The Legend of Terroir part 2

The Adelaide Hills wine region spans a vast mountainous range with differing varieties planted at different altitudes over this large region of 795 square kilometers. As many wine makers in this region are focusing on Chardonnay and Pinot Noir this article will outline some of the characteristics of the region followed by the history of Chardonnay and the type of winemaker that endeavours to craft quality Pinots. 

Image from Trip Advisor

It is coming into summer in the Adelaide Hills and the plant life is going wild. In fact due to the cool climate and healthy rainfall during the winter months the flora and fauna is thriving.  The fruit set has come through on the vines, while the maple trees have started to put on a large amount of bright green leaves which has meant that the areas that have embraced the local markets look particularly brilliant.  Many communities have gone further with their art and cultural displays which may account for the close community feel that pervades every district.  Most Saturdays and Sundays you can drive down to the farmers market to purchase the seasonal fare which last week-end happened to be Woodside’s turn.  The markets are not the most formal of events, almost all of the stalls have been set up by the farmer that planted the produce and then picked the day before bringing it down for sale.  This particular day the cherry man was out in force. His cart was filled with lush dark red cherries that seemed to glisten in the sun, inviting me over for a taste.  As the season was a little late this year due to the unseasonal cool weather I am definitely in for a fix of these juicy small wonders.  It is brilliant that so many towns in the Adelaide Hills have embraced the seasonal and regional food as it makes visiting each and every town exciting and unique. Two things that I think food and wine should possess. Come the start of autumn, when the leaves start to change to a darker red, brown or yellow the atmosphere in the hills is electric.  It is an experience sitting in a winery as the leaves gently rock back and forth moving closer towards the ground. If you get a chance to visit the area, I would try to organize it for the change of season as it is spectacular.  As the region has ideal growing conditions for strawberries, stone fruits, cherries, apples and pears the climate lends itself to the cooler climate varieties. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are two such varieties and in many examples of wines from these grape varieties taste like the types of fruits that grow in the area. It’s as if the wines have absorbed the essence of their environment, especially if they are made into a sparkling wine. 

When winemakers talk about cool climate varieties it would be interesting to know what they mean and how cold is a really cool climate.  In fact the region was first recognized as a potential premium grape growing region as a result of Brian Croser and Stephen George understanding that in other regions around the world, such as Alsace and Burgundy, cool climate varieties do best in areas that successfully grow fruit trees such as apples and pears.  The Piccadilly Valley which is located in the heart of the Adelaide hills has an average January temperature of 17 degrees Celsius whereas the Barossa’s average January temperature is 23.  The Piccadilly Valley is the coolest of the Adelaide Hills sites followed by Lenswood and Woodside. As you move further south towards Mount Barker the average temperature rises to 22 degrees during January. This means that while Pinot Noir and Chardonnay may reign supreme, other varieties such as Sangiovese and Shiraz may shine in areas further south. 

Winemakers are starting to understand that varieties need to be placed in an environment that suits their needs, which is something that the Cistercian monks understood in Burgundy. Many believe that Chardonnay originated in Lebanon as they were one of the first in the world to produce wine.  Recently a DNA analysis has discovered that Chardonnay is the lovechild of Pinot Noir and Gouais Blanc, a near extinct native variety of Croatia.  As Pinot Noir and Chardonnay now live together in Burgundy, Central Otago in New Zealand and Adelaide Hills. The Cistercian monks noticed that the cross pollinated variety produced medium sized berries on tightly compacted bunches so they decided to plant a separate vineyard.  As looters were a problem during this period the monks built a wall around the vineyard to ward off any potential problems.  The walls still stand today around the Clos de Vougeot vineyards in Burgundy.  It is no wonder that Pinot and Chardonnay like similar conditions as they are related.

What is interesting is that Pinot is even more fickle and difficult to grow than Chardonnay. Many winemakers and connoisseurs regard Pinot as the Holy Grail of wine experiences. It drives people to extreme lengths to produce a quality wine or to spend obscene sums of money to secure a bottle of the elixir. Quality Pinot requires a delicate hand and a great understanding of the vineyard and conditions but when it is done well the wine has an ethereal quality that has depth of flavour yet is light on the palate.  As a result is it often described as a combination of extremes in one bottle.  Generally the variety is medium bodied with a fine tannin structure and bright natural acidity which makes it perfect for a diverse range of food flavours.   When I was thinking about the people that are all consumed by the pinot grape I started to think what type of winemaker would pursue such a difficult variety.  I pictured them as an earthy sort of person that doesn’t shower as that would be a waste of time that they could have used to focus on nurturing those vines.  They would either live in a semi built house or in amongst the vines so they could feel the heartbeat of the vineyard. These small bands of driven winemakers pursue an almost unattainable goal of perfection but when they do get it right I’ll be one of the first to buy a bottle.

With Chardonnay and Pinot Noir considered the leading light in the Adelaide Hills I tasted extensively from wineries in the area and four wineries were clear leaders in quality and style. The first and the only one to focus almost exclusively on Pinot Noir is Stephen George from AshtonHills.  When you drive up towards the cellar door on a rough dirt road you get the feeling that he is the type of winemaker that is my stereotypical Pinot maker.  The cellar door is a quaint rustic tin shed that looks like it was built before time, but it does provide perfectly for an experience for your taste buds once you start his tasting journey.  Stephen comes across as friendly yet thoughtful and deeply patient.  He has recently finished a 20 year vineyard experiment on clone selection.  He has documented over that period which pinot clones produce the best quality grapes and he has started to plant them out into the rest of the vineyard. This patience is an underlying factor for producing quality wines and Stephen thinks that to show the best quality he needs to be out in the vineyard constantly.  When I arrived he was shoot thinning and in the coming weeks will be shoot positioning.  When asked what type of winemaker he is Stephen replied that he isn’t a winemaker he is a farmer.  The vineyard at Ashton Hills is located in the coolest part of the Adelaide Hills, which has similar climatic conditions to Alsace and Burgundy, so Pinot Noir is the leader of the pack with aromatic whites coming in a close second in terms of quality. Stephen is now adapting his varietal mix to suit the conditions of his vineyard so Pinot Noir will be the majority of the planting with Pinot Gris coming in second.  When you taste his wines you can see how much care and attention has gone into them.   They are slow to evolve in the bottle yet they are an honest expression of the vineyard and the climate for that particular year.  It’s sort of an expression of Stephen himself.

Whilst Piccadilly Valley is extremely cool, the wines from Shaw and Smith, which is located in Balhannah, are from a slightly warmer area.  Martin Shaw crafts immaculate Chardonnay, Shiraz and Sauvignon Blanc from his estate and a small vineyard in Macclesfield.  When I first met Martin he was dressed neat casual yet it felt like it was decidedly within a business attire structure.  His attire and demeanor was elegant and sophisticated and made me feel at ease.  Once we sat down he talked honestly about the problems that the industry faces and the ways that he and his team are tackling these issues.  You could see the intensity and focus on his face.  Martin talked about how the Adelaide hills has proved itself as a producer of quality Sauvignon Blanc which I definitely agree with but when I tasted his Chardonnay and Shiraz I was extremely excited about these wines. Martin’s personality is personified in his cellar door.  It is a beautifully constructed building that would fit perfectly in an architectural magazine with floor to ceiling glass windows allowing the patrons to look out over the massive lawn area and the lake that is home to a squadron of ducks and ducklings.  The grassy area would be perfect for a picnic on a warm summer’s day with a glass of Shaw and Smith Sauvignon Blanc in your hand.  The grass is so lush with every blade standing to attention it almost feels like a crime to sit on it. I think that this is the length that Martin and his team go to produce an absolutely spectacular experience.  When I got home I opened the wines from Shaw and Smith and started writing my notes.  Over the five days that they were open I noticed some words that were similar to the words that I had written in relation to Martin.  Smart, Sophisticated, Honest and Focused. It is as if someone has crammed Martin into every bottle of Shaw and Smith.  I would recommend going out and grabbing a bottle today and freeing Martin from his glass prison.

Just next door to Shaw and Smith, Rod Short from Romney Park is crafting some unique and restrained wines from his seven acre block.  Rod is a one man band when it comes to his whole production.  When I visited his vineyard and winery he was madly working away amongst the vines.  Everything is done by his hand and spring is one of the busiest times of the year.  Since retiring from full time work, Rod decided that a little hobby farm with some vines planted to a variety of different grape varieties would be the best way to occupy his mind and keep him invigorated.  He now works longer hours than he did before retirement. When tasting his wines you will understand that the time has definitely paid off.  Over the fifteen years since planting the vineyard, Rod has slowly pulled out and replanted the space to the varieties that produce the best quality. He thinks that Chardonnay is the leading light on his estate.  That’s not to say that his Shiraz or Pinot aren’t good but the Chardonnay and the Sparkling Blanc de Blanc are consistently exceptional. The Romney Park philosophy is to treat the grape with respect by not doing much with them.  They are handpicked and moved to the winery which is located 50 m from the vineyard then the free run juice is gently pressed off into French oak barrels.  The wine then stays there until it is ready to bottle.  As we sit next to his pond and talked about wine making it is easy to see that he loves his land and treats it with the utmost respect.  He takes this a little further with his pest control team.  They consist of five guinea fowl which spend every waking moment roaming the vineyard consuming anything that moves.  You could say they are on a search and destroy mission for pests.  Rod certainly runs his vineyard under sustainable practices and the vines are ultra-healthy as a result.

Ngeringa has taken the sustainable practices a little further.  Their vineyards are located near Mount Barker so the temperature is a little warmer again and therefore Erinn and Janet Kline have predominately planted the vineyard to Shiraz, Chardonnay with a little Pinot and an experimental block with every Mediterranean variety under the sun.  The Estate is run using a closed loop farming technique which basically means that they use animals such as sheep to keep the weeds and pests to a minimum.  All the byproducts from the animals are used as fertilizer for the vineyards and their vegetable and grain patch while the excess food and grape product feeds the animals.  I love this philosophy as it has a low impact on the environment.   Due to the elevation, Erinn believes that he is best suited to produce an elegant food friendly Shiraz and Chardonnay with great depth of flavour on a medium bodied frame.  When you look at the Ngeringa vineyards you can see a lot of experimentation going on.  Errin believes that Sangiovese may have a fine home in the Adelaide Hills but he has a project currently in operation to see which clone produces the best quality.  Since Errin is experimenting with many European varieties it is no wonder that a lot of overseas winemakers come over to help with vintage.  I guess this promotes conversation and discussion regarding best winemaking practices.  You can see in the Ngergina wines something special and that has to do with the structure that runs through all of their wines.  They pull you back for another sip.  Erinn is extremely happy with his upcoming 2010 releases and says that they will be totally different to his 2011s.  The 2010 vintage was a near perfect ripening season so expect pepper and spice and all things nice in his Syrah while the 2011 vintage was very cool which means that the acid structure will allow these wines to develop for decades. 

As a group these four producers talked about the vineyard as being the most important aspect in producing quality wines.  Whilst all of them focus on different varieties they have worked out which variety is best suited to their climate and all of them are continually experimenting with refining their plantings.   Below are the tasting notes from the wines from these four wineries and I would be hard pressed to pick a favourite between the lot of them.  What is clear is that the Adelaide Hills produces some spectacular elegant wines of distinction.