News

A Star is born!

2003 Wrattonbully Shiraz

Site Selection has always been a very important component of quality wine production. Ian searched for three years for the specific conditions for quality Shiraz production, before he came across the Red Ridge vineyard site in Wrattonbully. Shallow terra rossa soils over limestone (similar but not the same as Coonawarra), provide a devigorating effect resulting in lower yields of more flavoursome fruit.

Even from the first crop it was obvious that the fruit from the Red Ridge vineyard was quite special and would eventually warrant its own label. The fruit concentration and balance of the resulting wines has exceeded even the most optimistic predictions for the vineyard.

The climate at Wrattonbully is marginally warmer than Coonawarra with daily maxima on average 1 to 2 degrees higher. Rainfall is marginally lower, and thus the fruit ripens up to two weeks earlier than the grapes from its southern neighbour.

The 2003 Wrattonbully Shiraz displays the rare combination of power and elegance. There is an abundance of sweet Shiraz fruit flavours, but the wine retains a good balance and surprisingly supple tannins.

We are still trying to fully describe the specific vineyard character of this wine such is its complexity, but in general the wine is more full bodied than Coonawarra Shiraz, showing dark plums and a bright raspberry fruit character with intriguing hints of honeysuckle (to quote Ian), crushed passionfruit skins (to quote Kent) and tar and roses (to quote David Norman).

Prior to its release we will be conducting a tasting for the press with a selection of the worlds’ greatest Shiraz including the famed Jaboulet La Chapelle to help us further distil its specific characters.

It is a wine that the entire team is immensely proud of and we invite you to explore the flavours of Wrattonbully, and will always be pleased to hear your descriptors.

What’s on?

Hot Summer Night at Hollick

The Hollick barrel shed rocked to the music of John Waters in January this year. It was a memorable evening and we are delighted to announce that we have secured the trio of Cotton, Keays and Morris for Hot Summer Night on the evening of February 18th 2006 The winery will certainly be rocking again with hits from the 60s and 70s.

We will kick off with a glass of bubbles at 7.00pm, then sit down for an outstanding 3 course menu prepared by the Upstairs team. Hollick wines will flow for the course of the evening.

The show will commence at around 9.00pm, and things will really heat up from there.

Tickets are available at the winery from September 1st. Call Jane Staude on (08) 8737 2318.

$120 per person or $1100 for a table of 10.

Russell Morris has been a pop idol with No. 1 hits like “Sweet, Sweet Love”, “The Girl That I Love”, “Wings of An Eagle”, “Mr America”, “Rachel” and of course, “The Real Thing”. He’s played giant shows of up to 100,000 people and he’s worked in tiny clubs to audiences of 40. Jim Keays hails from the legendary Masters Apprentices who produced some of Australia’s most memorable tunes including “Turn up your radio” and “Because I love you”. The third member of the trio, Darryl Cotton, was a founding member of Zoot and has performed on shows such as Countdown and Hey Hey.

Coonawarra Roadshow

Come and taste our wines and those of 22 other Coonawarra producers at the Coonawarra Roadshow. The event will be travelling to Melbourne (Sept. 1st), Sydney (August 31st), Brisbane (August 30th), Perth (Sept. 13th) and Adelaide (Sept. 12th). All details for the tasting are to be found on www.coonawarra.org

Please make yourself known to us if you do attend.

Merlot Matched Tasting Plates

The Upstairs chefs have created a tasting plate featuring local produce matched to a flight of Hollick Merlots, including Sparkling Merlot and the outstanding Neilson’s Block Merlot.

Discover the nuances and versatility of Merlot with simply stunning food.

Tasting Plate $25
Tasting Plate & Merlot flight $35
Available Saturday October 15th.

Exploring wine’s evolution

An informal and interactive masterclass lead by Ian Hollick in the Hollick boardroom, where we will line up some young and old wines of different varieties to try and pin point the changes that take place with time. How do wines age, and how does it differ from variety to variety?

Cost $20.00. 3.00pm, Saturday October 15th, bookings essential.

New Releases

2003 Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon

According to industry data the sales of Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon blends have not grown at the same rate as other blended reds and straight varietals. This serves to highlight that we are at times in the fashion industry and not the wine industry as the combination of the fleshy sweet fruited Shiraz and the more sternly structured Cabernet Sauvignon is an ideal match, and a uniquely Australian one at that!

The 2003 vintage is a blend of 65% Shiraz and 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, the Shiraz primarily from Wrattonbully, the Cabernet Sauvignon portion from Coonawarra. Of all the red wines that we make, this is the most suited to early consumption and this can certainly be said for the 2003 vintage. It is a really voluptuous wine with no hard edges and an abundance of fruit. Cries out for red meats and probably best consumed over the next seven years.

2003 Cabernet Sauvignon

The 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon was a runaway success. It received 3 trophies at the Limestone Coast wine show, 95 points from James Halliday and sold out in around 6 months in a very crowded marketplace. The 2003 vintage is an excellent follow up. Reflective of the cooler vintage it is more fleshy and accessible as a young wine whilst retaining excellent varietal definition and impeccable balance. For those of you who were lucky enough to secure some of the 2002 vintage, we would suggest laying that down and perhaps drinking the 2003 while you wait for the 2002s to mature.

It is a natural to partner with lamb dishes of all persuasions. A reflection of low yields, production again is limited and it is anticipated that the wine will sell out quite rapidly.

2005 Sauvignon Blanc Semillon

In case you had not noticed Sauvignon Blanc is the darling of the wine industry at present. Wine lists and shop floors are over flowing with Sauvignon Blancs. Some statistics indicate that consumption of the variety has grown by an astonishing 55% in the last 12 months. It is just such a delicious variety and much of this growth has been driven by the many offerings crossing the Tasman. The Hollick Sauvignon Blanc Semillon is a little less in-your-face than its Kiwi brethren, a little more subtle and there is added complexity from the Semillon component, but shares the wonderful vivacity of the variety . The Savvy boom has had an impact and for the first time we have taken the opportunity to include a small parcel from the Mt Benson region, where the maritime climate is ideal for this variety.

This is not a wine to pontificate about ad nauseum. This 87/13 blend is a wine that shows wonderfully pure varietal fruit flavours. It is clean, crisp and utterly slurpacious. Drink it young as an aperitif or with lighter seafood and Asian inspired dishes. Get on the bandwagon as we reckon this is possibly the finest one that we have made.

2004 Reserve Chardonnay

Whilst Sauvignon Blanc is possibly the most talked about variety at present, Chardonnay and blends still account for the majority of white wine sales. Looking at this wine it is not difficult to see why. We have always made our Chardonnay in a more “European” style, that is to say that it is more elegant, subtle and refined whilst exhibiting complexity. The fruit was 100% barrel fermented and only a portion was put through malolactic fermentation which has preserved the stone fruit characters of the variety, while contributing hints of grilled nuts and a creamy mouthfeel. It is a wine that demands food and the long growing season that 2004 provided has delivered great intensity.

Drink over the next 3 years or so and track down some crayfish to partner with this wine.

2004 Sparkling Merlot

This marks the 13th vintage of Sparkling Merlot, and since the 1992 vintage this wine has established itself as a cult classic of the Australian wine industry. It is a serious Sparkling wine, yet one that does not take itself too seriously. It is a wine to have fun with.

The 2004 vintage is chock full of violet and plum infused Merlot fruit flavours. Despite good density of fruit, it retains softness, enhanced by its fine bead. A wine to celebrate with or to drink as an aperitif, with dessert or with the traditional roast turkey.

1998 Ravenswood 5 litre

We made only 20 of these huge bottles of this great wine from what is generally regarded as the best Coonawarra vintage of the 90s. They are presented in attractive wooden boxes and would make a very impressive gift or a great bottle to put down for a big celebration in 20 years time. $650 each.

Reviews

A snapshot of some recent reviews:

Hollick 2002 Wilgha Shiraz
91+ points

While most wineries in the region chase the Cabernet grail, Hollick offers a strong range of whites and reds with aplomb. This is right up there with Hollick’s best Shiraz offerings – full of ripe plum fruit with a good dose of Shiraz spice dusted with pepper. It’s fragrant, especially so in the cool 2002 vintage, and this approach works well. It’s supple and soft, full of spicy, vibrant plum fruits, hits a Rhone-ish note or two, and dishes out fine, mouthcoating tannins. There’s good length and balance. It’s stylish and polished.

Nick Stock, Adelaide Review, June 2005

2004 Hollick Riesling
Highly Recommended

There’s a lot of good clean varietal fruit here, with hints of lime. The palate is full flavoured and balanced. Drinking well now.

2002 Hollick Wilgha Shiraz
Highly Recommended

Shows excellent dark berry fruit with hints of spices like cardamom and cloves. The oak has a slight mocha-like character, and the tannins balance the rich fruit very well.

2001 Hollick Neilson’s Block Merlot
Highly Recommended

Just when we’re about to give up on Merlot, we come to Coonawarra and are forced to review our position. This one is ripe and voluptuous, a touch spicy, with well handled oak and very fine tannins.

2000 Hollick Ravenswood Cabernet Sauvignon
Highly Recommended

A complex Cabernet showing strong blackcurrant varietal characteristics. It’s a classic Coonawarra – long on the palate, with very fine tannins and notes of cedar and undergrowth.

WINEWISE, April 2005

News

Upstairs Complex Wins National Design Award

Hollick Wines and Concept Drafting (Mt Gambier) have been recognised in the National Building Design awards, with their development of the Restaurant (Upstairs at Hollick) and Cellar Door facility, being awarded the 2005 Building Designers of Australia Award, for Design Excellence. Hollick Wines won the award from an entry in Category 11 for Best Commercial Building, and then went on to win the Overall National award for Design Excellence. There were 17 categories judged recently in Hobart, with over 300 entries nationally.

“It is yet another great accolade for us and our designers”, Ian Hollick said. “We gave Frank Templeton a brief to improve the public entrance, upgrade our Cellar Door facility and design a Restaurant which was part of an operational winery and had peaceful views of an otherwise flat vineyard landscape.” “The facility has had nothing but rave reviews which is a tribute to our staff, and this award is further recognition of the work done in creating an exciting Wine Tourism icon for the Coonawarra Region.”

Frank Templeton from Concept drafting was also ecstatic over the award. “It was an exciting challenge for us to blend the new facility with the old heritage listed cottage and other winery buildings” Frank said. “We worked closely with Ian and Wendy Hollick to create a functional and attractive complex, which has been supported greatly by locals and visitors alike.” The vineyard vistas and views into the operating barrel room from the Restaurant, are unique in the region, and are an added attraction for visitors” he said.

Upstairs Downstairs

“Upstairs at Hollick offers an impressive wine list, fine food and a setting among the vines in the heart of Coonawarra.

A beautifully warm day, a diverse array of dishes to feast upon, accompanied by great wine, the company of close friends with a view over an iconic piece of South Australian wine history is close to my idea of a perfect afternoon. All this was ours when we lunched ‘Upstairs at Hollick’.

Hollick is the only Coonawarra winemaker to have incorporated a restaurant into its general cellar door/open-to-the-public facilities. It is great to see. Food and wine were meant to be together.

This is the youngest brain-child of Wendy and Ian Hollick. Opened in mid 2002 it fills a major gap in the Coonawarra experience for visitors to the area (mainly city dwellers like ourselves), and offers locals something a little different in a casual lunch or simply the chance to try wines from another corner of the globe. This is a niche Upstairs at Hollick has settled into admirably, with its extensive wine list and menu branching out in many directions, while maintaining home-grown flavours with a specials board boasting plenty of local produce.”

Banjo Harris Plane

Sumptuous Magazine Autumn 2005