Another utterly gluggable and fascinating wine from Tom and Sally Belford. I got to speak to Tom briefly last year; sadly I was so buggered from two junkets in a row that I struggled to think of questions to ask him. That won’t be the case next time, I assure you. I’ll tell you this much – he’s a bundle of energy and it seems to come through in his wines.
There is real vigour in the bottle here. A sense of eagerness and animation. The wine pours cloudy and is quite open on the nose. Orange peel, nectarine, poultry, apple cider and ginger spice. Lacks some precision but certainly not any structure. Bustling acidity and a little grip. Its core is lithe with wet pebble minerality and it finishes with lemon and nuts. Mostly savoury and sour but with just enough fruit sweetness to balance the palate. Traditional/natural/mystical/minimalist winemaking techniques were employed but I’m not going to list them. This wine stands out just fine by itself. Good – Very Good
Region: Yarra Valley
Alcohol: 13%
Closure: Screwcap
Price: $27
Tasted: April 2012
[e] tomeb@iprimus.com.au (no website as yet)