Wine ...
Winemaker Brad Paton says that he loves
making blends because they are not one
dimensional and make a statement ... He
says that he likes ‘the road less
travelled’ in his wine making.
He loves a challenge and going by his
double gold winner Rough Diamond 2006 he
is certainly up for it. He says “The
secret of blending wine is to view
things differently to think out of the
box; one will either love or hate the
wine; there are so many different
aspects.”
So what’s new from him?
Soon to be released are three of Brad’s special
‘babies’. |
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Batavia - 2009
Smooth easy drinking. It is a beautifully
balanced and full structured wine that will
partner perfectly with food.
Maximus - 2009
The name says it all!! Sauvignon Blanc from a
very special section of the vineyard, the grapes
were picked late and given long slow barrel
fermentation, ageing on the mother lees; add
some tank fermented Semillon and you have a
cracker of a wine ... Brad says it’s not your
everyday drinking wine more of an intellectual
wine which is great with food. Very different
and the reason that it should not to be judged
as a Sauvignon Blanc. A small batch will be
released with the balance to be released at a
later stage (to be announced).
G - 2010
This wine is a perfume bomb! A magical
Gewürztraminer - Brad says that if anybody wants
to know what this variety is capable of giving,
they should try the G! Selected bunches on the
sorting table, barrel fermentation and
maturation.
Editor’s note: Having tasted these wines I
can honestly say that they are inspired.
From the cellar door ...
Paula from the wine tasting room feels
that most wines are showing well now,
with the exception of the new 2007
vintage red releases. They are still a
bit closed and given their massive
ageing potential, she recommends that
the wines should be decanted. “We
serve most of the red wine from the
decanter now and given a bit of time to
breath, they develop beautiful fresh red
fruit characters”.
Her favourites are:
• Blanc de Noir 2010 achieved the
highest rating of this category in the
country according to the Platter Guide
2011. The wine is magnificent and teams
up well with all Mediterranean style
dishes. The fresh fruit flavours are a
bit deceiving, as this wine has a great
structure too. |
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• The Cabernet Sauvignon is showing
magnificently. The 2005 vintage was chosen by
SAA for their premium class and 2006 has now
done the magic cycle of three years barrel, two
years bottle, allowing the wine to show great
maturity.
• Digestivo Grappa - There are two styles. Number
One is made from Sauvignon Blanc, which displays
more herbaceous characters, while Number Two was
made from pears harvested from cool Elgin
orchards. I was initially hesitant tasting
fluids containing 42% Alcohol, but they are
amazing after a meal or Italian style ‘Corretto’
(coffee and Grappa mixed).
There is only a small amount of Rough Diamond
2006 available.
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