It has been a cold, wet and very winter-like winter so far. Misty mornings, poor visibility until the sun breaks through around noon on the good days while the bad days are gloomy and continually overcast.
This photo was taken near Yarra Glen this morning. The rather spooky graveyard feel seemed somehow appropriate for the chilly morning and the continuing bad news in the wine sector. Wineries and vineyards for sale, far too much cheap wine on the market and a decline in consumption in Australia mean a pretty dismal outlook.
But over in Bordeaux, the 2010 en-primeur campaign look set to reach record price heights. $1200 a bottle? No problem, can't get enough of it. Meanwhile, Chateau Lascombes, a second growth property, has sold for 200 million euros. If we take the 50 million euros worth of stock out of the equation, that works out at about $A 1.7 million per hectare. I guess the chateau and grounds is worth a bit too so let's call it $1.5 million per hectare. Here in Australia, real estate agents will tell you that having a vineyard on land for sale actually reduces its value!
A few casual pours and this rather plain label started to look more interesting........
The wine itself was a rustic, purple-hued youngster that set the mood for Bastille Day and the peleton heading up the Col du Tourmalet. The cassoulet in the dish behind the bottle only added to the fun.
2011 Fume Blanc will be bottled next week. I am always excited by and about wine but it's not very often that I am genuinely thrilled, in the way that I am by this wine.
It's the result of experimentation, hard work, experience and luck.
The experimental part was the fermenting of the entire batch in small oak barrels with one new French barrel included. We have done this before (2010 Fume Blanc) but not with the new oak.
70% of the barrels were not inoculated--they fermented with the natural indigenous yeast on the grapes. The remainder were fermented with a relatively neutral yeast chosen for its simplicity. We didn't want anything in the way of the fruit.
The hard work came with monitoring each individual barrel. Just about all Sauvignon Blancs are fermented in tank so you have one fermentation to look after, not a multitude. We also stirred the barrels, just as in Chardonnay production.
The experience was knowing what outcome we wanted, from tasting other wines, tasting our grapes and knowing what was possible.
The luck allowed us to harvest these grapes in very good condition in the difficult 2011 vintage (the second-wettest on record apparently). Disease was all around us but the Sauvignon Blanc survived.
The wine itself is pure class--it has more style than Karl Lagerfeld and Coco Chanel combined. More detailed tasting notes will follow once we have it bottled and settled down.
