News

Wrattonbully Vineyard

The Red Ridge vineyard at Wrattonbully was first planted with 50 acres of Shiraz in 1998. A further 10 acres were planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese and Tempranillo the following year to bring the total under vine to 60 acres. The “hard doing” shallow soils over limestone have exceeded all expectations in their ability to devigorate the vines and thus minimise yields and maximise flavour. Average yields have been below two tonnes per acre and the wines have shown little of the “hollowness” that one comes to expect from young vine fruit.

In developing the vineyard a large amount of rock was removed and stock piled at the northern corner. In February this year we brought in the heavy machinery and contractors spent almost a month at the site crushing all of the rock and building roads with a small percentage of the crushed rock. In total around 2,400 cubic metres of rock was processed (see photo). The surplus not used within the vineyard will be used to help build other roads in the district. With the rocks removed, vineyard manager Stewie has been able to complete the beautification of the vineyard by planting a lawn at the northern end and installing imposing gates at the entrance. Pencil pines on the Eastern boundary are growing very well and lend a Tuscan feel to the vineyard. The vineyard has always produced excellent fruit, but now is a real showpiece for Hollick Wines and the Wrattonbully district.

Hottest Summer Night at Hollick

Hollick Wines successfully hosted the second “Hot Summer Night” show in Coonawarra on Saturday 18th February. The psychedelic/flower power themed barrel shed came alive with Cotton, Keays & Morris performing a selection of their hits from the 60s and 70s.

Guests were greeted at the entrance with a scene reminiscent of the 60s - a colourfully decorated kombi van with a surf board and 60s and 70s music blaring from inside.

Staff clad in colourful ties (some very bad taste) served sparkling wine to the guests before a superb three course dinner, which tipped its hat to 1970s gastronomy. The band made their way onto stage shortly after dinner and it only took one song before guests were out of their chairs dancing. Darryl Cotton (Masters Apprentices), Jimmy Keays (Zoot) and Russell Morris played perfectly in sync together and regularly cracked jokes having the audience in fits of laughter. Their play list included “Elevator”, “Sweet Sweet Love”, “Running On Empty”, and a very popular rendition of Russell Morris’ “Real Thing”, with the encore featuring the Masters’ classics of “Elevator” and “Turn up your Radio” to the delight of the crowd.

It was evident that everyone had a ball and the Hollick staff already have their thinking caps on for next year as the standard has been set high. Stay tuned!

Upstairs Happenings

Chefs Sean Emery and Ian Perry have just penned a new menu for the autumn that honours the shorter days and cooler nights by including some hearty “comfort food”. The slow cooked lamb with chorizo, onion and tomato, served with creamy mash and gremolata has been especially popular. Another winner has been the prawn and scallop sausage with wilted spinach and saffron cream sauce, which is the perfect match with the 2004 Reserve Chardonnay.

Sean Emery has taken a shine to the 2004 Hollaia and is a keen advocate for pairing it with the Quail Saltimbocca. The recipe for which is now available in the Restaurant section of our website.

Ian’s Far East Foray

As the Australian market becomes ever more crowded and the routes to market further limited, the export market is becoming increasingly important for wineries seeking growth. With the rapidly growing economy of China and reports of great wealth and an abundance of aspirational wine drinkers in the big cities, China has recently been the focus of many companies’ export programmes.

Late last year after wading through a myriad of approaches, we were delighted to appoint Ruby Red Fine Wines to represent our wines in China.

The second shipment is currently on the water and Ian took the opportunity to attend a Wine Expo in Beijing in February and to catch up with Simon Zhou from Ruby Red and generally check out the market there and in Shanghai. Ian was most impressed with the blossoming fine dining culture and the emerging thirst for knowledge, not only from ex-pats but also from the locals, especially in the very modern city of Shanghai.

Ian then proceeded to Japan, where Hollick are seeking to appoint a new agent. With the help of Austrade Ian was kept busy navigating his way around Tokyo via the very efficient subway system to attend a number of meetings with prospective agents. Some valuable leads were pursued and we hope to be back into the Japanese market by the end of the year.

Vintage 2006

Well we thought that the 2005 vintage was completed early, but the record books have been re-written with the 2006 vintage. January and February were warmer than average, although our records indicate that it was no warmer than 2001 or 2003, following a fairly typical spring weather pattern. The crucial month of March was simply gorgeous from go to woe with warm sunny days and only one rain event.

Crop levels again were modest with average yields at exactly two tonnes per acre, which is 25% below the long-term average and was a key contributing factor in producing such an early vintage. The warm weather and low yields ensured that the ripening phase occurred relatively rapidly and the grapes achieved ripeness before the break of season. Thus vintage was again an unhurried affair with excellent colours prevalent and unusually high (even for Coonawarra) levels of natural acidity.

For the first time in living memory the cellar and vineyard staff have been able to take the Easter break off, with all the ferments having been completed. It will be interesting to watch the wines develop in the future – we are confident that there are some great wines in the cellar.

New Releases

2004 Hollaia Sangiovese
Cabernet Sauvignon

This is the second release of this wine after an extremely small make of the 2003 vintage which sold out very rapidly. To refresh your memory, we have called the wine Hollaia, as the blend is inspired by some of the wines made in Tuscany that flew against the face of their appellation system to blend non-indigenous varieties with the prescribed variety of Sangiovese. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot were sometimes blended with the Sangiovese and these became known as Super-Tuscans. Some of the more famous Super-Tuscans include Solaia, Sassicaia and Ornellaia and were very successful at introducing Italian wines to a much broader global market.

The 2004 vintage is a blend of 85% Wrattonbully Sangiovese and 15% Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon, which balances the dark plum, herbal infused and chalky texture of Sangiovese with the ripe berries and more generous mid-palate of Cabernet Sauvignon. A blend that is inspired by the Super-Tuscan wines, but very firmly retains its Australian origins displaying bright and generous fruit flavours and a sweet fruit mid-palate with just a touch of tell-tale chalky tannins on the back-end that add texture, length and intrigue!

It is a great food wine, which works very well with tomato based pasta dishes.

2005 Chardonnay

This wine is the evolution of the Wilgha Unoaked Chardonnay and like its predecessor is made from 100% Chardonnay from the Wilgha vineyard in Coonawarra. The packaging has changed, but the wine remains the same. We have modernised the presentation and removed any ambiguity with regard to our icon wine Wilgha Shiraz.

The 2005 vintage was just about perfect in Coonawarra, with the keyword being balance. Balanced, moderate yields and balanced weather conditions with no real extremes, boasting a long “Indian” summer and no significant rain events. The vintage was very leisurely, with each parcel of fruit able to be picked at its optimum ripeness. The fruit for the Chardonnay was harvested at 12.5 baumé when it was showing good natural acidity and pronounced varietal fruit flavours.

The wine displays very pure rockmelon, quince and white peach fruit flavours which showcase the intense varietal flavours that we can achieve in Coonawarra. There is no oak influence in the wine to adulterate the fruit and ensures a crisp and clean palate.

It is an early drinking style well suited to consumption prior to a meal or with lighter seafood and chicken dishes.

2001 Ravenswood
Cabernet Sauvignon

This marks the twelfth release of our benchmark Ravenswood Cabernet Sauvignon. This is a wine that is the result of painstaking attention to detail, both in the vineyard and in the winery.

Experience tells us the best Cabernet Sauvignon is grown where the terra rossa soil is shallow and resulting yields are small and the grapes show great concentration of flavour. Selected fruit commences fermentation in potter fermenters and when that process has progressed to around three baumé the must is pressed off skins and the remaining juice is transferred to new French oak barriques where it completes fermentation. The wine is then racked off solids and returned to the barrel for eighteen months further maturation.

Prior to bottling a rigorous tasting and selection of barrels earmarked for Ravenswood is made, with a “no compromise” policy installed.

The 2001 vintage was notable for a combination of a very hot summer and above average yields. Although January and February set records for heat, the crucial months of March and April returned to a more typical autumn pattern which ensured an even ripening period and development of intense berry fruit flavours.

This wine was bottled in March 2003 and thus is being released having spent three years in bottle, which has greatly benefited this vintage. It shows intense cassis laced berry Cabernet Sauvignon fruit with an opulent, velvety mouth-coating texture. This superb Cabernet Sauvignon while drinking well today will age effortlessly for at least a decade. It is a fine testament to this record breaking vintage.

Italian & French Wine Classes

During March we conducted a wine class focussing on the wines of France and Italy in the restaurant. The classes took place on three consecutive Thursday nights and were conducted by some of Australia’s leading experts. Week one studied on the wines of Burgundy, week two Bordeaux and the Rhone valley, whilst in week three we turned our attention to Italy, with the focus on Piedmont and Tuscany. The classes were extremely well received, having sold out within a couple of days.

We are planning to host further one night courses, where the wines will be matched with a degustation menu and leading speakers and educators will be flown in to host the dinners. Keep an eye on our website for further details. The wines of Spain are on our radar and we are looking to host a Champagne dinner in spring.

Hollick Calendar

May 19th to 21st
Penola Coonawarra Arts Festival

Hollick Wines is delighted to present an exhibition featuring linocut prints by the well-known local artist Diana Wiseman in the Cellar Door sales area. To celebrate the festival, the ‘Upstairs’ chefs will be preparing regional tasting plates featuring local autumnal produce.

June 16th to 18th
Good Food & Wine Show – Melbourne Exhibition Centre

Come and say g’day to Ian and Kent who will be manning the stand for the duration of the Show. Check out www.goodfoodshow.com.au for further details.

July
Coonawarra Cellar Dwellers

We will be raiding the cellar and Upstairs will prepare some great food to match. Keep an eye on www.coonawarra.org for details.

July 14th to 17th
Wine Australia at Sydney Exhibition Centre, Darling Harbour

Go to www.wineaustralia.com for further details.