This was written for Australian Wine Showcase Magazine A few months ago
As I wake up today I can see the fog has rolled in outside which
makes me feel uneasy. It almost as if a
four piece orchestra should be playing a tune about the impending doom that
awaits. Once I am ready to head to the airport I slink into my car only to find
that ice has encrusted itself onto every window in my car. Luckily I carry a large bottle of water for
such occasions so I douse the windows with water and crank the heat up to high.
On the way down to the airport my mind drifts away to all things pinot noir and
I start to feel a wave of energy run through my body. My mouth starts to salivate
with the possibility of beautiful wines being poured right in front of me. As I
park my car, my mid drifts back to reality which is fortunate as I am now
running a little behind time. I quickly get my boarding pass and head down to
the gate with my visit Tasmania magazine that I picked up on the way only to
find that I am the last to board. Once in my seat I flick open my magazine to
find a piece on the cheeses and food culture in Hobart.
As the plane levels out I look out at the most stunning
crystal blue sky stretching out as far as the eye can see. As the journey takes me closer to Hobart,
little white clouds emerge which reminds me more of a stiff egg white than
atmospheric formations. As the plane starts to make its final decent one thing
stands out. Generally as the plane descends, you get the feeling of the
temperature warming up but this does not occur at all. In Hobart the sun is shining but the
temperature is an icy cold five degrees when I arrive. Some thoughts start
racing through my head as we pull into the terminal like, am I going to freeze
or will my spring time English pullover keep me warm as I am led through Pinot
Noir vineyards at the winery? Quickly as these two troublesome thought s entre
my mind one calming thought takes over which is that Tasmania must be one of
the most marginal areas in Australia and that makes for the possibility of
exciting wine experiences.
As I drive towards the city center I remember a holiday I
had in Hobart a few years ago. It was coming into the end of autumn but it
already felt like it was the heart of winter. In the morning I woke up and
headed down into Salamanca place on a Saturday morning for a coffee and something
special from the local bakery. What I
found was a producers market that spanned the length of the place. The square
was built around the 1990s and is lined by monumental sandstone buildings which
remind me more of Bordeaux than Australia.
Every Saturday growers from around Hobart travel into the markets to
sell their wares to the locals and holiday goers. It was my lucky day on my
holiday as the Bruno Island Cheese Company was selling some of the most
interesting and tasty cheeses I have ever tried in Australia. The markets are
all about discovering what Tasmania and Hobart has to offer and you could spend
hours just sampling your way around the little stalls. Alas I couldn't day
dream any longer as I had to tuck myself into bed as it would be a long day of
tasting and talking.
The sun had only just peaked its head over the skyline, casting
its glorious arms of colourful bright lights which would illuminate my path as
I wanted to go for a run before the day began. As I ran across the cobble stone
path, towards the bluff I notice what looks like frost covering the grass but I
soon realize that those majestic moments will only last a few moments longer as
the sun’s warmth would soon melt it all away. Once I start running I quickly
forget that it is cold in Hobart and I start thinking about how the day will
pan out. After I am ready to go I am picked up and driven out to Granton which
is 20 minutes drive along a windy road along the coast. There are a few
wineries along the way but it is the museum that stands out as it is
architecturally stunning yet a contrast to the surrounding buildings. The Mona museum was established in 2001 by
David Walsh who is an art collector who also happens to be a billionaire. Most
of the artwork is from David’s private collection while the building is
something that can only be seen to be believed. One could say that it is a
beacon for the area. Once we pass Mona it is not long until we arrive at
Stefano Lubiana which is situated on a north east facing slope just a stone’s
throw away from the Derwent River. This aspect allows for the cool winds to
chill the grapes at night if it has been warm during the day but as we have
been having the El nino weather system for the last two years it has just been
cold all the time. Stefano and his wife Monique planted their first vineyard in
1991 with the white block commencing planting in 1995. The white block
consistently produces the best quality Pinot Noir from the Estate and now forms
almost 100% of the Sasso label. Stefano wasn’t planning on planting Pinot in
the block in 1995 but a friend, Michael, who happened to be in mining but was
obsessed with wine went to Stefano for some advice. They came up with the idea that Michael could
plant Pinot in the most marginal of areas on their estate and lease the
vineyard from them for 15 years to which he agreed. Once the vineyard came online the first two
crops produced brilliant Pinot which was released under his own label. With the
continual success of mining and smelting in the area the company that Michael
worked for was bought by a Chinese company who soon moved Michael to China. The
Lubiana’s took back the lease of the vineyard and soon after the Sasso label
was born.
After passing the white block we arrive at our destination
which happens to be a big hole in the ground. The massive hole looks like
someone has dropped a bomb and the earth has scattered around the edges but
really it is the start of their new wine cave, restaurant and cellar door.
Stefano had this dream to build a state-of-the-art elegant restaurant with a
cellar underneath that could house his entire production of sparkling wines. They
had a budget of $800,000 to compete the project including the architecture’s
fees. They went through the arduous task of designing the building with the
architecture firm and they ended up with a building that they were very happy
with except of thing. The price! The project would end up costing over $2 ½
million. If that was me I would have gone back to the drawing boards but not so
for Stefano or Monique as they decided that they could build it themselves for
the price that they could afford. When I arrived they had just completed
digging out the earth for the cellar. It will result in the wines being stored
in the earth that the vines are in just a few hundred meters away. Once it is
complete the restaurant will take its fresh produce from the vegetable patches
that lie just at the bottom of the building . What could be more exciting than
that? Well, Stafano has been
cultivating his own unique Pinot Noir vines over the past 2 years. They are
unique to his vineyard as they are from the natural fertilization between the vines
he has on his property. Over
the course of his trials he will select the best quality producing vines and
plant them out into a single vineyard which may become a single vineyard wine. This
is an exciting period for Stefano and the Australian wine scene as this project
will result in a truly authentic representation of Pinot Noir from Tasmania
which may result in more people becoming enthused and trying to produce their
own unique wines.
In the winery everything is geared up for experimentation
and refining of skills but what do I really mean by that. Well, there is a
section set aside for oak Rieslings, which this year comes in at 10
barrels. Stefano tastes then regularly
to track the development but hasn't made a decision as to what he is going to
do with them. He could make a single vineyard limited release wine or blend it
into his premium label to fill out the mid-palate and increase the textural
component of the wine. Right next to these barrels lays an amphora which is a
clay fermentation vessel that resembles a large chicken egg. Stefano is also
experimenting with extended maceration and he is doing this in a science based
manner. He has found out that the Europeans have been doing extended maceration
for some time now but it is the Slovenians that have been documenting the
effects. Stefano has got his hands on the research and is following up with
those techniques. As a result of his trials Stefano now allows all of his red
wines to have extended contact with their skins but it ranges from an extra 2
weeks for his Primavera label to an extra 2 ½ months for his Merlot. This means
that he selects particular parcels for extended maceration and then allows them
to develop slowly. The only thing that is used in the winery is a little sulfur
which would mean that this winery is at the forefront of natural wine-making.
All of the wines taste clean and structured which is at odds with many natural
wine-makers in Australia but the wines do possess that extra flavour and
easiness like so many European natural wines.
It was a lot to take in as we work our way through the
winery but it was magical to sit at a long wooden table with three glasses of
Pinot Noir from the experimentation that has occurred over the last 6 years.
The below wines are the first release from the trials that were kept separate
in 2008. Stefano could keep these separate as the yields were a little higher
in 2008.
Selection 1/3 Pinot Noir 2008
There is only 480 bottle of this extended maceration wine
which makes this as scarce as hens teeth. The wine spent 146 days on skins and
was bottled under cork. On the nose the wine seems to be bursting from the
seams with masses of dark fruit and spice sprinting out of the glass. Once the
wine enters my mouth it coats every last millimetre of vacant space. It has
texture and brightness in a dirty earthy sort of manner with fruit flavours of
cherry and wild boar. The flavours aren't really the thing that sets this apart
from most of the other top quality Pinot Noir in Australia; rather it is the
wealth of tannins that latch on to my mouth and never let me go that takes this
into the stratosphere.
Alcohol: 14%
Price: $60
Rated: 95
Drink: Give it another 6 years and it will see its 15th
birthday
Selection 2/3 Pinot Noir 2008
This wine was fermented in a more conventional manner as it
was fermented in stainless steel tank for 16 days with only the MV6, 115 and
116 clones used. The wine smells sweeter than the previous wine and also more
approachable. This transfers onto the palate but the brightness is evident like
the previous wine. The flavours remind me of summer when I was a kid as I was
obsessed with raspberry sorbet and caramel swirls. One could almost call this
bottled childhood but I won’t go that far. There is a softness to the palate
weight and a lightness to the delivery of flavours which makes this very
appealing.
Alcohol: 14%
Price: $60
Rated: 92
Drink: Whenever you want
Selection 3/3 Pinot Noir 2008
The last of the trio was selected due to the sub-soil and is
a combination of two vineyards, the white block and red block. This wine is a
balance between lightness and richness as there is a rose petal and cherry
blossom component over blueberries, dirt and sweet aged vinegar. The mid-palate
is super rich and there is a treasure trove of chalk tannins coming through
which makes me think I should give this another 5 years for it to show its true
potential.
Alcohol: 14%
Price: $60
Rated: 94
Drink: 2017 - 2024
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