This Confidential producer has made the headlines recently for attracting some serious international attention and investment. When you open your six-pack (or your dozen) you’ll know why. This wine and the team behind it are just two reasons why this winery has made it onto many wine-lovers’ watch lists.
This is a Right Bank Bordeaux blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon with a good measure of Petit Verdot. In the glass, this blend has garnered praise from top critics, with the top scorers all singling out the prodigious length. The swaggering Yarra fruit, too, is pristine but not overwrought. Its generosity is measured, pitched perfectly, a credit to both the growers and the winemakers.
At cellar door price, this is a very good buy and worth every dollar. At this Confidential price, it’s one of the best buys of the year. There will be six-pack buyers who regret not scooping up more and buyers of dozens too. Go big.
Yarra Valley
The Yarra Valley was first planted by the Ryrie brothers who explored a way through the Snowy Mountains to the Yarra Valley, planting grapes in 1838 just three years after the foundation of Melbourne. A wine industry (developed by Swiss Settlers particularly Hubert de Castella and Baron Guillaume de Pury in the 1850s) thrived during the gold rush era and heyday of the 19th century. However, the end of the gold rush brought the wine industry into decline and it was not until the 1970’s that the modern wine industry started up again. The region is probably Australia’s best-known cool-climate area, yet it is really a patchwork of meso-climates. This varied topography creates an incredible set of variables. Vineyards are planted on elevations of 50 to 400m on varying aspects and management programmes. The more exposed sites are subject to severe spring frosts and winds. Overall, the area experiences a relatively high rainfall pattern and is known for its temperature extremes during ripening. Site selection is crucial, with the best vineyards often located where the original vines were once planted, generally on sandy clay loams and gravels. The Yarra Valley is well known for high quality Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Blends with Shiraz increasingly garnering attention. Sparkling wine production is also extremely important, with many of Australia’s finest examples produced in the region.
