My Signature Wines: 11/16/08

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Vina Haras de Pirque

Vina Haras de Pirque

Haras de Pirque's name honors the country's oldest thoroughbred breeding stud , founded in 1892. In 1991 , after a highly successful business career in Chile's private sector , entrepreneur Eduardo Matte acquired an estate that he would later name Haras de Pirque , in the southwestern part of Pirque , a prestigious winegrowing area situated in the Maipo Valley. Eduardo Matte's objectives included launching a major winery project , and expanding and improving the exising.

This property today covering 600 hectares , gently ascends the lower slopes of a spur of the Andes Mountains. In these foothills , between 1992 and 1993 , one hundred and twenty hectares of vineyards were planted , mainly with the reds Cabernet Sauvignon , Merlot and Carmenere , and the whites , Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.

Along with wine-growing and thoroughbred raising , Eduardo Matte gives free rein to his other passions , one of which is the collection of old carriage , all drawn by suitably bred horses. The collection cirrently features 18 models with a stable of 30 horses that , together with four thoroughbred stallions and nearly two hundred mares and foals , trot and gallop through Haras de Pirque's wide , green pastures.

Vina Haras de Pirque

Now , lets talk about his Vineyards. Vina Haras de Pirque is located in the wine-growing region of the Maipo Valley , Pirque sub-region , both classified internationally as producers of fine wines. Due to its unique geographical and climatic conditions , the Upper Maipo area , where Pirque is situated , is renowned for its production of Chile's best red wines , especially Cabernet Sauvignon.

Vina Haras de Pirque features a uniquely designed , Horse-shoe shaped winery , the Only one of its kind in the world. Build on the side of a hill , the 5300 square meter , 1.5 million liter production capacity structure dominates and is a tribute to both the estate's vineyards and the thoroughbred farm. The inner sloping floors allow the force of gravity to slowly , gently move the musts and wines , thereby obviating the need for pumps and other kinds of tranfer systems. This substantially reduces the potential for oxidation and the loss of the wine's organoleptic characteristics.

The Horse-shoe shaped estate now operates both as equesteian centre and state-of-the-art winery ( the influence of the Matte family's Chilean thoroughbreds can be seen in the 'Equus' range ). Quality has always been high. This has resulted in a flagship wine called 'Albis' , a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Carmenere , spearheaded by oenologists Renzo Cotarella ( of Antinori ) , Cecilia Guzman ( of Haras de Pirque ) and their consultant winemaker , Alvaro Espinoza.

Below was some example of wines from their signature ranges , 'Equus' , 'Character' , and 'Elegance' .

Vina Haras de Pirque - 'Character'

Sauvignon Blanc 2005

Grape Variety : 100% Sauvignon Blanc

Flavor : Bright intense greenish-yellow color. Lovely notes of citrus peel and mineral notes with a persistant aroma character of fresh green apples. The wine was full and fresh , nice balance in acidity reflects all the mineral and herbal character of this wine. Persistent and elegant at the end.

Vina Haras de Pirque - 'Character'
Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

Grape Variety : 100% Cabernet Sauvignon

Flavor : Character Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 has excellent fruit concentration , ripe black berries and dried fruits in the mouth combined with a complex and elegant attack. This wine presents a spicy final with toffee and chocolate being a great perfomer of Upper Maipo Valley. Drink from now until 2012.

Vina Haras de Pirque - 'Haras'

Sauvignon Blanc 2006

Grape Variety : 100% Sauvignon Blanc

Flavor : Its has a color of bright greenish-yellow. Intense grapefruit nose , subtle mineral notes with inderlying typical grassy aroma character. The flavor was fresh and young , crispy. Lively and balanced. Presents mineral and citrus finish , quite elegant and fine. So had to drink now.

Vina Haras de Pirque - 'Haras'
Cabernet Sauvignon 2005

Grape Variety : 85% Cabernet Sauvignon , 9% Syrah , 3% Marlot , 3% Cabernet Franc

Flavor : The color was dark purple red with violet reflects. This wine has a generous fruity and cedar nose , with some fresh mint notes blended with a very attractive leather and spicy touch. The palate is full with a nice balance of ripe fruit finish. Smooth tannins , fresh minerality and a core of concentrated fruit.

Vina Haras de Pirque - 'Equus'

Chardonnay 2007

Grape Variety : 100% Chardonnay

Flavor : Beautiful pale gold , brilliant and limpid. The wine was young and fresh , rich in flavours of citrus and melon and temperate fruits. The long finish prolongs the pleasure with a pronouced mineral presence enhanced by a delicate hint of wood. Good. Drink now.

Vina Haras de Pirque - 'Equus'
Carmenere 2006

Grape Variety : 85% Carmenere , 15% Cabernet Sauvignon

Flavor : Having a dark violet with ruby reflection. Ripe black fruit , blueberries and figs in the nose. A mineral and herbal touch blended with tobacco and flowers. In the mouth feels concentrated with soft and juicy tannins combined with fresh fruits and lots of freshness in the mouth.

Vina Haras de Pirque - 'Albis'
Albis 2003

Grape Variety : 73% Cabernet Sauvignon , 27% Carmenere

Flavor : The 2003 vintage in Upper Maipo Valley had excellent weather conditions during early summer and harvest. Deep red in colour. And the flavor layers of mint and chocolate , with a persistent hint of cherries. Very complex , ripe , deep and sweet tannins. Concentrated and velvety in mouth feel. Opulent fruit and spicy ending. Best for your collection.

Thanks

Wingcent
wingcent@singnet.com.sg

http://mysignaturewines.blogspot.com
Singapore

Clifford Bay

Clifford Bay

Eric and Beverley Bowers formed Clifford Bay Estate in 1994 after recognizing early that the Awatere Valley in Marlborough , New Zealand , was a region of great winemarking promise. The Estate vineyard was established on the banks of the beautiful Awatere River that flows from its birth in the high country alpine basins.

Since the first award winning vintage in 1997 , Clifford Bay Estate has continued to produce exceptional wines from their own several premium vineyards located in the Awatere Valley. Their latest Sauvignon Blanc continues a proud tradition of every vintage that they have produced winning Gold Medals.

The Marlborough region is widely recogised as producing the Best Sauvignon Blanc , the world has to offer and the Awatere Valley is becoming widely recognised for its own distinct Marlborough flavour. The climate is punctuated with cool nights and dry sunny days offering the grapes a long slow ripening period which in turn produces very aromatic and intensely flavoured wines.

Complementing those natural attributes are the skills in vineyard management and winemarking , which Managing Director , Eric Bowers describes as "a great team operation".

Thanks

Wingcent

wingcent@singnet.com.sg

http://mysignaturewines.blogspot.com

Singapore

Clairault

Clairault

Clairault winery is named after Cape Clairault peninsular situated along the coastine of Margaret River's wine region. 3 hours south of Perth, Western Australia. Since its inception, Clairault has been recognised as a serious player in Margaret River. The winery was the 6th property to plant grapes in the Wilyabrup sub-region of Margaret River. Situated less than 4 kilometres inland from the Indian Ocean and 120 metres above sea level, the property is 230 hectares ( 570 acres ) in size, with an average of 300 sunshine days per year.

Now the winery was owned by the Martin Family, a new era has begun. Bill and Ena along with their 3 sons, Shane, Conor and Brian, bought the property in 1999. They immediately set about turning the winery into a "no compromise" operation.

No winery would be complete without a star winemaker. Will Shields joined Clairault as Chief Winemaker from Vasse Felix in 2003 and sole focus in the Clairault Estate and Clairault Range.

Clairault Estate Range

The Clairault Estate wines are handcrafted and specially selected from the oldest vines, now in their 30th years of production. They are matured in individual batches using 100% French oak. Will's strict guidelines ensure that only select barrels are used in the final blend. Yields can be as low as 2 tonnes per acre from bunch thinning by hand and spur pruning. The Clairault Estate Cabernet Sauvignon and Clairault Estate Canernet Merlot spend 24 months in oak prior to bottling. The Clairault Estate Chardonnay spends a total of 12 months in French oak with partial malolactic fermentation.

Clairault Range

The Clairault Range is also Estate grown fruit. The average age of the vines is 15 years and yields are as low as 2 tonnes per acre. The Clairault Sauvignon Blanc is un-oaked, the Semillon Sauvignon Blanc is 95% un-oaked and the Clairault Chardonnay is 70% un-oaked. On the whole, the winemaking is kept simple for this wine range allowing the fruit quality to speck for itself. The focus is on crisp, clean and crunchy flavours giving the wines their drink now appeal.

The Clairault Cabernet Sauvignon spends 18 months maturing in French oak and is a true reflection of elegant and balanced Margaret River wine. The Clairault Cabernet Merlot is matured in 1 to 4 years old French oak barriques for 18 months before blending developing a rich and dense palate with ripe tannins and a firm acidity. The fruit for their Clairault Shiraz is sourced from a grower in Wilyabrup who has been supplying Clairault for over 5 years. Pepper and savoury notes make their wine food friendly.

In 2004, Clairault Reserve Cabernet and Clairault Chardonnay won Gold at the London International Wine Challenge. In 2005, the Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2002 was awarded one of the TOP 100 WINES for 2005 at the Sydney International Wine Show and one of the TOP 5 Cabernet Sauvignon's produced in Australia in 2005 by Winestate. Following the success of the Canernet Sauvignon, the Clairault Chardonnay 2004 received the BEST in CLASS at the 2005 International Wine and Spirit Competition in London.

Thanks

Wingcent
wingcent@singnet.com.sg
http://mysignaturewines.blogspot.com
Singapore

Cape Grace

Cape Grace

Growing under the house flag of a pioneering South West family , located a stones throw from the stars of the Willyabrup Valley lies Cape Grace's carefully tended vineyard.

Cape Grace Wines is owned and operated by Robert and Karen Karri-Davies. A great-grandson of timber baron M.C.Davies of Karridale - one of the founders of Margaret River, Robert and Karen Karri-Davies has returned with his family to the region to handcraft fine wines that are full of the flavour and character of Margaret River.

In 1996, Robert and Karen Karri-Davies planted their 15 acre vineyard on the headwaters of the Willyabrup Valley. From the start Robert & Karen set out to produce handcrafted, luxury wines at Cape Grace. The fact that 'great wine is grown in the vineyard' was of vital importance, so when the farm on which Dr Tom Cullity originally wanted to establish Vasse Felix became available, Robert and Karen knew they had 15 acres of prime grape-growing vineyard.

Philosophy of Cape Grace is a work in progress of a long-term commitment to excellence. Its wine is as much about nuance and art as it is skills and passion. Their estate grown fruit and vinification on the property , fermentation in new French & American Oak ( Seguin Moreau ) , free run juice and light pressing , minimal interference and strict temperature and hygiene controls are the hallmarks of a fine wine and all are employed at Cape Grace Wines.

Since a trophy wine for the 'BEST Wine at the 2001 Sheraton Wine Award', with their first vintage , the 2000 Cape Grace Cabernet Sauvignon set the uncompromising quality benchmark for all future wines. This ongoing challenge has been met a splendid collection of Gold , Silver and Bronze Medals for many of their wines of subsequent vintages.

Thanks

Wingcent
wingcent@singnet.com.sg

http://mysignaturewines.blogspot.com

Singapore

The Laurance

The Laurance

The Laurance, which was one of my favourite. This property comprises over 120 hectares, 22 hectares under vine, and fronts the primary tourist route of Caves Road, linking the town sites of Busselton, Dunsborough and Yalling up in the north with Margaret River and Augusta in the south providing access to the majority of the region's main tourist attractions.

Laurance was established in May 2001 and is situated 255 kms south of the City of Perth and falls within the prestigious Margaret River region. The Margaret River district is recognised globally as a premium viticultural region producing less than 1 percent of Australia's wine but over 15 percent of Australia's premium wine. It has an abundance of natural attractions to indulge your senses including underground crystal caves, a rugged coastline with pristine white beaches and natural forests.

In 2001, the Laurance family purchased 40 hectares of prime viticultural land, this property consisted of 21 hectares of vines planted in 1996, three white and three red varieties. Dianne Laurance had a vision to create a Cellar with a difference, so in order to retain the vineyard as a private family property, the Laurance's acquired the adjoining 60 hectares to fulfil the dream.

The Cellar is adorned with beautiful artworks and sculptures from around Australia. The grounds boast a 1,000 bush rose garden and two spectacular sculptures. As you approach the rntrance, you will notice "The Garden of Eden" tree with its one tempting red apple. This piece designed by Dianne and commissioned by Wil Wilson of Willie Wildlife Sculptures to create.

In the middle of the lake suspended on a 14 metre electric blue pole you will see "Free as a Bird". This magnificent 3 metre lady is finished in 24ct gold leaf and represents the Freedom and Opportunities that this great country of their affords them all. This piece was also designed by Dianne and commissional by Charlie & Joan Smith. Nicknamed by the locals as the "Chick on a Stick".

Now, lets talk about their wines. Laurance produces two labels, the premium range "Laurance of Margaret River" and "Aussie Jeans Rock". There are nine wines in their portfolio. Both labels are winning some outstanding National and International Awards for the wine and packaging.

Here were their wines i would like to share with you :