Story Wines (Melb)

[tpang]

Ahead of Rory's generous tasting session at B'Stilla in Melbourne this Saturday, thought I'd give my take on these wines. These wines were previously posted by Sydneysiders back in May. Will update this post if new stuff make an appearance on Saturday.

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The Story Wines Westgate Blanc 2013, Grampians, VIC
$28 direct from winery. Clear pale clarified butter yellow, it’s got a pretty, expressive nose, with a richer exotic touch imparted by the Viognier. Light whisky citrus type of aromas, Pakenham pear, bees wax, subtle hints of raw crushed nuts, dried herb seeds. Sleek oily-like mouthfeel, rich fruit flavours backed by high acidity. Slightly weighty perhaps, but the fruit is robust, almost like poached pear drizzled with warm honey followed by a squeeze of sugared lemon syrup. I would certainly recommend this with a hot wood-fired pizza, rocket leaves and San Dianele prosciutto. Drink now.

The Story Wines Riesling 2013, Henty, VIC
$28 direct from winery. Clear pale lemon yellow colour with a slight tinge of green. Lovely expressive aromas of ripe rockmelon, lemon citrus and musk. A ripe fruity Riesling with high acidity. There is a sense of the residual sugars on the initial taste, the rounded mouthfeel consists of lemon cordial, lemon rind and sweet ginger. The finish is clean, crisp with lingering fruit. 12% alc.

The Story Wines Henty Pinot Noir 2013, VIC
$28 direct from winery. This is a very tasty PN, fruit forward, sweet, one that you can easily enjoy with your meal. Fruit from 2 vineyards in Warrnambool and Drumborg, fermented by wild yeasts in small, open fermenters, 10 months in old French barriques. Bottled unfined and unfiltered. Clear, black ruby colour with a purplish rim. Sweet, perfumed nose of strawberry essence and undertones of dark raspberry. Soft, cushy tannins provide a comfortable mouthfeel, obviously a lighter styled wine but with sufficient grip. The sweetness of the fruit does appear to hide the acidity, the finish has this touch of lingering fruity acid, and is on the shorter side. Drink now.

The Story Wines Tinkers Shiraz 2012, Grampians, VIC
$25 direct from winery. A multi-vineyard blend, combining fruit from the warmer Jallukar Ridge Vineyard (38%), the cooler Westgate Vineyard (32%) and the remaining from Rice’s Vineyard (27%). There is also a very small amount of Grenache for extra lift. Like the other wines in the collection, wild yeast fermented, bottled unfined and unfiltered. Clear, dark ruby colour with shade of purple. Fresh youthful fragrance, very floral summer blooms, blackberry, red plums, raspberry cordial, faint hint of fine black pepper. A dry, medium-bodied wine, high acidity with soft chewy tannins. Ripe, juicy red berry fruit flavours with a thin overcoat of black pepper. 13.5% alc. Moderately long, even toned finish. Drink now – 2016.

The Story Wines Henty Estate Vineyard Shiraz 2012, Henty, VIC
$45 direct from winery. Black ruby core with a slight purple rim. A fresh, youthful floral fragrance of blackberries, black cherry jam and oily antipasto. A dry, medium-bodied wine, it has a smooth velvet texture with high acidity. You can certainly feel the tannins left from the whole bunch ferment. The fruit is laden as a rich mix of blackberry, black cherry, with brown olives and a dash of fine pepper. However, the dry powdery/chewy tannins kick back in, and there is a residual bitterness on the finish. I’m sure that with sufficient time, the tannins will settle down but I do wonder how much fruit will be retained. Drink now, or 2020-2025.

The Story Wines Wetgate Vineyard Shiraz 2012, Grampians, VIC
$45 direct from winery. Dark black-ruby colour with a thin purple rim. This Westgate shiraz is so much more pretty than the Henty Shiraz. Fresh, youthful aromas of blackberries, blueberries, black cherry jam, hints of rose and lavender. A dry, medium-bodied wine, silky texture, high acidity, with a medium load of young, grippy tannins. The use of whole bunch ferment feels much toned down compared to the Henty shiraz, and that’s a good thing. I get a much more forward and better appreciation of the rich, pure fruit flavours. Blackberries, peppercorns, cherry, dark plums, hint of bay leaf. 14% alc. A well-framed wine that will drink well for quite awhile. Drink now – 2024+.

[paulf]

I haven't tried any of the Story wines yet, but I've heard a lot of good things about them

[Duncan Disorderly]

I've had four bottles of the 2006 The Story Grampians Shiraz over the last 12 months. I picked up a lot of two bottles at auction about ten months ago and another lot of four about six weeks ago. Apart from one dud in the first lot, which I'm putting down to a faulty screw cap, the wines have been really good. I will cellar my remaining two until at least 2017 though, because even with a decant they are still drinking better on night two.