In this age of endless spiels about hands-off winemaking and some sort of naïve return to nature (proof positive of just how unhappy most of us are with the society we’ve created – which isn’t to suggest any of our imagined utopias would provide us with a greater degree of fulfilment) I liked what Circe winemaker Dan Buckle had to say about sparkling wines earlier this year: “Sparkling wines are maximum intervention wines, made with lots and lots of thought. It’s difficult to accidentally make a sparkling wine.”
Three years on lees, all fruit sourced from the Hillcrest Road Vineyard on the Mornington Peninsula. Very much in the style I understand Buckle is interested in pursuing. Autolysis derived characters used in a discriminating manner. Some puff pastry and citrus tarts behind the purity of cut green apple, white flowers, lemon and almonds. Linear, energetic and driven yet its intensity is cloaked in a pillowy mouthfeel. Plenty of extension through a dry finish. I polished off half a bottle with fish and chips while listening to Lou Reed’s “Coney Island Baby”. I believe there’s room for improvement in the future when it comes to the wine. The food and wine pairing was pretty much perfect. 92+
Region: Mornington Peninsula
Alcohol: 12.0%
Closure: Diam
Price: $60
Tasted: November 2013
Hey JP,
Agree with your notes, and there is still further room for improvement. Indeed, this project began before I immersed myself in bubbles at Chandon. My palate has shifted, somewhat, due to an overexposure to fizz base and great Champagne. The 2014 release is exciting.
Glad the fish and chips went well. (Have I told you about BBQ Shapes and Billi Billi Shiraz. Trying to bring it down a few levels.)
DB
BBQ Shapes and Billi Billi Shiraz? I’ll email Aaron and ask for a sample ASAP. I’m almost a sommelier at this stage , I swear
Dunno the wine, but your comments about some folks’ naïve yearnings are spot on.
….and had the 10 b.b Shiraz in a 30 wine lineup yesterday by coincidence. A bit light for the level of whole bunchiness IMHO. Still a lot better drink than many at twice the price. Pizza shapes just fine.
Hi Simon,
There were no whole bunches in 2010 Billi Billi Shiraz. Lightness is a criticism I can handle, I think we have been preoccupied with bigness in wine in the past. Value for money is one of the hardest things (and most nebulous) in winemaking.
DB
Classic. Peeling the egg off my face now. I will be kinder to those who criticise our Tempranillo for too much new oak in future (the newest barrel it sees is 5yo).
There was an SC Pannell hills Syrah I picked as the same issue so I might have to look his up as well now. Just showing a bit of a weedy/herby edge that doesn’t quite sit neatly in the wine. I probably should have gone into more detail anyway. It was lazy of me to use ‘light’ in hindsight. The (not actually) whole bunch character I saw as sticking out seemed to do so as the wine looked more spice driven than fruit. Stems seem to work best in more deeply fruited shz. Not sure if the actual stems differ or if the character just blends in better with the sweet fruit balancing it out. I don’t rub shoulders with enough people who’ve done a lot of it so am just talking from my limited experience and (obviously) dodgy guesswork from tasting others.
You’re dead right on the obsession with bigness. Thank Huey the Aus palate is maturing and that’s largely behind us.
Hope you’re enjoying working with your own S.C at DCA.
We’ve been interested in trying the Circe for a while now, though pre-Christmas budget is certainly driving more towards the BBQ Shapes with Billi Billi end of the spectrum! My favourite food match right now is the Glandore TPR Tempranillo with laksa & coconut coated deep fried chicken.
Emmi,
Join our mailing list via dan@circewines.com.au
We’ve got a mixed Christmas pack coming up in December for mailing list friends.
Dan
Love that quote about sparkling wine!