March 8, 2012

Scott goes to Sydney

Helen’s Hill has been a long term supplier to Wine Selectors with many of our wines featured in their quarterly packs. A sister company to Wine Selectors is the lifestyle magazine under the same name. If you do not already subscribe to this publication I would strongly recommend that you give it a try. I have tried a number of the recipes that they feature in their magazine but alas mine never turn out quite as picturesque (or probably taste any where near as good) as those featured in the glossy. I also cannot seem to find the time (or the money!) to go to some of the wonderful places that they feature but very much enjoy reading about them. It is without question the most read coffee table magazine at my abode.

 

The magazine is published every 2 months and has a feature section called “State of Play”. In the current addition our soon to be released Helen’s Hill 2010 Pinot Noir is featured.

 

“Helen’s Hill Single Vineyard Pinot Noir 2010 (Yarra Valley)- Loved by the Panel for its subtleness and texture. Ripe, floral and fruit driven with a bright strawberry fruit core on the mid palate, plush and juicy on the back palate. Beautifully balanced with fine tannins and divine smoky oak, superb length and brightness.”

 

You can read the full article here.

 

The next publication will feature a “State of Play” assessment on Cool Climate Shiraz. Our very own Scott McCarthy has been invited to be one of two “guest” judges on the tasting panel and will provide his considered opinion on where this wine style is heading. Scott is generally harder to get in the public domain than Sasquatch (Big Foot) so we are genuinely excited about this rare public citing. (In a leading national magazine no-less)

 

Anecdotally, we are seeing a significant increase in the demand for this style of Shiraz (which we call Syrah). Our distribution partners in Sydney once said back in 2009, “don’t even bother about sending any of your Syrah up here, maybe great wine but we only sell Barossa Shiraz” Now some 3 years later we are struggling to keep up with demand for our Single vineyard Syrah. It would seem that the consumers have found the lower alcohol, more elegant and less overpowering Shiraz from the cooler areas such as the Yarra Valley a more enjoyable wine with food. I’ll drink to that trend continuing!!!

Thanks to everyone at Wine Selector for a wonderful review! If you’re keen to try our Pinot Noir for yourself, you can order it through our wine shop.


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March 2, 2012

From the Tasting Bench

Allan has been in the museum cellar again, and just had to let you know he uncorked 2 cracking wines- the Chardonnay ’06 and the Cabernets ’06. So for those of you who happen to be lucky enough to still have these wines in your cellar, treat yourself for the Festive season and crack open a bottle of these wines for yourself.

 

Tasting notes on 2006 Helen’s Hill Cabernets


For those of you who have some of this wine still in the cellar I think you will have been rewarded by the passage of time. Now turning 6 and starting to get into the window of “best drinking” age I was excited to see how the wine was ageing. Wasn’t disappointed.

 

After 10 minutes in glass;

The nose has aromas of boysenberry, raspberry, bramble fruits, earth and lovely cedar, vanilla and tobacco oak. It smells fragrant and clean yet woodsy and spicy at the same time. On the palate medium bodied and very fine with boysenberry, cassis and fresh raspberry fruit backed with light spicy cedar oak, leaf and more earthy tobacco and cigar box flavours. Clean fresh acidity and fine light, but firm tannins. Beautifully balanced. Finishes dry and leafy with fresh red fruit flavours.

 

After 45 minutes in glass;

Not a huge amount of change, fruit flavours probably a little more pronounced than earlier. Fruit and tannins a little more integrated than earlier. A little more seamless from front to back than when first opened which is to be expected. The bramble fruits coming to the fore on the mid-palate. Cracking wine from a good vintage.

Best to decanter this wine and let sit for about 30 minutes. Loved drinking it now but it has definitely got another 4-5 years of aging left in it. (probably 6-8 years)


Tasting notes on 2006 Helen’s Hill Chardonnay


Gotta love Yarra Valley Chardonnay. I was amazed at how well the colour has held together. From pale straw when first released 5 years ago, it has taken on a slight deepening, probably now best described as straw with hints of pale lime/lemon.

 

After 10 minutes in glass;

The nose has the aromas of slight yeasty characters, a little fresh bread, hints of lime, dried fig, lychee and burn match. I would expect the burn match, sulphide character to blow off in a little while.

 

The palate is very similar to the nose, the primary fruit flavours have been dulled with the passage of time and been replaced with toasty nut, bready, dried fig, white peach and grapefruit flavours. Firm tannins and smokey oak flavours. Still amazingly fresh firm acid’s on the finish. Wine is looking great. All I needed to add was something out of the ocean, scallops, prawns or calamari and I would have been in heaven!

 

After 45 minutes in glass;

As suggested that burnt match nose is gone, replaced by a sweeter melon, ripe peach, stone fruit character. Indicates that the primary fruit characters are far from dead.

 

This transformation with added time in glass is even more prominent on the palate. Wine has developed some richness of fruit with the hallmark stone fruit characters really becoming more pronounced and balancing the firm acids, silky tannins and smokey oak flavours. Loving it!

 

In my opinion if you have some of this wine in the cellar I would drink it NOW.

Best to let it breath for a good 30 minutes in glass to allow it to show its true colours.

 

Note to readers: If you have a wine from our back vintages that you would like us to try please email me and I will be happy to rummage through the cellar and give it a crack. I can call it work!!!


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January 13, 2012

An update on the vineyard and vintage!

Since the beginning of spring, the grape vines have been slowly, but surely, doing their thing. Ever since we pruned, back in the middle of winter, I’ve been waiting for that first touch of green to arrive on the vines. And finally, it did!

At first it was the tiniest hint of green:

 

 

… and after a little bit longer, we had this:

 

 

 

And where are we up to now? Well, the grape vines are no longer just showing a hint of green – in fact, it’s hard to spot the actual vine underneath all the foliage!

 

 

That’s a (rather stern!) photo of one of our owners, Robyn, who took me on a brief tour around the vineyard yesterday. I was asking quite a few questions about what’s happening in the vineyard – being the newbie that I am, I got quite excited to see the grapes growing on the vines, and was a bit indignant when I saw the vineyard workers pulling every second bunch off the Merlot vines!

 

 

As it turns out, there was a good reason for this. It’s known as ‘green harvesting’, but we call it bunch thinning (as does almost everyone else!). By cutting off every second or so bunch of immature green grapes, this induces the vine to put its remaining energy into the rest of the grapes – resulting in a more healthy, vigorous bunch! It originally seemed a waste to me (all this potential wine!) but Robyn explained it perfectly – we don’t necessarily need all the juice that these extra grapes will produce, but what we do need, we want to be strong and robust – not weak and diluted.

 

Robyn then showed me some of our Pinot Noir vines. Now I (along with anyone else who has watched ‘Sideways’) is aware that the Pinot Noir grape is difficult to grow. It’s a little like Goldilocks – it doesn’t like it too hot, but it also doesn’t like it too cold. It has a tendency to over crop (meaning it grows too many bunches), and so it needs its bunches trimmed in a similar fashion to the Merlot.

 

What really excited me when we visited the Pinot Noir vines was this:

 

 

“Look, they’re turning purple!” I said. “But why are they purple if the Merlot grapes are still unripe and green?”.

 

Robyn looked at me like the true amatuer that I am, and proceeded to explain the obvious: that different grapes ripen at a different pace. In our case, our Pinot Noir and our Chardonnay will ripen first, followed by everything else in dribs and drabs. She also told me that this ‘colouring’ of the grapes actually has a technical term: veraison. Veraison means, ‘the onset of ripening’, and is a good indicator that vintage is not far off. In our case, Robyn estimated it will still be close to a month or so before these grapes are ready.

 

My final question for Robyn was regarding the weather: what we hoped for in terms of weather over the next month or so. Her response was that she wanted close to no rain, because this would lessen the chance of pests and disease, but also because water could potentially dilute the flavour of the grapes. But, additionally, she wouldn’t like a string of days over 40 degrees – fussy! At this stage, we’ve had a bit of rain, but nothing too damaging. I’ll keep updating this over the next few weeks, as we get closer to vintage – it’s always exciting to work in a winery around this time!

 


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January 12, 2012

Helen’s Hill Pinot Noir 2010 – a few reviews

Our Helen’s Hill Pinot Noir 2010 has received a litle bit of attention lately. Firstly, it was recently reviewed by Winefront.com.au, and we’re happy to say that Gary Walsh was pleased with it!

 

“Terrific vintage for Pinot in the Yarra Valley.

Forest berries, spice, a touch of earth and vanilla perfume. It’s ripe and sweetly fruited with a lovely set of powder fine silky tannin, but shows a little too much warmth through the finish. Seductive style of wine that’s going to hit the P spot of many a drinker. May have a trick up its sleeve with a little more bottle age, but pretty much good to go. “

 

Then it popped up in The Age’s ‘Epicure’ section:

 

“A single-vineyard pinot from a strong vintage in the Yarra Valley with sweet, juicy fruit to the fore: dusty beetroot, black tea, stewed cherries. Warm in the mouth with a generous, fine tannin smoothness.”

 

And finally, it made an appearance in today’s Canberra Times, as Chris Shanahan’s ‘Wine of the Week’:
“When they established the vineyard, the owners paid great attention to matching grape varieties to soil types and microclimates – successfully, judging by this wine. There’s a floral high note over the ripe, cherry-like varietal aroma. The cherry character follows through on a ripe, juicy palate, with earthy savoury undertones and firm but velvety tannins.”

 

It’s always nice to get a bit of validation in the form of good reviews! If you’d like to try our Pinot Noir for yourself, it’s available through our online wine shop.


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December 9, 2011

Cabernets 2008 featured in Australia’s Wine Business Magazine

We were thrilled to discover that our Cabernets ’08 was featured in the ‘Mixed Bunch’ section of Australia’s Wine Business Magazine this month!

 

The review reads as follows:

 

“Violets, mint, mulberry, nougat oak. Palate and bouquet double up on descriptors, with the texture fine, smooth and shapely with lingering spice to finish.”

 

Sounds delicious! Read more about our Cabernets here.


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November 23, 2011

New Release: It’s back- our Helen’s Hill 2010 Evolution is here!

This wine never fails to get our attention! It is made following traditional French wine making methods, and the Sauvignon Blanc grapes and handpicked from our single vineyard site.

This wine needs a bit of recognition and understanding, as it follows in the footsteps of similar styles from the Loire Valley region of France. The bouquet is a subtle mixture of honey and fig, with hints of French Oak. On the palate, it continues to display the “wild” fermentation characters, with hints of almond and butterscotch.

 

Following traditional French winemaking methods our Evolution as the name suggests is left entirely to nature. Sauvignon Blanc from our single vineyard site is handpicked at harvest, gently crushed and the juice is pressed off to a holding tank for 48 hours to separate the clear juice from the settled lees. The juice is then “racked” to old French oak barriques for primary fermentation. All of the barrels are left to ferment naturally. i.e. the fermenting juice is left to EVOLVE as nature sees fit. The fermenting barrels are placed in a temperature controlled storage area where the primary fermentation process is monitored until complete. After primary fermentation is complete the barrels are literally stuck in the corner of our barrel hall and left to evolve for 18 months (periodic battonage or lees stirring occurs during this 18 month maturation). .


Our Evolution Fume Blanc 2010 is now available in the cellar door- be quick, before we run out!


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September 22, 2011

New release: 2007 Blanc de Noir

With the fast approaching spring carnival, warmer weather and a general festive tone I thought the timing was apt to do a quick review of our recently released Vintage bubbles. Simply named Blanc de Noir (which is the French term meaning “white wine from red grapes”) our 2007 Vintage bubbly is made entirely from Pinot Noir grapes following the traditional French method.

 

As with all of our premiere Helen’s Hill wines, the fruit quality must be exceptional before it makes it into a Helen’s Hill bottle. This fruit quality bar is set even higher in the case of making a vintage bubbles which is why we do not make one every year. The 2007 vintage provided us with the right quality fruit to dust off the label and start the long process of creating this beautiful sparkling wine.

 

It is a slow journey. The grapes used for our bubbles were picked early, when sugar levels are lower and acid levels higher. The first fermentation begins in the same way as any wine by converting the natural sugar in the grapes into alcohol. This produces the base wine. This wine is not very pleasant by itself, being too acidic.

 

After primary fermentation (in tank), the wine is then bottled and a second alcoholic fermentation occurs in the bottle. This second fermentation is induced by adding several grams of yeast and several grams of sugar. At this time the wine bottle is capped, the bottle is then riddled (turned on a regular basis), so that the lees settles in the neck of the wine bottle. After the required aging (in our case 3 years), the neck is then frozen, and the cap removed. The pressure in the bottle forces out the lees, and the bottle is quickly corked with a genuine cork keeping all of the bubbles inside.

We are extremely excited with the result. Lovely fresh Pinot Noir flavours combine with biscuity/bready characters from extended time on lees, zesty finish with firm acids on the back palate. Yarra Valley bubbles at their best.


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August 26, 2011

Paste, cheese and olives day returns!

The last time we hosted a paste, cheese and olives day it went down extremely well with our guests (and I’m not just talking about the food and wine!). We had a great turn out, with lots of regulars and some visitors new to the valley turning out for a fantastic, informative day of wine, cheese, olives and pastes!

 

Now that the weather is (slowly) starting to warm up, we’ve decided that another paste, cheese and olives is in order!

 

Meet the cheese maker
Tarago River Cheese Company – Gippsland
Taste cheeses from the Tarago River cheese company

 

Meet the olive grower
Nicolas Olive Estate - Dimboola
Taste olives from Nicolas Olive Estate and hear about top tips on how to preserve olives!

 

Meet the preserve maker
Australian Harvest – Coldstream

Taste bio-grape pastes from Australian Harvest to complement your cheeses

Our wine maker has selected wines to match each cheese and all products will be available to purchase.

 

When: Sunday 9 October 2011
Where: Helen’s Hill cellar door
Time: 11.00am – 3.30pm

We hope you can join us at this informal event!

 


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July 15, 2011

Fireside Dinners-only three more to go!

Our Fireside Dinners kicked off in June, and we’re now over halfway through them! As you can see here, our chefs are clearly working hard in our kitchen to cook up a feast- that is, when they’re not busy hiding from us behind tea towels!

 

Past and current releases of Helen’s Hill and Ingram Rd wines have been showcased, along with delicious food prepared by head chef of Vines restaurant, Stuart Harvey. Additionally, we’ve surprised guests with a series of ‘mystery’ wines- we can’t tell you what they are, just in case you plan on attending!

 

We’ve had so much fun hosting these dinners, and would like to say a big thank you to all our guests so far. We couldn’t put on such lovely events without the support of our guests, visitors and customers!

 

In case you’re wondering, we still have a limited amount of spots available for the following dates:

  • Saturday, July 23 2011
  • Saturday, August 20 2011

If you’re interested in attending, please contact us on 03 9739 1573. Otherwise, expect a few more photos to be posted on our Facebook and Twitter pages sometime soon!


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June 30, 2011

Why Roses?

We’re often asked why we plant roses at the end of each row in our vineyard. There’s a great story behind the rose in the vineyard that dates back to pre mechanisation.

 

Vineyard workers initially worked behind a horse and cart. The horse was trained to recognise the scratching of the rose thorns on his flanks as the end of the row. The horse would then turn into the next row allowing the farmer to continue working  slowly out the end of the  row.

 

Tractors bought about the retirement of the horse and viticulturists then started to use the rose to monitor the presence of disease in the vineyard. Sadly it was discovered that by the time the roses had the fungal disease it was almost too late to spray the vineyard.  The viticulturist had to (literally!) give up smelling the roses and actually monitor the vines!!

 

Today roses remain as part of tradition  -  some vineyards will use red and white roses to indicate the different varieties of grapes but more often they are there for their aesthetics and beauty.


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