Above: View from Savaterre to the Victorian Alps
Just back from a trip to Beechworth with ten customers. A few photos below.
It was an amazing trip to one of the most beautiful country towns in Australia. With visits to Pennyweight, Giaconda, Sorrenberg, Savaterre, A. Rodda, Piano Piano and Schmölzer and Brown, there was plenty to enjoy. Plus some great meals; with lunch at Savaterre the highlight, Provenance and Press Room the two top restaurants in town.
Plenty of outstanding wines with Chardonnay leading the charge. The altitude (450 -750 m) and the granitic soils combine to give power and minerality and an intensity and freshness to the wines.
The stars were Savaterre, Giaconda, Sorrenberg and A. Rodda. Add to that the Savaterre Pinot, the value second label wines of Giaconda (Nantua Les Deux), and all wines from Sorrenberg (Gamay and Cabernets), the superb A. Rodda Chardonnay, and the Pennyweight fortifieds (Fino, Amontillado and Oloroso).
I highly recommend a visit to this region – a mere six hours drive from Sydney.
Cheers,
Ian Cook
“It’s been about 13 years since I last reviewed a wine from Savaterre, and frankly, I don’t quite know how I feel about that. Stonefruit, lemon peel, fennel, white flowers, nougat and some struck match. It’s flavoursome, a little toasty and spicy, intense almost grapefruity acidity along with a caramel richness, distinct chalky/quartz-like texture, pulp and pith citrus bitterness on a very long finish. A very good Chardonnay here. Very. 95 points.” – Gary Walsh, The Winefront
Lunch at Savaterre
Giaconda Estate Shiraz Vineyard
In the cellar at Sorrenberg
Tess Brown of Schmolzer & Brown at their high altitude vineyard (810 m) planted in 2014. Watch out for some great wine from them.