Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Crisp, mineral and chalky, showing aromas of citrus, white flowers and sea spray. The palate is medium-bodied with bright acidity and a mouthwatering finish.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
I am shocked to discover that I have not yet reviewed a single vintage of this wine for "The Wine Advocate," despite having consumed my fair share of it and judged it at many wine shows over the years. Here, the 2024 Assyrtiko is crunchy and fleshy, with white linen, cheesecloth, brine, green apple, nashi pear, lemon barley and vanilla wafer. The wine is complex and impressively layered, with texture and flavor in profusion. This wine comes highly—and perhaps unsurprisingly to drinkers in Australia—recommended as a great dining wine. One day, as we see more vine age develop in this vineyard, we might see a premium Assyrtiko produced, in line with some of the great, old-vine beauties of Greece. One can hope.
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Wine Spectator
An appealing white wine of gentle savouriness, brightness of fruit alongside that, floral lift and saline minerality. Yes thanks. It feels quite racy in texture but there's oatmeal and ginger biscuit qualities under tart lime and green apple fruitiness. The perfume is loaded with citrus blossom florals, sea spray, lime and ginger. A racy finish lends ultimate freshness. A very good vibe here.
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Wine Enthusiast
Aromas of citrus and white peach skin kick off this Assyrtiko—one of the only wineries Down Under to grow the Greek variety. There's a whisper of something more herbal, too, but this is far from bombastic in style. It's light weight with lovely mouth watering acidity, gentle stone fruit flavors and subtle texture. Think more along Pinot Grigio lines than Sauvignon Blanc ones.
A crisp white variety full of zippy acidity, Assyrtiko comes from the volcanic Greek island of Santorini but is grown increasingly wide throughout the country today. Assyrtiko’s popularity isn’t hard to explain: it retains its acid and mineral profile in a hot climate, stands alone or blends well with other grapes and can also withstand some age. Somm Secret—On the fairly barren, windswept Mediterranean island of Santorini, Assyrtiko vines must be cultivated in low baskets, pinned to the ground. The shape serves to preserve moisture and protect the growing grapes in its interior.
The Clare Valley is actually a series of narrow north to south valleys, each with a different soil type and slightly different weather patterns along their stretch. In the southern heartland between Watervale and Auburn, there is mainly a crumbled, red clay loam soil called terra rossa and cool breezes come in from Gulf St. Vincent. A few miles north, in Polish Hill, is soft, red loam over clay; westerlies blowing in from the Spencer Gulf influece this area's climate.
The differences in soil, elevation, degree of slope and weather enable the region to produce some of Australia’s finest, aromatic, spicy and lime-pithy Rieslings, as well as excellent Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec with ripe plummy fruit, good acid and big structure.
Clare Valley is an isolated farming country with a continental climate known for its warm and sunny days, followed by cool nights—perfect for wine grapes’ development of sugar and phenolic ripeness in conjunction with notable acidity levels.