G’Day Mates!
Just back from a visit to my home town of Melbourne with stops in Lahaina and Waikiki to break up the journey.
The Yarra Valley is only a 60-minute drive from the Melbourne suburbs. The timing was auspicious as the first of the grapes were being harvested for the 2019 vintage. We were able to eat the freshly picked grapes and then taste the previous vintage for some Burgundy wines on this visit.
The Yarra Valley is a really interesting cool-climate wine region – rolling hills and mountain ranges. Red volcanic soils and sandy loam are the two major soil types that produce very different wines. The wine variety is exceptional. Elegant Cabernet Sauvignon, buttery Chardonnays, smooth Pinot Noirs dominate. There is also is a growing diversity of Nebbiolo, Sauvignon Blanc, Reisling and even Savarro.
Soumah Wines
The road into Soumah Wines was narrow but paved. We passed the Wild Wombat Winery Tours van entering the winery gate. This is the best way to wine tour. This trip my brother was the designated driver!
The first thing that hits you entering the estate vineyard is how dry the Summer Downunder has been. At Soumah, they were picking the white grapes two weeks earlier than normal. However, the reds would probably be harvested at their normal time.
Soumah specializes in wine styles and varieties typical to Northern Italy as well as South Eastern France. The Hexham vineyard on the Warramate Foothills is the mainstay of production. Small parcels of premium fruit from other vineyards are used for Single Vineyard wines. The most awarded wines are Chardonnay and Pinot Noir although Viognier and Syrah is now gaining recognition. The winemaker also has a
Soumah Wines is a 5-Star Winery according to Halliday Wine Companion <1>.
The Wine Tasting
Soumah Savarro 2011
The Savarro story opens in the Northern Italian region of Bolzano where the green-skinned, tight bunched grape was first recorded in the 10th century. Over the millennia it travelled to all corners of Europe taking on many names including Savagnin, Heida and Bon Blanc to name a few. The Soumah Savarro is very comfortable in the Yarra Valley showing healthy dark green leaves and gentle ripening until it is gently picked and cool tank fermented on lees to retain the fresh aromatics of the variety.
Pale straw colour with lychees, lemon and lime on the nose and a floral and orange blossom palate with mineral honeysuckle flavours. A textured lemon and lime palate with chalky minerality, musky nuances and a soft line of acid and subliminal spice backbone.
Soumah Chardonnay 2018 – d’Soumah
The
The Chardonnay is picked early to retain a fresh citrus fruit and crisp natural acidity on the palate. The structure is developed primarily by barrel fermenting the juice and allowing it mature gracefully for eight months, before bottling the wine with balanced weight and silky texture. Serve the wine nicely chilled and it will be an excellent accompaniment with seafood and chicken dishes along with pasta and salads.
A new age, citrus crisp Chardonnay with texture and finesse. Tangy lime and shades of green apple and white peach.
Soumah Chardonnay 2018 – Hexham
The fruit was gently pressed and the juice fermented in barriques and puncheons with 100% wild yeast. Some early battonage is used to create structure and finesse. The wine was then matured on lees for eight months with 22% of the barrels being new and allowed a secondary fermentation.
Complex bouquet displays a struck match character with notes of white peach and grapefruit. A fresh and vibrant grapefruit and citrus palate melded with cashew and minerality. This is a buttery rich wine with a clean lengthy finish. The wine will mature well for at least 10 years.
Soumah Viognier 2017 – Hexham
The fruit was whole bunch pressed and then fermented in barrel. This wine is called “Goldie Lox” as it has to be picked just right! Picked too late no structure, picked too early no apricots, and as it ripens very fast so there is a small window to get it “just right”.
An apricot, yellow peach and spicy ginger bouquet. On the complex palate apricot, peach and musk with a touch of citrus. A clean long finish.
Soumah Pinot Noir 2016 – Hexham
The Pinot Noir were harvested February 10, 2016. The winemaker seeks elegance over power by a cold soak and wild yeast ferment and long secondary maturation in barriques.
The wine benefits from three distinct clones. The MV6 clone giving minerality and a broader, bigger fruit profile while the Pommard and 777 add well rounded, elegant raspberries and cherry flavours with a bright dose of fine acid. An elegant light style wine with black cherry and spicy red fruits on the nose. A savoury palate with strawberry and cherry fruit, plenty of acidity and fine tannins.
Soumah Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 – d’Soumah
An elegant Cabernet Sauvignon. Blackcurrant fruit flavours combined with black olive notes and hints of mint and capsicum. These distinctive savoury characteristics lay the foundation for a stylish wine of smooth length due to the renown fine tannins of the Yarra Valley.
Soumah Syrah 2015 – Hexham
The fruit was gently picked on various dates depending on the clone before and being separated into
A Northern Rhone-style Syrah with a scented bouquet of spice and white pepper. A savoury palate of red cherries and blackberries coupled with fine-grained tannins and toasty oak. This is an intense but light Syrah. It will mature well to the end of the next decade.
Soumah Brachetto Tranquillo 2017
Brachetto is an ancient Italian wine grape variety dating back to Roman times and is only planted in a few vineyards in Australia. Soumah selects the best quality grapes from the harvest to create their still (
The sweetness of the wine comes from picking the fruit later with higher levels of natural sugar, then stopped fermentation before the wine is completely dry. A dessert wine that tastes like roses and strawberries and is perfect to accompany berries, fruit pies and soft cheeses.
For the complete portfolio of Soumah wines please visit their website.
The Lunch
The Trattoria d’Soumah has a very interesting lunch menu. We started with the Burrata con pomodori – heirloom tomatoes, balsamic, basil, toasted ciabatta. For the main course, I selected Pesce del
Great ambience,
Seville Estate
Our next stop was another 5-star winery – Seville Estate winner of the Winery of the Year at the 2019 Halliday Wine Companion Awards.
In the ’60s, I would drive through Seville on my way to my Grandparents bush cottage in Warburton. Fun times, awesome memories!
The History
When Dr. Peter McMahon planted the first vines at Seville Estate in 1972 it
marked the rebirth of the Yarra Valley as a premium wine region.
By the end of the decade, Dr. McMahon and his wife Margaret were producing wines that served to restore the well-established reputation of the Yarra Valley had enjoyed in the 19th century. Surprisingly in a region more renowned for its red wines produced from Cabernet and Pinot Noir, it was the Seville Estate Shiraz that received the most attention, quickly becoming one of Victoria’s most sought after wines.
The Wines
Seville Estate Blanc de Blanc 2015
The vineyards of Seville Estate are located in the cooler, southern regions of the Yarra Valley. As a result, the Chardonnay style is crisper, tighter in structure with citrus fruit characters. This is 100% Estate grown Chardonnay.
Aromas of honeydew melon, grapefruit and toasted nuts. The palate shows green apple, fresh melon with hints of spice, nuts and citrus. The mouthfeel is dry with great acidity adding freshness and purity.
Seville Estate Riesling 2016
A pale straw yellow colour with a clear hue. White peach and apple with cinnamon spice and a creamy lime lees complexity. A crisp well-balanced riesling.
Seville Estate Chardonnay 2017
The wine is pale yellow with a clear hue. Flinty on the nose with grapefruit and peach flavours. Beautiful aromas of white flowers and stone fruits encased with a flinty lees reduction and toasty, buttery oak. The acidity is fine with a lime sorbet flavour. An elegant and focused style Chard that will age gracefully.
Seville Estate Pinot Noir 2017
The vines were planted in 1972. The grapes are hand-picked and sorted in the vineyard, 70% whole berry/30% whole bunches, wild yeast open ferment, 23 days on skins, matured in French oak (30% new) for 10 months.
A beautiful floral bouquet of violets and earthy forest floor. On the palate, black cherry and strawberries, very fragrant touch of cranberry and spice. Medium colour and body. The tannins are fine and supple while the acidity adds freshness and length to the finish. One fabulous Pinot.
Seville Estate Shiraz 2016
Bright brick red in colour with a pale purple hue. The aromas are complex showing darker fruits, plum and rhubarb. There is a lovely spice thread of cinnamon and nutmeg that softens and adds perfume to the wine. More earthy and savoury on the palate showing great structure from the natural skin tannin and acidity.
For the complete portfolio of Seville Estate wines please visit their website.
Mandala Wine
Our last stop on this Yarra Valley tour was Mandala Wines in Dixon Creek. ‘Mandala’ is an ancient Sanskrit word for ‘sacred circle’. This is where I first noticed the helicopter pads.
Mandala Wines has been making premium wines since 1999. Established by the Smedley family, Mandala has two sites under vine: one at Dixons Creek, where the 5 Star James Halliday-rated Cellar Door complex and glasshouse
Both sites produce wine varietals that excel in the region; Dixons Creek is home to a mix of classic varieties, while the Yarra Junction vineyard was carefully selected for premium pinot noir production. Mandala Wines merges the qualities that make up the balance of ‘the good life’ – the love of family, food and wine; the best recipe for embracing and savouring life.
The Wines
Mandala Yarra Valley Blanc de Blancs 2015
The sparkling wine is made from 100% Chardonnay, and 100% methode traditionelle to achieve the signature bubble and finish, and 30 months en tirage.
A creamy, textured palate with ripe apples and nectarines, brioche and honeyed characters are balanced by a long finish of tightly structured lemon-lime acidity and a refreshing minerality. Great on a Summer day!
Mandala Chardonnay 2017
Aromas of lime with hints of cashew finishing with flinty oyster-shell characters. A buttery mid-palate sits well with citrus and subtle stone fruit flavours and a touch of honey, balanced with seductive French oak, delighting on a tight finish.
Mandala Rosé 2018
Made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon grapes handpicked from Mandala’s Dixon’s Creek vineyard. The watermelon, pomegranate and toffee aromas jump from the glass! On the palate, rich red berries and a smooth dry finish. At $20, a real summer quaffer!
Mandala Pinot Noir 2018
It was wonderful to have the opportunity to appreciate the freshly harvested 2019 pinot noir grapes before tasting the 2018 vintage. A truly unique experience.
A lovely floral aroma of violets, pomegranate, fresh strawberry, anise, blueberries and tobacco. On the palate red currant and cherry with hints of toasty oak. Refreshing natural acidity and a long and persistent finish. An excellent young Pinot Noir that will improve with age.
Mandala Cabernet Sauvignon 2015
Aged for 18 months in 100% French oak. Aromas of cassis, clove, mint and cedar. Flavours of blackcurrant, blueberry flavours, black olive, and dark chocolate. Medium bodied with fine tannins, delivering a long length and a persistent finish.
For the complete portfolio of Mandala wines please visit their website.
Other Australian Cool-Climate Wine Regions
If you would like to read more on cool-climate wines Downunder please check out the post from my early visits – East Gippsland Cool-Climate Wines and Koalas and Travelling in East Gippsland wine country.
Source: Photo Credits to BC Wine Trends unless noted otherwise.
Reference: 1. Halliday Wine Companion | Australian Wine Reviews