A Vintage Worth Keeping In Reserve
The Age
Saturday May 10, 2008
Phenolics, texure, minerality, structure, site and season. These are some of the key elements that winemaker Steve Webber likes to reflect on when De Bortoli's top wines, the reserve releases, are in discussion. And that outstanding line-up includes a sauvignon (as in blanc), chardonnay, pinot noir and syrah (as in shiraz).
The latter three, all from the 2006, have just been released and apart from acknowledging the vintage, which Webber says was dry and hot, it's about appreciating these wines because they each express where they are from - not just the Yarra Valley but their special patches of earth where each variety grows at De Bortoli's vast estate at Dixons Creek. He's long talked about wines with imagination and the reserve range is the epitome of that philosophy. Webber also adds that as a result, variety becomes less significant the more expensive a wine. That is, there should be something else, something finer, more magical contained in the detail that sets those wines apart from the others. Not to say there's anything wrong with a varietal but it's about difference. "There's a consistent feel about these wines and they are reasonably subtle," says Webber. "Each one is beautiful and not one is big, even the syrah is medium bodied. That's my big thing in life, medium bodied. There might be a nuance of variety, and that's fine, but it's the other important stuff (terroir) that's interesting," he says. Fortunately, within the extensive De Bortoli portfolio, there are wines to suit all budgets and palates so they also make wines that are strongly varietal and in particular the lower price point reflects that while they are reserve wines there's an obvious extra dimension to them. And it's merely a coincidence, but the last time the reserve wines featured here, the '04 vintage (the '05 sold out so quickly there was no point writing about them, as great as they were) Webber was a finalist in the Gourmet Traveller winemaker of the year award. Well, happy to report that he has since won the title. Persistence pays off. The reserve release range is mostly sold in restaurants but the Prince Wine Store in South Melbourne stocks all including the excellent sauvignon at $50. Otherwise, take a drive to the cellar door and stay for lunch where you can order a bottle of reserve release and partner it to chef Tim Keenan's rustic, seasonal produce-driven menu. Worth noting, the pumpkin risotto with pancetta and pine nuts was outstanding, as was the prosciutto. -- JANE FAULKNER janefaulkner@winematters.com.auDE BORTOLI YARRA VALLEY RESERVE RELEASE PINOT NOIR 2006 $60Pinot noir can often be deceptively pretty, as this is with its heady aroma laced with savoury notes, but on the palate it's bolder. Refreshing acidity and pinot tanginess meet sweet fruit with just a hint of lovely menthol with soft, smooth, ripe tannins so the wine just glides across the palate. DE BORTOLI YARRA VALLEY RESERVE RELEASE CHARDONNAY 2006 $50If I really had to pick only one, this would top the reserve list. A pure chardonnay that's linear, exciting with a line of citrus cutting through the middle. Everything is just so perfectly balanced from the restrained oak, the merest hint of leesy notes, the cidity and freshness. Builds on the palate then lingers long after the last drop has, sadly, finished.DE BORTOLI YARRA VALLEY RESERVE RELEASE SYRAH 2006 $60 A cracker of a shiraz with its spice notes, rich plum and ripe black fruit with hints of coffee-mocha adding more complexity. Medium-bodied, textural and silky on the palate with dusty fine tannins making this a delight to drink. Opens beautifully the longer you leave it either in glass or decanter.
© 2008 The Age
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