RAMBLINGS FROM THE WINEMAKER

"The wine should linger in the palate of your grandson."

Warren Winiarski, Founder - Stag's Leap Wine Cellars

Warren’s quote from the late 1960’s, was presented to a group of international wine producers at a recent symposium on Cabernet Sauvignon in the Napa Valley which I attended. This was his vision for the cabernet sauvignon based red wines he produced from the now famous Stags Leap sub-region and it showed great foresight. I am not sure if the Hohnen family, who established Cape Mentelle around the same time, understood the potential longevity of the wines they were about to make but many of these early wines remain today great examples, particularly the Cabernet.

The evolution of wine styles at Cape Mentelle is a fascinating one which has combined an innovative and evocative winemaking approach with various trends over the last forty years. All of our wines have evolved, including our Cabernet which was the recent subject of colour, tannin and analytical analysis performed by the AWRI (Australian Wine Research Institute) on 3 decades of Cape Mentelle Cabernet.

Although the differences were varied and could be explained by a combination of many factors including the season, viticultural practices, harvest timing, the use of oak in winemaking, etc., perhaps the most obvious point of difference was the alcohol percentage. Cape Mentelle Cabernet in the late 1980’s averaged 12.7% alcohol, in the early 2000’s 14.6% and more recently (as with the current release) 13.4% alcohol. If we simply measured the alcohol across all of our wines we would see a similar trend and yes, this includes our Zinfandel. Last month we were busy tasting, topping and re-corking the Cabernet wines in our cellar, dating back to the first wine produced from our vineyard in 1974 up until the 1989 vintage and missing only the 1975 (the cows ate the crop). All of these wines were characterised by modest alcohol levels generally below 13% and all were still in great condition, if you exclude the 40% of bottles rejected due to the deleterious impact of the cork through oxidation and taint.

Through a concerted effort in the vineyard we have managed with the current release wines to achieve flavour and tannin maturity at lower sugar levels. These efforts, combined with berry-by-berry sorting to eliminate any green flavours, have seen the achievement of what I refer to as ‘the sweet spot’ where the balance between all the components of the wine and its alcohol produces the most harmonious expression. If the alcohol is too high the wines can taste full but hot and short. If the alcohol is too low the wines can lack body and ripe fruit flavours and tannin. Getting the balance right is the key to any good wine and is a defining component of a winemaker’s particular style.

It will be up to you to see if you can hold out long enough for your grandchildren to enjoy the wines but to help we have included a cellaring guide of the last 10 vintages of three of our wines. With vintage variation and distinct differences between the alcohol content, finding the natural sweet spot for alcohol is key to defining the style, approachability and longevity of every wine we make.

TO FILTER

OR NOT TO FILTER

Filter or not to filter, is the question that many winemakers and wine professionals have been debating for years. The common argument is that when a wine is filtered it is never as good as it was before. For some, the belief is that filtration removes items out of the wine apart from the particles it is intended to remove. That is, filtration can bring about a loss in colour, aroma, flavour, tannin and other compounds that contribute to mouthfeel. Or, in other words the filtration process ‘strips’ the wine of its goodies.

Filtering wine is not just about clarity, filtration can remove unwanted yeast and bacteria. The concern with unfiltered wine is that it might still contain live yeast, which may cause re- fermentation in the bottle. Unfiltered red wine also brings about the risk of an increase in brettanomyces and other undesirable microbial growths, which can end up seriously spoiling the product.

American winemakers have been big proponents of unfiltered wine, probably coming from popular wine critic Robert Parker’s crusade against filtration some years ago. At Cape Mentelle, we believe in continually challenging our winemaking beliefs and techniques in an ongoing commitment to delivering the best possible wine in the glass. With our aim to create wines full of varietal character and with long aging potential, we feel it is vital to filter.

CELLARING NOTES

Last month the winemaking team reviewed the previous 10 releases of three of Cape Mentelle’s wines. These notes represent their frank and honest assessment based purely on the wine in the glass on the day - previous reputations and reviews upon release are not taken into consideration - we’re tough markers!

THE FABULOUS LADIES’ WINE SOCIETY!

By Ian Parmenter

Question: What do Bordeaux, blossom and bath salts have in common?
Answer: You’ll discover the answer if you read the winemaker’s notes on the Cape Mentelle Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2012.

This is, of course, the classic blend of Bordeaux white wines and the notes for this new Spring release describe the nose as being a blend of jasmine blossom... and bath salts. Also featured, aromas of grapefruit, lemon pith, and white peach. As to the palate, there are notes of lime and melon. A recommendation from Rob Mann: “Enjoy it young and fresh.” I couldn’t agree more and as a stand-alone drink or as a companion to food, this wine from the cooler southern area of the Margaret River region certainly does the business.

With its pale straw colour, this young SBS works really well with lighter coloured foods such as fresh young cheeses, white meats, scallops, fish and spicy Asian dishes. Hence, my suggestion of a recipe with elements coming from the hotter, northern part of Western Australia: barramundi (preferably wild caught) and pawpaw, along with citrus and coconut. In the absence of barramundi any white fish fillets will do such as dhufish, snapper or cod.

An aside: the Fabulous Ladies’ Wine Society (yes, there is one!) earlier this year voted the 2011 vintage of this lovely drop as their wine of the month... I’m sure they’re going to swoon over this one!

MENTELLE AMBASSADOR

Look what Wino’s wine bar packed for their holiday!
Wino’s Margaret River took their first break in 11 years in August, shutting their doors for 4 weeks in search of warmer weather! Travelling to destinations as far flung as Canada, America, Singapore, the Kimberley and Bali, they nevertheless found room in their luggage for the above two travelling companions and made sure to send us a photo. Their choice was reaffirmed shortly after their return on September 18th when both winemakers responsible for these hallmark wines (Robert Mann and Virginia Willcock) were nominated for the Gourmet Traveller Wine ‘Winemaker of the Year’ Award.

Anyone can become a Mentelle Ambassador. Next time you are in a remote or exciting location keep your eyes peeled for that unique photo opportunity – of you or someone you love, with your favourite drop of Cape Mentelle! Send that photo (high resolution please) in to our Editor. Email entries to [email protected].

We will publish the best and most intriguing photo and the winning Mentelle Ambassador will receive a FREE mixed case of six bottles of Cape Mentelle wine (within Australia). All entrants will receive a limited edition leather Cape Mentelle notebook.

THE VEGGIE PATCH!

Our passion for winemaking stems as much from an appreciation of the final product as it does from a love for the earth from which it comes, the vineyard and a way of life that embraces nature.
When we are not tending vines and finessing blends, we extend our passion to make the most of the beautiful surrounds in which we live and work.
Since the days when David & Sandy Hohnen lived at the vintage house a veggie garden has thrived there. Now the house is used by our annual vintage crew so we try to grow enough to provide salad at lunch time. Other times it provides seasonal veg to be shared by the staff. Current planting is garlic, broccoli, peas, beetroot, carrot and cabbage – which sounds like a perfect winter soup mix. We recently had to net the garden to exclude the 28 parrots, silvereyes, rabbits and water hens. Meanwhile, Pete’s Pumpkin Patch at our Crossroads Vineyard keeps us in plentiful supply!
For the past 12 years we have got the team together around April to pick olives on the property – some to press for oil and others to preserve. Our perfected wood-fired Pizza Bianca is now pretty well home grown, cooked in our pizza oven and complemented by a glass of our favourite Cape Mentelle wine. The Estate is now also home to a very territorial Sussex cross white rooster by the name of ‘Wicket’ and his 9 brown hens - living and dining like royalty!

NEW RELEASES

With another great vintage in the bag, Margaret River and Cape Mentelle have a great deal to be pleased about. The 2012 Cape Mentelle Sauvignon Blanc Semillon blend resulted from an early and fast harvest of both varieties in late February this year and the final wine shows abundant vibrant flavours and richness of fruit balanced by natural acidity, great length and purity - the hallmarks of this classic blend.

The 2011 harvest continued the run of excellent vintages in Margaret River. The ‘Trinders’ Cabernet Merlot from this year is expressive and distinctive, with a small proportion of cabernet franc and petit verdot complementing the blend. 2011 will ultimately be ranked as amongst the great red vintages for the region.

The warm and dry 2010 vintage was an outstanding vintage for Cape Mentelle and especially strong for reds with tremendous depth of flavour and quality of tannin. Cape Mentelle is the first, and to date only, winery in Australia utilising the Vistalys optical berry sorting technology which allows great accuracy and efficiency and ensures we maximise the potential of every red wine we make. This is evident in our 2010 releases of Wilyabrup, Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon, wines which will age beautifully.

In addition the 2010 Wallcliffe Sauvignon Blanc Semillon is, in our opinion, the greatest vintage yet produced of this distinctive single vineyard wine. Abundant natural acidity combined with great concentration and complexity. The wines of this vineyard are at once tight and restrained yet evocative and textured with all of the characteristic individuality on show in 2010.