Last week I had the chance to cross something off my “all things boozy” wish list, I’ve finally had samples turn up, and every single one of them was fantastic drinking.
Now if you’re sitting there reading that thinking “geez life must hard for you mate” then think again, every week there are samples turning up here. Wines from all price points and all styles, some of these wines have been a true treasure, others are about as enjoyable as a prostate examination, but its not till now, ten years into writing about beer, wine and spirits, and functioning as a beer and wine judge that this has happened. Ten long years….
The wines that have impressed us all were from Chaffey Bros., a wine-making operation in South Australia’s Angaston area.
Now before I go on too much about these, I should say that my mindset for these wines was already set to “prostate examination” as the winery is responsible for the “The Killer Pinot Grigio” label, a wine that is imported from Italy and one that I don’t enjoy. However one sip of their Australian made wine and we were hooked.
These wines all had vibrancy and juicy fleshiness about them, all are small batch wines made with minimal intervention, and all are just as interesting inside the bottle as they are on the outside with their striking labels and funky names such as “This is Not Your Grandma’s Riesling” or “Düfte Punkt” a fantastic blend of three varietals.
Winemaker Daniel Chaffey Hartwig is the most recent of the Chaffey Bros descendants to take up winemaking. The first was Daniel’s great uncle Bill Chaffey who founded Seaview Wines in McLaren Vale, himself a descendant from the Chaffey brothers who came to Australia to help create the Riverland and Riverina districts through their knowledge of irrigation.
Daniel is Barossan born and bred, and naturally gravitated toward the wine industry, picking wine grapes during school holidays and later working at the Penfolds cellar door, then spending eleven year working as a wine consultant to some of Australia leading winemakers, helping create new labels and marketing, and a bulk wine merchant dealing with Australian and imported wines.
In 2012 he was joined by his brother in law, Theo Engela, to create this new range of wines, taking the good parts of modern winemaking on board, to create these small batch wines. And this is where they are hitting home runs, some of the batches are so small that they aren’t economically viable for larger wineries, but the lads can blend them into something that is much larger than the sum of its parts. Wines that are truly expressive, and show individuality of vineyards. These wines show a sense of place, reds that are from the Barossa, the whites, mainly Rieslings, are from the Eden Valley, with some extraordinarily slurpable white blends in the range, the guys even go as far as putting the GPS co-ordinates of the vineyards on the labels.
These are superb wines that can be found at local independent bottleshops only, or online. Find it, buy it, and buy lots.
Some of the best:
Chaffey Bros Düfte Punkt – an aromatic and textural co-fermentation blend of 40% Riesling, 40% Gewürztraminer and 20% Kerner, an under used variety, all coming from one single Eden Valley vineyard. Lychee, rambutan, rosewater, crisp granny smith and a lingering floral finish. Superb gluggable, we could have easily sat on this all day. RRP $25 but about $22 online
Chaffey Bros. “This is not your Grandma’s Riesling” – there’s a common misconception that Riesling is sweet, its easy to understand as acid can be perceived as sweetness. This is a perfect beginner’s wine if you want to explore just how good the world of Riesling is. It’s floral and limey, with a good length of finish, but not so long that it would turn you off. About $22
Chaffey Bros. Pax Aeterna Old Vine Grenache – only 467 dozen were made, of this superb, light coloured red. Its light bodied, but enough power in the fruit to make more than an impression with clove, cinnamon, cooking cherries, leathery notes, it reminds me of my grade 8 school bag after taking the mandatory home ec cooking, herbs, spices and lead pencils. Great wine RRP $30 about $25 online, and worth every cent of that too.
Chaffey Bros. Zeitpunkt – certified organic blend of Rieslings from three different vineyards, its unfined, slightly cloudy in the glass, they’ve managed to capture the fresh natural acidity with intense flavours here. Slate, lime, jasmine flowers, spiced apple – that cardamom, nutmeg and apple mix, all wrapped around a mineral backbone. Will carry a bit of bottle age too. About $25
Chaffey Bros. Battle for the Barrosa La Conquista – named after the Spanish and British battle against the French at Barrosa Ridge 1811. This is the Spanish twist on the red blend, 66% Tempranillo, 30% old vine garnacha and 4% graciano, giving a wine that’s savoury, smoky and spicy with just the faintest touch of sweetness. Dark cherry, twiggy and complex, with a long, long finish. At around $20 its superb buying but will be better suited for our winter.
Chaffey Bros. Battle for the Barrosa La Résistance – the French inspired blend, its Grenache driven, 55%, with Syrah (33%) and spicy Mourvèdre (12%) bringing up the tail. Aniseed and home-made blackberry jam with an earthy spice and clove, it’s a brilliant combination and will drink well all year round, I can see this winning a few awards this year.
