Pyrenees 13.5% Screwcap $35 Source: Sample
I’ve been neglecting the Pyrenees for some time now, but I feel it is time to address that. This Donny Goodmac seems a good place to start. I enjoyed the 2008 Chardonnay but didn’t take any notes…I think I like this 08 Shiraz even more.
The fruit for the wine is sourced from a 40 year old vineyard and the website describes its picking and treatment in the following manner:
we have tried to keep alcohol levels moderate at 13.4%, used only 50% new French oak (just six barrels – three new, three seasoned) and made the wine in a typically old-school manner – we let it go through a week-long open ferment with hand-plunging three or four times a day before pressing into barrel..
At a recent red wine masterclass with Michael Fragos of Chapel Hill Wines I got to taste the differences between these old school techniques and more modern/efficient methods. You could pick what had been used blind. What I’m saying is that open fermenters and hand-plunging really do produce a different, and to my mind, better wine. It’s not just spin.
This wine isn’t really about complexity or innovation. It’s about honest regional expression and producing a balanced and enjoyable wine. The fruit covers most of the spectrum; black, blue and red. It’s a touch brambly but still fresh, and provides a little splash of sweetness towards the end, countering what is a predominantly savoury and somewhat meaty palate. Some toastiness from the oak, quite a few shakes of black pepper, and a sprig of mint are there for good measure. A spicy wine for sure and one that’s made to get stuck into. The pig on the label seems quite fitting in that context.
Winery Website- http://www.donnygoodmac.com.au/