The Soothsayers Ferment
Giant Steps
Applejack Vineyard Pinot Noir 2015
Yabby Lake Vineyard
Single Vineyard Mornington Peninsula Pinot Noir 2015
Mid Ruby in colour. Red fruits of cherry and strawberry with a bit of whole bunch influence on the nose. The palate showing savoury red fruits but also a little sweetness. Certainly a good future in front of it - I should try the next one in 1 to 2 years time. Tom Carson has probably never made a bad wine in his life and he has a great terroir to work with when he is not in demand for judging at Royal Shows. Tasted another bottle 65 weeks later on 24th July 2022. Quite red cherry on the nose and palate. Sooty notes from whole bunch in the ferment. The perfect balance between sweet and savoury. — 5 years ago
Donkey & Goat
Alveare Skin Ferment Marsanne 2018
Peaches, Meyer lemon, golden delicious apples. Strong acidity that fades a bit after sitting. Really wonderful. — 6 years ago
Troon Vineyard
Whole Grape Ferment Riesling
A Riesling with an attitude. Petrol is substituted for lavender and and thyme with a robust mouthfeels and ripping acidity. — 6 years ago
Donkey & Goat
Stone Crusher Skin Ferment El Dorado Roussanne 2018
Like a flat sour beer — 7 years ago
Giant Steps
Primavera Vineyard Pinot Noir 2015
Probably the most twiggy/stalky of Steve Flamsteed’s single vineyard cuvees. Perhaps overdid the whole bunch ferment aspect a little bit here. A good savoury intensity with fluid smooth tannins. Well made as always. From the very good 2015 vintage in the Yarra Valley. — 7 years ago
The Soothsayers Ferment
Single Ferment Series Cinsault 2016
100% cinsault. Really cool nose with a bit of "garragistes" charcoal, leather, and funk. Vibrant garnet/purple color. Palate bends toward the purple fruit side once again, with some vanillin and oak. Alcohol seems a bit high. Enjoyable different red though. — 8 years ago
Giant Steps
Yarra Valley Pinot Noir 2017
Pale Ruby in colour. Strawberry and Raspberry aromatics. The palate is very red fruit driven with strawberry and raspberry - quite delicious. I may be wrong but little evidence of whole bunch in the ferment. Oak is hardly detectable. Great value at $35AUD and should be an annual buy on top of the Individual Paddock Pinot Noirs which I buy regularly. Having a 2015 Applejack Pinot tonight. — 4 years ago
Sonoma Mtn. Winery
Co-Ferment Cuvee "Char'Mer" Sonoma Valley Rosé Merlot Chardonnay 2012
White is delicious. One point less for the red — 6 years ago
Viña Errazuriz
Wild Ferment Chardonnay
Very complex, but rather pleasing! — 6 years ago
Château Pontet-Canet
Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 2016
Pontet Canet tasting and dinner with Alfred Tesseron.
2016 is such a beautifully, ripe and elegant vintage. The 16 stands tall from the other vintages we tasted.
The body is rich, bold and thick. Beautiful dark fruits of ripe, ruby; blackberries, plum, dark cherries, strawberries and amazing blue fruits shine as it sit on the palate. There is more balance in the 16...fruits and earth. Saddle-wood, tobacco, leather, dry soil, dry & moist clay, dry stone, rich dark earth, lead pencil, bright, fresh, red, blue, dark flowers with violets. Very nice acidity with a beautiful finish.
Don’t even touch a bottle for 15 plus years. This nice now but, you will only be cheating yourself out of a very special wine 15 plus years from now.
Photos of; Clyde and Alfred at the bar, their Amphora style cement tanks they ferment part of each vintage now, road signs of the good neighbors they keep and Chateau Pontet Canet. — 6 years ago
Fowles Wine
Ladies Who Shoot Their Lunch Wild Ferment Chardonnay 2016
Gorgeous. Big, round with lush fruit and lactic notes. Barrel fermented, partial malo w/French Oak. — 7 years ago
Garage Wine Co.
Phoenix Ferment Pais 2017
This is the Garage Wine Co. 2017 Phoenix Frement. I’ve asked Delectable to add it.
One of the more enjoyable nights we’ve had on the trip was meeting Derek Mossman - Owner/Winemaker of Garage Wine Co. and tasting through 15+ wines at his house and then going out to dinner to enjoy the best two wines. The next day we got up and picked in his Truquilemu Vineyard; which is about 35km from the coast.
Macerated lemon, a little cream, citrus blossoms, underripe pineapple, melon, light chalkiness, passion fruit, guava, white flowers, granite mineral, very good acidity and a rich polished finish.
Photos of; Pais grapes in the Truquilemu Vineyard, field worker picking mostly Carignan grapes and a wine shot of the Truquilemu Vineyard. — 8 years ago
Serrat
Close Planted Yarra Valley Chardonnay 2015
The tasting notes for this wine from 32 weeks ago pretty much cover it. Aromas of cashews, lees stirring , barrel ferment characters. These aromas dominate any fruit aromas of citrus and melon. What you might say is a “worked” Chardonnay but most enjoyable. The following night it had filled out somewhat with a peach note. — 4 years ago
Garage Wine Co.
Single Ferment Series 215 BC Ferment Secano Interior Portezuelo Pais 2019
First wine grape planted in North America? You have my attention. Fascinating history of this varietal that I highly recommend reading up on if you’re lucky to have a friend like @Brendan Devine buy you the Wine Grapes tome. The wine itself is really tasty, desert-like in your mouth and has that full almost raisiny note that a lot of natural wines have. Give it a shot. — 5 years ago
Te Mata Estate
Cape Crest Hawkes Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2015
Very pale lemon in colour. Aromas of gooseberry, citrus blossom and barrel ferment characters - a bit toasty and nutty. Blended with a touch of Semillon and Sauvignon Gris. On the palate peachy notes - fulsome in the mouth. An excellent wine, all the better for the oak maturation. Richard Heming MW said of this wine “could be Graves or Pessac Leognan”. I really enjoyed this - from one of New Zealand’s best estates. Had my final bottle 6 weeks later on 4th October 2020 with consistent notes - delicious wine. — 6 years ago
Southbrook Winery
Wild Ferment Estate Grown Small Lot Chardonnay
Pleasantly surprised. Felt somewhat herbal, light touch with the oak — 6 years ago
Bosman Family Vineyards
Fides Skin Contact Natural Ferment Grenache Blanc 2016
Today was a good, productive day. Some good reading, writing and a brisk run, topped off with a glass of amber wine.
The color a sap like emerald orange. A bouquet of forest mist and sea fog. Melon and raspberries.
A surprisingly welcome balance of lush, bursting fruit up front finished with a dry, tart slight astringent quality.
Mystifying color and glint, subtle, natural bouquet, well-balanced and surprising drinking experience.
Apricots. That’s what I’m missing. A punch of apricots right in the middle. — 7 years ago
Domaine Magellan
Pézenas Côteaux du Languedoc Grenache Blend 2015
Seamless, polished and chiseled Grenache/Syrah co-ferment. No brett; neither oxidative nor reductive. Impressively moderate (14%) alcohol for 2015; persistent and fine sandstone mineral qualities. All raspberries and almost plush. #magellan #grenache #syrah #pezenas #languedoc — 7 years ago
Garage Wine Co.
Second Salvo Ferment País 2016
Bob McDonald
After the recent straight entry level Giant Steps Pinot from 2017 which was fruit driven and quite delicious this is one of their individual paddock wines - Applejack which is made in a different style with whole bunch ferment to the fore. Notes of anise and white pepper to the red fruited nose and palate. Hint of clove. Oak is resolved to my palate. Impressive and showing Steve Flamsteed’s ability as a winemaker. Postscript: Jackson Family Wines from the USA has acquired Giant Steps as of a year ago I believe. I would expect Giant Steps to be more readily available in the US now. — 4 years ago