsheads for eight months, it’s an elegant, balanced wine which delivers delicious texture and freshness. The perfect wine for continuing the conversation begun by Malcom, Richard and Damien, perhaps over a slice of woodfired pizza. Samson Tall 2021 Grenache Blanc Picpoul They say opposites attract and that’s the theory Paul Wilson and Heather Budich were working on when they created their 2021 Grenache Blanc Picpoul. Both are Southern Rhone varieties, but where grenache blanc is full bodied and oily, picpoul is zippy and fresh – it translates to ‘sting the lip’ so you get the picture. Samson Tall’s version brings together the first fruit from a new Blewitt Springs vineyard. While many grenache blanc wines are aged in oak, Paul and Heather have chosen to make this wine in an unoaked style. At first the grenache blanc jumps out of the glass, with peach and apricot the frontrunners. As you continue to mull over the wine, you see the freshness and acidity of the picpoul, adding a clean and crisp finish. It’s a wine that loves food, pairing well with our takeaway selection from Goolwa’s Thai Days. SC Pannell 2019 Basso Garnacha The Basso Garnacha takes a classic Southern Rhone variety – grenache – and plays with it, to deliver a low intervention, lighter-style red that demands it’s spot in your glass. First made in 2017, the 2019 version came courtesy of a dryer growing season with lower yields delivering good acidity. It’s a wine that lures you in – at first whiff there’s a sense of fun and playfulness, but a more serious side is revealed on tasting with the red fruit flavours coming through to deliver a juicy, light-to-medium bodied wine with a finish as long as a summer sunset. To adopt a Gill-ism, it’s utterly smashable and would be great mates with a charcuterie board.
