It is common to make generalisations about wine regions and their wines. Grand statements like ‘Hunter Valley Shiraz tastes like….’ or ‘this wine reminds me of a left bank Bordeaux’ or ‘this is very typical of Corton’. And so on. The trouble is, grand statements or not, this is becoming harder to do. What does a ‘typical’ Yarra Valley Pinot taste like? or a Chardonnay or Shiraz (Syrah if you must). There is of course, no proper answer.
We have recently returned from a family holiday to Melbourne and the Yarra Valley, visiting just one producer a day. We have three boys (aged 7, 5 and 2) and seeing Mum, Dad and the aunties swirling, spitting and tasting wine is not their idea of a great time. The goal, hedonistic pleasure to one side, was to visit producers we were unfamiliar with. We wanted to see what was out there beyond the famous names and traditional wine styles.
Smashable
One of the new buzz words in the Yarra Valley is ‘smashable’. Reader take note; I loathe this characterisation of a wine. And I dislike the casual arrogance of the word, as if a $25 bottle of wine should be drunk without any critique, thought or contemplation.
In the Yarra, ‘smashable’ invariably denotes Chardonnay and Pinot Noir retailing at around $25. Happily, there is immense value to be found here. Indeed, I would describe Yarra Pinot as the ‘new Beaujolais’. Pretty, fragrant, generously flavoured and supple; a joy to drink. Many of them can be chilled. Fun and playful drinks must be serious too and the Yarra Valley really does over-deliver at this price point.
Whole bunches
The use of whole bunches for Pinot Noir during fermentation is a voguish wine making technique and judged correctly can have stunning results. Ideally, whole bunches lend the wine elegance, length, spice and greater structure with their slippery tannins. All the wine producers we visited and those featured in this article employ whole bunches to one degree or another.
There can be problems, however, if the stems are not ripe, the fruit isn’t ripe, or if the fruit doesn’t have enough heft. Also if the fermentation temperature is too high (cold soaking the fruit off their stems, prior to fermentation can lead to better integration and lacier tannins), or the length of time with the stems is too long.
Whole bunch Shiraz, like Pinot can be magnificent. However, in the past we have really struggled to find examples from the Yarra Valley that we like. Luke Lambert’s Crudo and Estate Shiraz’s are the bookends of the style. I love these wines. Full flavoured, filigreed and slippery structured they really do benefit from some time in bottle. Absolute bargains.
Whole berries
Whole berry fermentation is the most influential reason behind Yarra Valley Pinot Noir becoming the ‘new Beaujolais’. Put simply, grape clusters are put into a tank and fermented without being pressed prior to fermentation. Most producers will gently burst, press, the grapes during fermentation, so it’s not strictly speaking the same method widely used in Beaujolais known as carbonic maceration.
Whole berry fermentation enables the winemaker to extract aromatics, colour and flavour, without the burden of tannin. The best $25 Pinot Noirs from the Yarra will have structure, slippery tannins from the whole bunches, coupled with spice. The fruit profile is usually red fruits and plums with loads of acidity to brighten and lift the wine’s textural qualities.
The Yarra’s $25 Chardonnays can be equally as good, although some producers verge onto the lighter bodied spectrum. We like Chardonnay with a bit of heft. Flavour, weight, texture, mouthfeel and length are important at any price point, and this is what we’re after. Balance is critical however, and on the flipside of size, we don’t want anything flabby, fat or heavy.
Yarra Valley climate – the pitfalls
The Yarra Valley’s climate has a bit of the Jekyll and Hyde about it. It’s not really cool climate, nor is it hot. Extremes of hot and cold, high and low rainfall, humidity, high winds, you name it generalisations are difficult to make.
Chardonnay grapes can be hard to judge for the winemaker. Do you pick early, resulting in wines of pronounced acidity and lacking in ripeness. Or do you wait, biting the fingernails, trying to avoid the rain and excessive heat of summer?
Picking early has become more and more common, a trend which I don’t welcome. The wines are unripe and sour. They do not stand up to being oaked or left on their lees and they don’t flesh out with age. They have an uncanny ability to deliver no warmth or charm to the wine lover. Wine critics seem to like them, however, but like over oaked reds they stand out in a lineup of wines, particularly if your palate is jaded.
Beware the 12.5% alcohol Yarra Chardonnays! They don’t taste like Chablis, rather, like crushed granny smith apples and a dollop of lemon juice.
Oak and influence
The Jura may offer a signpost to those obsessed with low alcohols and high acids. Chardonnay, picked early to retain acidity can be topped up “ouille”, or not, “sous voile”. The second path, allows the wine to evaporate and slowly oxidise under a layer of flor, similar to the wines of Sherry. The wine can become richer, wildly exotic, spicy, nutty, mineral and textural. One of my favourite wine styles, which I think, has huge potential in the Yarra Valley. Unsurprisingly, Luke Lambert is experimenting with this and exquisite results can be found in his Chardonnay.
If you haven’t noticed, Yarra Valley Chardonnay benefits from oak and lees contact, adding weight, flavour and texture to the finished wine. Clonal selection is important however, as their various characteristics will play a huge role in the wines ability to withstand the extra treatment, or the extent of it. Succulent flesh, with stone fruits and citrus are predominant, with oak adding notes of spice, nougat, smoke and wood. The best Chardonnay’s invariably have a sense of weightlessness. The components, seamless, with the finest satin threads.
