There's nothing new in writing about wineries. It has been done in the past, by amateurs and professional critics as one. Even I have done it before. But it's not about how special I am. It's about a
special winery.
Why is it special? You see, making a good wine is not special, unless there
IS the best wine in the world, and as far as I'm concerned, there is no such a thing. Well, in this particular case the answer is "marketing". A really unique sort of.
The wine is sold at the cellar door only during November, on weekends. Anyone can come and taste, but the purchase options are very limited. Most of the wine is going to the mailing list members, and in theory the winery can run out of wine for sale at the cellar door already on the first weekend, so only the luckiest (or the quickest) will be able to purchase a case. More than it, the sale is limited to one case per household. This setup turns everything about the winery to a real buzz.
"Unfortunately the 2009 High Noon Rosé, 2008 Twelve Bells & 2008 Noon Solare have sold out..."
Of course, the buzz is not the only thing about
Noon. It is definitely supported by a great wine, as well as the people behind it.
It appears that this event was a must for anyone who lives in South Australia and is into wine. Indeed, when I got there last weekend, I was (not) surprised to meet my fellow Oenology students.
There was a police car parked at the front, and my first thought was: "There's a riot as many people haven't got their wine". The next thing I saw, however, was two officers loading a case of wine in the trunk.
If I were them, I would confiscate it, and wouldn't get out of there with only one case.
The winery is well designed and very elegant though it is set in a modest building, which has nothing to do with today's commonly employed
nouveau riche style. From a brief look at the 75 years-old Grenache bushvines, the backbone of the Noon wines, it appeared that no pesti-, herbi- or fungicides are applied in the vineyard, which is always a sign of the owner's good will to maintain natural balance and biodiversity in the vineyard. From a closer look, this biodiversity could easily be observed in form of various invertebrates, which are sometimes a bad thing, but normally produce an added value for the vineyard.
The tasting and the sale took place at the cellar door, while all the rest of the visible winery's area was full with cases labeled with the lucky owners' names. The winemaker, who conducted the tasting by himself, seemed to be quite happy, probably due to the fact that the only wine remaining for sale was the Eclipse.
Message for the next generation on an old barrel:
"It's called wine", said O'Brien with a faint smile. "You will have read about it in books, no doubt"
The winemaker revealed that 2008's yield was especially low due to the drought and the heatwaves (and as far as it seems to be now, with 42 degrees in mid November, the same scenario will take place this year too). The vines grow with no irrigation, and therefore the yield and the fruit quality is entirely dependent on the climate. Generally, the grapegrowing policy here is the minimum-intervention one. The vinegrower employs organic practices, though the vineyard is not certified as organic.
Wines tasted:
'09 High Noon Rosé:
Mainly Grenache, with some Shiraz, about six months in an old barrel. If I couldn't see the colour, I'd think it was a red wine, probably GSM. With medium body (which is quite rare for Rosé), Grenache's presence expressed itself with strawberries and red cherries, followed by a subtle gamey characters. On the palate there was a strawberry lolly, very fresh though.
'08 Twelve Bells:
The winery's "second" blend. Not the flagship, but still much more than just a decent wine. With medium dense ruby colour, it was full if surprises such as mint and cherries and caramel on the nose. On the palate it showed dark berries and earthiness, fresh well structured acidity and long finish.
'08 Eclipse:
Definitely the big hit of the tasting. Due to the low yield (see above) it was decided to add Cabernet Sauvignon and Graciano to the traditional Grenache and Shiraz. The fruit was harvested very ripe, and the result is plenty of ripe fruit aromas, together with light grassiness and some tobacco and chocolate hints. The palate is rich accordingly, keeping the nose's promises, with red fruits, firm but fine tannins and a very long finish.
In the end of the day, it was a great experience. The winery, the wine and the people made me feel like doing it again.
I reckon, I'll stop writing right here, as this is the last weekend of November, and I need to be quick to hit the last tasting this year. And I'm not going to miss it!
l'chaim!
Myself with my fellow students: Leigh Ritchie and Shiri Rosental
