Winery visits - Lethbridge, Clyde Park
Geelong, Vic
Tasted Thursday, September 27, 2012 by graemeg with 437 views
Flight 1 - Lethbridge Wines (8 Notes)
First visit here for me. Clearly a winery to watch. A very limited production – and imminent vintage changeover – means not everything is available to taste (the reserve pinot, for instance), but what there is is very good, and prices are at least reasonable, if no bargin. Rieslings from Drumborg were a real eye-opener.
Flight 2 - Clyde Park (4 Notes)
Only a few wines were on tasting here. I don’t think they really expect visitors mid-week, things were a bit off-hand, and only the bottom end wines were open. I avoided pinot gris… Truth is, I was a bit blown away by Lethbridge to do Clyde Park justice, plus I’ve no experience with these wines to my memory.
2011 Lethbridge Wines Pinot Gris
Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Geelong
{screwcap, 12.5%, A$30} Young. The usual spiced pear/apricot aromas, but they’re very enticing in this example. The palate is dry, medium-bodied, with restrained pear/apple flavours. It’s still light on its feet, with a transparency to the texture, not thick or heavy on the palate; unusual for Oz renditions of this grape. Medium acid which really helps the cause (along with the sensible alcohol level), good presence on the front and mid-palates, and a near medium-length finish. Wow. This is a PG I could actually drink, even if I can’t quite bring myself to buy any…
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2010 Lethbridge Wines Chardonnay
Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Geelong
{screwcap, 13%, A$30} Beautiful nut/fig/stonefruit aromas. Pure. The palate is rich and ripe, but tightly wound; still fruity but not tropical or blowsy; has gentle dusty astringency from subtle oak, medium weight and lots of mid-palate presence in a classy, understated way. A fine modern chardonnay.
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2008 Lethbridge Wines Chardonnay Allegra
Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Geelong
{screwcap, 14%, A$65} This is the ‘reserve’ chardonnay; not unrelated to the regular release, but here there is greater richness to the nose and palate; there is a touch of butter over the figs, nuts and minerals; this sees 100% malolactic but the effects are subtle and finely judged. There’s still a real acid spine holding all this together, and a powdery richness from the oak. An all-wild yeast fermetn has given this a wonderfully supple texture; there’s nothing feral about it. Medium-full bodied by chardonnay standards, with great evenness along the tongue; this is where the quality really shows. Medium-long dry minerally finish. This should age beautifully for 10 years. Exquisite chardonnay, although there is plenty of competition at the price.
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2011 Lethbridge Wines Riesling Dr Nadeson
Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Henty
{screwcap, 10.5%, A$30} From Drumborg, in the south-west. A wine of exquisite purity. I wrote little about this; I was just marvelling at its glorious perfection. Initially shy & delicate nose; it’s all about crisp apples and minerals. 10g of residual sugar just fills out the palate without adding any sweetness, and provides the perfect counter to the quite high level of (natural) acid. The wine therefore manages to be both light-bodied yet rich at the same time. Engages all the palate; glimmers like a pulsing star. Persistent, dry, clean finish of medium length. I could drink this by the tankful. Fantastic wine.
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2010 Lethbridge Wines Riesling Kabinett
Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Henty
{screwcap, 8%, A$30} A touch sulphury on the nose; similar apple/custard aromas as the ‘Dr Nadeson’ riesling, which isn’t surprising, as it’s from the same vineyards. At 90g/l of sugar, this has to be off-dry, yet it has a grippy grape-skin texture to it. There are apple and lychee flavours, medium-high acid, light-medium body, and that same luminous quality to the texture. Perhaps because of the acid, it almost tastes drier than the 10g/RS wine! It finishes, medium length, clean and dry. I preferred the other wine, but this is pretty marvellous too. What a great pair of rieslings, and a great advertisement for Drumborg.
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2010 Lethbridge Wines Pinot Noir
Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Geelong
{screwcap, 13.5%, A$40} Youthful, medium-intensity nose of black cherries and earth. Doesn’t leap at you. Although it’s only light-medium bodied now, there are dusty dark/black fruits, and distinct chalky tannin. Oak and acid are all in proportion. There’s a clean, dry, grippy finish, lots of presence right along the length of the palate. Not a fruit-bomb at all; a wine that needs several years to blossom, but seems well-balanced enough to evolve properly. Would have loved to try the top Mietta pinot, but was not available.
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2010 Lethbridge Wines Shiraz
Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Geelong
{screwcap, 14%, A$40} Jubey red fruits, spicy aromas. There’s a touch of earth too, on the palate; it’s a dry, savoury earthy style; no fruit-bomb. Medium weight, medium dusty tannins; needs time. Medium length finish. Good mid-palate. Put away for five years.
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2008 Lethbridge Wines Shiraz Indra
Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Geelong
{screwcap, 13.5%, A$65} Mid ruby colour. Still youthful, and with the same spicy, red fruit & earth aromas as the regular release. There’s greater intensity and ripeness to the fruit here (but no more alcohol, note); this pushes to wine to near full-bodied but without becoming oversized; there’s plenty of acid to maintain freshness, and medium chalky tannins to contribute to the structure. The wine is compressed at the mmoent but still powerful, beautiful yet somewhat reserved. Long dry savoury finish promises a great cellaring life for the next ten years.
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