The view from Brindabella Hills winery in Wallaroo is one of the most picturesque in the Yass Valley region.
Situated atop a ridge overlooking the Murrumbidgee River and the “Brindies” beyond, the view is as pleasing to the eye as their wines are pleasing to the palate. “Cool climate elegance in a glass” is an eye-grabbing phrase on their website, and this week’s “swirl” – the Brindabella Hills Marsanne 2019 – is a top example of this.
The wine is pale straw in colour and brilliantly lit from within. A swirl reveals aromas of freshly cut peach and apricot with a waft of orange blossom. On the palate, the wine is richly round and smooth, almost viscous, yet elegant, with ripe citrus and stone fruit flavours. The finish is lovely and lingering.
We enjoyed our bottle with self-caught south coast snapper fillets with homemade hollandaise sauce and would go well with any grilled fish or Asian spiced seafood or chicken dish. I bought my bottle at the Yass Valley Information Centre, but you can also buy it for $26 at their cellar door, online or give owner Michael Anderson a call to arrange free delivery to Yass Valley this week 0412 209 491.
Cheers!
Brent Lello, Yass Valley Times Wine Columnist
Owner Michael Anderson was also delighted to report the 2021 Marsanne has also just been bottled.
Our winemaking philosophy is to capture in the bottle the unique character of each grape variety in balance with the subtle flavours arising from fermentation and barrel ageing. That is wines where flavour complexity, vinosity and body are all important. Red wines are fermented in open vats and the skins are plunged by hand in the traditional manner then aged in French and American oak for 1-2 years prior to release.
Over the past few years, this has led to many award-winning wines and national “boutique winery” trophies for Chardonnay and Shiraz as well as local trophies for Riesling, Cabernets, and Sauvignon Blanc-Semillon.
The quality and consistency of Brindabella Hills wines is attested to by our 4½ star rating by James Halliday (2013 Wine Companion).
With 21 vintages behind us now we can confidently say that the potential for premium wine production in our location has been well established. We are equally sure that the Brindabella Hills vineyard will prove admirably suited to northern Spanish varieties such as Tempranillo as well as the more familiar Sangiovese of Tuscany.
