That is the second day of the Aussie Wine Tour of the Affiliation of Dutch Vinologists. Click on right here for the day gone by.
On the way in which from Sydney to Canberra we made a cease at Centennial Vineyards, the one winery within the Southern Highlands with 5 pink stars from the Halliday Wine Companion.
They’ve two vineyards, one at Bowral at 760 meters above sea degree within the Southern Highlands geographic wine area, and the opposite at Bridge Creek at 850 meters above sea degree within the Orange geographic wine area. The winery on the cellar in Bowral has a really cool local weather for Australia and is planted with Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Albariño, Gruner Veltliner, Pinot Gris, Pinot Meunier, and Riesling. It’s too cool right here for Shiraz or Cabernet Sauvignon. The one at Orange is hotter and planted with Shiraz, Viognier, Pinot Noir, Rondinella, and Corvina.
We tasted the folllowing wines:
- Brut Traditionelle (Southern Highlands, 60% Pinot Noir, 37% Chardonnay, 3% Pinot Meunier, second fermentation within the bottle, aged for 36 months on the lees, full malolactic): mineral (rubber), elegant, excessive acidity, smooth mousse.
- Status Brut Blanc de Blancs (Chardonnay from oldest vines of the property (1988) at 850 meters above sea degree, second fermentation within the bottle, aged 47 months on the lees): elegant, mineral
- Gruner Veltliner 2022 (Southern Highlands, Gruner Veltliner): very gentle, inexperienced apple, bitter aftertaste
- Chardonnay Reserve Bridge Creek 2022 (Orange, Chardonnay from a really wet season, aged 9 months on new French oak with full malolactic, wild yeast): oaky however will built-in and balanced
- Pinot Noir Bridge Creek 2022 (Orange, Pinot Noir): oak, spicy, gentle, excessive acidity
- Reserve Rondinella Corvina Bridge Creek 2019 (Orange, 60% Rondinella, 40% Corvina, 25% of the grapes dried, impressed by Amarone that’s produced from the identical grapes in Veneto/Italy (however with extra Corvina and fewer Rondinella)): caramel notes, ripe tannins however fairly astringent, spicy.
- Reserve Shiraz Viognier 2019 (Orange, 96% Shiraz, 4% Viognier co-fermented like in Northern Rhone): a bit alcoholic, caramel/espresso notes, sticky tannins.
- Glowing Shiraz (Orange, Shiraz, 12 months French oak and 12 months aged on the lees after second fermentation within the bottle): 20 grams per litre residual sugar rounds out the tannins, peppery, balanced.
- Dolce Classico (Orange, 60% Rondinella, 40% Corvina, all dried like Recioto della Valpolicella): candy (101 grams per litre), cherries, caramel, spicy.
- Raspberry Nectar (Southern Highlands, Raspberry & Blackberry): raspberries, candy & bitter.
With lunch we drank these wines:
- Albariño Reserve 2021 (Southern Highlands, Albariño 9 months in used oak with stirring of the lees): mineral (rubber), crisp.
- Reserve Shiraz Viognier 2014 (Orange, 96% Shiraz, 4% Viognier, finest classic for this wine): earthy, advanced, mature, recent, alcohol higher built-in than the 2019.
Then we drove to Canberra.
We had dinner at Insurgent Insurgent and loved these scrumptious dishes:
- Sydney Rock oysters with a shallot French dressing
- Uncooked king fish with boquerones (anchovies), fennel, and blood orange
- Beef tartare with anchovy and pickles
- Fior di latte with candied walnuts, radicchio, and roasted grapes
- Fried quail with harissa
- Deep-fried cauliflower with ricotta salata, almonds, and paprika
- Grilled broccolini with bagna cauda
- French fries
- Grass fed ribeye with wakame butter and spiced demi glace
- Parfait in a pastry ‘sandwich’
This was accompanied by (not precisely paired with) a beautiful lineup of Australian wines:
- Meadowbank Blanc de Noirs 2018 (Tasmania, Pinot Noir, second fermentation within the bottle and aged on the lees for 3 years): elegant and sophisticated
- Ossa Grüner Veltliner Belbrook 2022 (Tasmania, Grüner Veltliner, fermented in seasoned French barriques, aged in chrome steel on the lees): stunning varietal expression
- Ravensworth Venture C 2021 Discount & Massive Thick Barrels (Canberra/Murrumbateman, Chardonnay): nice minerality (sulphur) and texture
- Bande Aside (Adelaide Hills, Pinot Meunier): extraordinary to style a nonetheless and varietal Pinot Meunier, very easy and barely spicy
- Place of Altering Winds Between Two Mountains 2021 (Bullengarook, Pinot Noir): richer model however very good
- Ravensworth Shiraz Viognier 2021 (Canberra, Shiraz with a little bit of Viognier): elegant and sophisticated
- Brash Higgins Frnc 2022 (McLaren Vale, Cabernet Franc): easy and spicy
