The Auswine Forum

Hello everyone

I've been a casual reader of the forum for the past four or five years, and in that context I do apologise that my first post is a shameless request for information as opposed to a captivating story about my personal journey through the world of wine - (I might save that for post number 36!) I would like to preface the below however with a general thanks to all of you who take the time and trouble to share your wine experiences and knowledge with less forthcoming posters. For my part the enjoyment of living vicariously through others great wine experiences, and aspiring one day to emulate them, has been magnified in the last year or two as I've finally been exposed to some pretty decent wines and can better understand the enthusiasm and excitement that many of you convey so well in your posts and discussions. Anyway...

I was just wondering if there are any Leo Buring/Tasmania experts out there who might know which vineyard the fruit is sourced from for this particular wine? I am tasting it this week and just looking for a little background info. Derwent Valley is as far as I can get - an area with very few vineyards - so am wondering if Leo Buring actually have their own vines there, which I possibly doubt, or have sourced the fruit from an existing vineyard, as per Derwent Estate providing Chardonnay grapes for some vintages of Penfolds Yattarna. Thanks in advance for any wisdom that may be forthcoming!

Cheers

Dave

Hi Dave

Welcome to the forum and I look forward to post number 36!

I know nothing about the Leo Buring sorry!

Cheers

Michael

It is grower sourced fruit, from the top of the Derwent Valley (very cold). The grapes were picked in May with an amazing intensity of fruit flavour. I like how it's developing.

Thanks for the welcome Michael, and thanks a lot for the info munrop. I grew up in Tasmania and am familiar with the geography of the Derwent Valley, so can appreciate that it does get plenty cold up there, if you'll pardon the pun...will let you know my impressions of the wine.

munrop wrote:It is grower sourced fruit, from the top of the Derwent Valley (very cold). The grapes were picked in May with an amazing intensity of fruit flavour. I like how it's developing.

munrop, you might like to introduce yourself properly to give your observation some context..

Sorry, should have mentioned, I'm Peter Munro - Leo Buring Winemaker. First time on the forum.

I'm confused! If you're a winemaker from Leo Buring, why don't you pick up the phone and ask the chief white wine maker for either Leo Buring or Treasury where the fruit comes from. If they won't tell you, then the fruit would probably come Derwent Estate or Gerald Ellis, or one other grower whose name escapes me.

WineRick wrote:I'm confused! If you're a winemaker from Leo Buring, why don't you pick up the phone and ask the chief white wine maker for either Leo Buring or Treasury where the fruit comes from. If they won't tell you, then the fruit would probably come Derwent Estate or Gerald Ellis, or one other grower whose name escapes me.

You are indeed confused. munrop did not pose the original question - if you scroll to the top of the thread, you can see it was tj2. munrop just answered it, and he did indeed state that it was from Derwent Valley.

PS Welcome Peter! Always good to see winemakers and industry people here!

My apologies! Yes, I looked too quickly. Sorry Peter.

munrop wrote:It is grower sourced fruit, from the top of the Derwent Valley (very cold). The grapes were picked in May with an amazing intensity of fruit flavour. I like how it's developing.

Welcome aboard...

Is a May harvest 'usual' for this part of Oz?

Cheers

Mike

So I tasted the wine along with some other Rieslings and Chardonnays - a tasting that started and finished in the aforementioned Derwent Valley, with a few stops in between. Here are my impressions for what they are worth:

2011 Leo Buring Leopold DW021 Riesling
Not giving too much away on first opening, green apple and flinty mineral characters predominate, and then some attractive floral notes become evident as it opens up in the glass. The palate is very focused and linear, apple and lemon-lime characters and a clean finish that lingers nicely. Probably time for this to go away for a while and see how it develops - my guess would be it has a long life ahead of it.

2003 Mount Horrocks Riesling
By contrast, an older Riesling that may not have much more to give, at least this bottle. Subtle notes of marmalade and kerosene on the nose create an expectation that the palate cant fulfil - just lacking any real definitive flavour or character, nothing offensive just flat and a little washed out.

2011 Waterton "Half Dry" Riesling
This is from the Tamar Valley in Northern Tasmania. The nose is clean with similar green apple notes to the Leo Buring. Sweetness and acid are evident and seem to be quite well balanced, but for me the wine is a little austere and not overly flavoursome - rattling off descriptors is not my strong point but I'm struggling to come up with any here.

2013 Grosset Alea
This is a much more charismatic wine than the previous. Powerful nose, honeysuckle and other floral notes evident, a big hit of sweetness on the palate which fills the mouth but for me becomes a little cloying as it lingers. It seems a little broad and disjointed, but might be a different kettle of fish with some food to accompany...

2013 Taylors Jaraman Chardonnay
This is a multi-regional wine, with fruit coming from Margaret River and the Clare Valley. Quite approachable for such a young Chardonnay, with acid present but not overwhelming. I'm not familiar with the defining characters of Clare Valley Chardonnay but can recognise the MR elements in the wine - lively citrus gives way to nectarine characters which linger enjoyably on the finish, and some nutty oak creates richness - well balanced and straightforwardly enjoyable.

2010 Penfolds Bin 10A Adelaide Hills Chardonnay
I didn't enjoy this one. Very hard for me to get past the pungency on the nose - flinty, matchstick and smokey notes which push for me into burnt rubber territory. I have encountered this nose on two other Chardonnays I've tasted recently, the Vasse Felix Heytesbury from MR and the Josef Chromy from Tasmania. I've worked out that it doesn't appeal to me, but I know it does for others because they have told me...the palate has a nice, viscous texture but the fruit seems submerged by the oak. The wine doesn't satisfy but maybe was drunk at the wrong stage in its development.

2010 Penfolds Yattarna Chardonnay
This wine completes the circle alluded to above, as the fruit for this vintage was sourced from the Derwent Valley, this time at the southern end from the Derwent Estate Vineyard. This is a composed, elegant and beautifully balanced wine and seems built for the journey. I took the dregs home so was able to observe some complimentary creamy oak notes emerge after a couple of hours that were not evident on first opening. A wine to sit back with and contemplate, and eventually you will find everything you enjoy in contemporary Australian Chardonnay.

Nice background. Which winery are you in?

cheers

Carl

tj2 wrote:
2013 Grosset Alea
This is a much more charismatic wine than the previous. Powerful nose, honeysuckle and other floral notes evident, a big hit of sweetness on the palate which fills the mouth but for me becomes a little cloying as it lingers. It seems a little broad and disjointed, but might be a different kettle of fish with some food to accompany...

I haven't tried the 2013 of this yet, but I was quite impressed with the 2012 of this. I am not the biggest fan of the "off dry" Riesling movement, but this is everything the others are trying to be: moderate sweetness, racy acidity, and hedonistic aromatics (at least for a young Aussie riesling).

sjw_11 wrote:

tj2 wrote:
2013 Grosset Alea
This is a much more charismatic wine than the previous. Powerful nose, honeysuckle and other floral notes evident, a big hit of sweetness on the palate which fills the mouth but for me becomes a little cloying as it lingers. It seems a little broad and disjointed, but might be a different kettle of fish with some food to accompany...

I haven't tried the 2013 of this yet, but I was quite impressed with the 2012 of this. I am not the biggest fan of the "off dry" Riesling movement, but this is everything the others are trying to be: moderate sweetness, racy acidity, and hedonistic aromatics (at least for a young Aussie riesling).

OK so I just opened a bottle of the 2013 Alea "Off-dry" Riesling the other day and have been drinking it over several nights:

Extremely pure and intense nose, featuring crystalline fruit, some grapefruit, a little talc. There is a hint of sweetness as well, but not over-done. The palate is extremely tight, I don't get the big whack of sweetness at all, if anything it seems a lot drier than the 2012 edition. The acid is phenomenal, mouth puckering. Intense and extremely pure in the finish. This will age very nicely indeed, perhaps a little young right now, but very refreshing.

Interestingly, I wrote that and then went to check the Grosset website: "This vintage is a fraction drier than previous releases"