Hitting The Cool Notes
The Age
Saturday July 5, 2008
Maybe Ian and June Marks are going to have the last laugh. They own the coolest Yarra Valley vineyard and with all this talk and evidence about global warming, theirs might be one of the last great sites for pinot noir and chardonnay. Cool climate-loving varieties. "We ripen about two to three weeks later than the Yarra Valley floor," says Ian Marks, "and we're more similar to the average Tasmanian vineyard than Victorian." Remembering the first vintage in 1987, he adds that "we now pick a month earlier". Back in the early '80s, this third-generation dentist just "wanted to get outside and grow grapes". Although he spent vintage with exemplary producers, friends such as Reg Egan, from Wantirna Estate, and the late John Middleton, from Mount Mary, it was probably inevitable the French varieties would stake their claim. However, their property, which now includes five hectares under vine, was four years in the finding and Marks was unsure what varieties he would plant. "We weren't in a hurry. We discovered this property by chance, it was a fluke and it had everything we wanted - aspect (north-easterly), view and climate." In 1983 the first vines were planted. They were sauvignon blanc and, back then, the variety was unheard of; a year later, chardonnay and pinot noir were planted. Each year a little more was planted and in the early '90s, the first commercial wines were made. Officially Gembrook Hill was born.
It remains a small enterprise with only 2000 cases produced, definitely boutique with the commitment to quality as strong as ever. Gembrook Hill wines are subtle, French in their focus and distinctive by their texture. "We always felt philosophically that there was no point copying the big boys. We had to do our own thing." That own thing now includes winemaker Timo Mayer and the Marks' son, Andrew. While Andrew has spent most of his life at this vineyard, he also wandered the world for a decade doing vintages in Spain, Burgundy and Sonoma but has stayed put for the past two seasons in the valley. It's hardly surprising his own label is known as the Wanderer. Mayer, in particular, likes to push wines to the edge - that is, he's not making predictable wines but wines with soul (Mayer also has an eponymous label that further proves those points). He started at Gembrook Hill in 2000 and was taken by the delicate flavours of the site. "The soils here are red and they give a lot more perfume to the wine and not the grunt as in the clay loam in the lower part of the valley. These wines look more European." Three wines are the mainstay of Gembrook Hill - sauvignon blanc, chardonnay and pinot noir, but as of next year, it will release a 2004 blanc de blancs. Mayer says it has the right fruit and stinging acidity. Ian Marks is content to let the winemakers push to the edge as nothing disastrous has happened yet, adding that they are meticulous in their craftsmanship. "I just like to be out pruning, I like being in the vineyard because that is what making wine is all about. The vineyard is everything so long as there's a winemaker who can make the most of the fruit and not bugger it. That's why we make our wines to reflect the vineyard." janefaulkner@winematters.com.au -- JANE FAULKNERGEMBROOK HILL PINOT NOIR 2006 $47Gee, this is a pretty wine, but don't be fooled by the delicate aromatics as this has plenty of backbone with its fresh acidity and fine tannins. A light to medium-bodied wine that's incredibly moreish, spicy with tangy cherry stemmy fruit notes, with just a touch of charry, yet well-integrated, oak. GEMBROOK HILL CHARDONNAY 2005 $38Texture is an all-important measure of this wine's appeal - the '05 is no different. It starts with tell-tale flinty match-strike character alongside nectarine and dried-pear fruit. Builds with leesy nutty notes and richness on the palate without being over the top. GEMBROOK HILL SAUVIGNON BLANC 2007 $35If only more sauvignon blancs were made like this - aged in old oak with plenty of lees contact to flesh out the palate - adding texture and complexity without those harsh, pungent notes. There's still a core of bright fruit, minerality and soft, gentle acidity. A lovely wine.
© 2008 The Age