WINELIST No. 64 Dear WineList Member… Vintage 2022 is well underway and will likely be completed by the time this reaches you. It started a couple of weeks later than recent years after the mild summer that we have enjoyed in SA and the Adelaide Hills. Liam is not complaining as the first few weeks of March were free to attend Adelaide Fringe events without the small inconvenience of harvest getting in the way! Liam and his trusty sidekicks Harry and Josh are pushing through what will be a lighter crush this year after the bumper – well bumper for Ashton Hills – crop of 2021, a year described by our neighbour Brian Croser as “near-perfect”. Of course, Stephen George still wanders down the hill for the occasional interlude and afternoon tea of Burgundy and local cheeses. After a season of good winter rains, the inconsistent weather pattern over Spring, as fruit was setting, has led to Adelaide Hills pinot noir crops being down a little this year. On the plus side, the mild summer has provided perfect long ripening conditions for colour and flavour development.
winemaker tastings with Liam that will commence after vintage. Look out for details on the new Reserve Chardonnay in this issue. Liam has flexed his winemaking muscles on a barrel of 2021 chardonnay that he deemed to be exceptional, and the results speak for themselves. The Adelaide Hills hits the peak of its beauty in Autumn, so if you get a chance pay a visit to the Mount Lofty Botanic Gardens and then wander down the road to taste our latest batch of new releases. Liza and Shelby are waiting to greet you. Cheers, Andrew Kay Managing Director Facebook: www.facebook.com/AshtonHillsVineyard Instagram: www.instagram.com/ashtonhillsvineyard Website: www.ashtonhills.com.au
The biennial cropping pattern is not unusual for pinot noir, which is why we have to make the most of the more prolific years like 2021. While the grapes were progressing, so was the winery with a few things worth noting. Firstly, we now have a proper winery sized shed to store our barrels in one spot and make life a lot easier for Liam to manage the wine. It should also mean that we no longer need to have fermenters, barrels and bins cast all over the estate while we seek any vacant space for storage. It will also free up one of the small storage rooms to be converted into a private area for exclusive
Left to right: Harry, Liam and Josh
2021 IN THE PICCADILLY VALLEY 2021 was a ‘unicorn’ year, with excellent flavour, colour and acidity, as well as generous yields.
overpower the fruit characters, but still play an important role in aromatics and structure.
Ideal conditions at flowering allowed good fruit set and rain periods in late January and early February ensured adequate soil moisture levels providing optimum conditions for berry development. Sugar ripening was slowed by cooler temperatures late in harvest, allowing steady flavour development and concentration in the fruit.
Both wines are available now.
The 2021 Piccadilly Valley Chardonnay was vinified with wild ferments in barrel and regular lees stirring throughout the nine-month maturation. Piccadilly Valley Chardonnay delivers a powerful fruit profile with a lovely natural acid drive. To keep tension in the wine and enhance mouthfeel, some high solids parcels that have a hint of pithy grapefruit character were used to balance the rounder stone fruit flavours. Fruit for the 2021 Piccadilly Valley Pinot Noir was taken from six blocks and split into 45 separate ferments. Picking decisions were based on flavour and acidity to achieve a wine with a plush palate, taught natural acidity and floral aromatics. The percentage of whole bunch was backed off a little to 30 per cent, so as not to
RESERVE CHARDONNAY The saying goes that a picture can paint a thousand words, on the rare occasion a wine can say just as much and leave you speechless at the same time. Such was the case when Liam first shared a taste of what became the 2021 Reserve Chardonnay, a wine that demanded to be given its own chance to shine. The 2021 Reserve Chardonnay is a barrel selection from two exceptional Piccadilly Valley vineyards. The Quigley Vineyard runs parallel to the Ashton Hills Estate, on the west side of Tregarthen Road and the Virgara Vineyard is located slightly south of the estate, at a lower attitude. Both parcels were vinified with wild ferments in a combination of new, one, and two-year-old French oak barrels with regular lees stirring throughout the ninemonth maturation. The Reserve title is not one to be granted lightly, and like its pinot noir stablemate, the Reserve Chardonnay shows its lineage, but amplifies the intensity and fruit purity and will only get better with time in the cellar.
With only 120 dozen produced it will be sold on allocation, with Martini Club members having access to two bottles, and purchases at cellar door and online limited to one bottle. The Reserve Chardonnay will be available for tasting as part of Chardonnay May along with four vintages of Piccadilly Valley Chardonnay. Bookings via tinyurl.com/CHARDONNAYMAY
TASTE THE PICCADILLY TRAIL Are you looking for a unique way to explore the Adelaide Hills? Join Ashton Hills, Tapanappa, CRFT Wine and Greenhill Wines on the Piccadilly Trail. Each of the cellar doors are different, as are the wines, the common thread being that the fruit source is the same cool climate region. Create your own picnic, nibble on appetizers, or indulge in a traditional lunch along the way. The Trail is designed to allow maximum flexibility, with no set order to follow, and no time limit to be met. The Trail can be achieved in a day, a weekend, or over a series of weeks. Ready to taste the Piccadilly Trail? Visit Ashton Hills, CRFT Wines, Greenhill Wines and Tapanappa, register at your first stop and purchase a bottle from each and collect a stamp to receive a complimentary set of two Riedel Pinot glasses. www.piccadillytrail.com
HALLIDAY WINE COMPANION Piccadilly Valley Chardonnay 2021 93 POINTS
Piccadilly Valley Pinot Noir 2021 94 POINTS
“Keeps its slim, trim Adelaide Hills structure while
“In the dark and brooding class of pinot, with under-
giving it flesh and substance in the form of generous grapefruit, lemon zest, honeydew melon, nectarine with hints of struck flint. The finish is full of acid tension and emerging texture.” - Jeni Port
growth, autumnal leaves, dark berries, woodsy spices and sage... A strong, firm, exciting young pinot.” Jeni Port
SPECIAL OFFERS
Piccadilly Valley Six
New Release Six
2 x 2018 Piccadilly Valley Vintage Rosé 2 x 2021 Piccadilly Valley Chardonnay (NEW) 2 x 2021 Piccadilly Valley Pinot Noir (NEW)
3 x 2021 Piccadilly Valley Pinot Noir (NEW) 3 x 2021 Piccadilly Valley Chardonnay (NEW)
WineList price $216
WineList price $216 Regular Price $240
Regular Price $240
While stocks last...
www.ashtonhills.com.au; call Cellar Door on (08) 8390 1243; or email cellardoor@ashtonhills.com.au
The Martini Club takes its name from the Martini pinot noir clone, one of seven planted on the estate. It’s rarely sighted in this part of the world and much loved by Ashton Hills founder Stephen George. The Martini Club was created to ensure that the most loyal friends of Ashton Hills received an allocation of the Estate and Reserve Pinot Noir each year - the crop size of pinot noir is notoriously fickle. To secure an allocation of these wines you can join the Martini Club now by choosing from the following options:
Pinot Noir + Chardonnay
Pinot Noir + Sparkling Rosé
April 3 x Piccadilly Valley Chardonnay 3 x Piccadilly Valley Pinot Noir
April 3 x Piccadilly Valley Vintage Rosé 3 x Piccadilly Valley Pinot Noir
September 1 x Piccadilly Valley Pinot Noir 1 x Grower Single Vineyard Pinot Noir 2 x Estate Pinot Noir 2 x Reserve Pinot Noir
September 1 x Piccadilly Valley Pinot Noir 1 x Grower Single Vineyard Pinot Noir 2 x Estate Pinot Noir 2 x Reserve Pinot Noir
FOR A FULL LIST OF MARTINI CLUB BENEFITS AND TERMS AND CONDITIONS PLEASE VISIT WWW.ASHTONHILLS.COM.AU