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News
Spring Newsletter 2011
After a very bad – non-existent 2011 vintage, the vineyard is starting again. This was the first year in a decade no wine has been made. But, bud burst is now upon us. All but the Cabernet are in leaf and the work starts afresh. This year we are trying a more Piedmont approach to foliage management. It is how Nebbiolo is managed to make the great Barolo and Barbaresco. It should help in our vineyard where summer rain can make foliage management an issue. We have run out extra foliage wires, and already have started vigorous shoot thinning. Later in the year we will try cane hedging. The emphasis this vintage will be on the Verdelho. We have never made a single varietal from Verdelho – only a blend, albeit a medal winning one.
Blog Sign up for the Ambar Hill blog. We will continue a quarterly news letter, but the blog will provide the latest details on the developing vintage and some special offers.
Spring Dozen Special Mixed Tasting $120 : Includes GST and delivery in Brisbane and Stanthorpe. Add $15 for delivery elsewhere in Australia. 3 Chardonnay Verdelho 2010 Huge fresh pineapple and passionfruit nose and lovely big fruit flavours –but actually fermented very crisp and dry. A Granite Belt signature blend. Our fantastic and elegant spring alternative to the now ubiquitous sauvignon blanc. 1 Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 We supervised the picking and fermentation of this wine by phone from Paris, but it has not suffered from being largely left to the team. It is yet to be shown, but it has lovely soft tannins, good acid and is already very easy to drink. 1 Shiraz 2008 Very late harvest, very high baume. Awards
1 Chardonnay 2008 The grapes were excellent, hand-picked and hand sorted. The wine was fermented in new French oak barrels. It deserves several years of bottle age to fully integrate the fruit and oak. It is quite flinty in a classic white Burgundy style – perhaps unfashionably over oaked for Australian tastes. But it received a Commendation at the 2010 International Wine Challenge in London, regarded as the largest and most prestigious wine show in the world. Last year we had it in a trade bench mark tasting against some of the very best French White Burgundies. It landed right in the middle of the range for about 10% of the price. Awards · Commendation, International Wine Challenge, London 2010. · Australian Small Winemakers 2010 Class 3: Bronze
2 Shiraz 2007 It was bottled very cold and bottles were sparged with CO2 to keep total freshness. But, some bottles are releasing a little of that dissolved CO2 on opening . This is a small fault, so we recommend decanting at least 10 mins before drinking to allow the CO2 to dissipate. Australia’s premier wine magazine awarded the maximum five stars. Awards Wine State Magazine New England Wine Show 2008 Bronze Queensland Wine Awards 2008 Bronze Winestate Magazine best of 2009 Annual 2010 Edition 1 The Samuel Bailey 2007 A 50% / 50% Cabernet Merlot blend. A reduced crop was effected by both the extremely cold start to the season with frosts in November, then stressed by the drought. However, it has produced wonderful flavours. The wine was fermented in new French and American oak barrels purchased specially for this premium wine. Courier Mail’s Des Houghton reviewed it as his preferred wine for Christmas day 2009. Awards Winestate Magazine: Best of 2009 Annual Edition 2010 4.5 stars Queensland Wine Awards 2009 Bronze Australian Small Winemakers Class 44 2008 Bronze New England Wine Show 2008 Silver Cowra Wine Show 2009 Class 76 Bronze Wine State magazine 4 1/2 Cowra Wine Show 2010 Class 34 Silver Australian Small Winemakers 2010 Class 45 Silver 2 Shiraz 2006 $10.00 Picked very late - on 17 April – perhaps one of the last Shiraz pickings in Australia. It was very ripe with luscious fruit with high baume but the ferment left a little residual sugar. We debated its future, as it is totally out of character for us - but decided to bottle anyway. It has produced a cool climate wine with a voluptuous taste leaving a slightly sweet finish. A wine for the mistress not the wife. Awards Queensland Wine Awards 2007 Bronze 1 Shiraz 2005 Extremely elegant cool climate shiraz with great fruit flavours and over all balance. Described by leading wine writer Tony Harper as having “a seamless, plush texture..” and “irritatingly” cheap.... Brisbane News praised its “Rhone like qualities”. The only Queensland wine in Courier Mail’s list of best value Australian wine for including in a wine cellar. Was listed on many Queensland restaurant and hotel wine lists. Sold out – this is from our own cellar. Awards Queensland Wine Awards 2007 Silver Royal Agricultural Society of Qld 2009 Class 10 Bronze Queensland Wine Awards 2009 silver
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