Off The Press Winter Edition 76

OFF THE

PRESS WINTER 2017 ISSUE 76

RED BLENDS WINTER CLUB PACK WINES 2017 UPCOMING EVENTS 5 MinUTES with GWYN & MORE...

www.briarridge.com.au

TIP: BOOK AHEAD FOR YOUR CHEESE/ANTIPASTO PLATTER ON YOUR NEXT VISIT

Hello

AND WELCOME TO THE WINTER OFF THE PRESS EDITION 76!

Winter has arrived and, thankfully so have a few of the 2016 red and (of course) 2017 white wines... so pour yourself a glass... or two... maybe three... and find a comfy spot somewhere warm, as we tell you all about what has been happening with your favorite Winery, Wine Club and Cellar Door since we wrote last…

Vintage 2017 finished up in a timely manner for our Hunter Vineyards compared to our colder climate Vineyards in Orange (NSW) and Wrattonbully (SA); with fruit still arriving into the winery at the beginning of May. Gwyn and the team were certainly glad to be waving goodbye, as the last truck drove out of the winery for Vintage 2017.

It was wonderful to catch up with so many Vintage Club members that attended the first members soiree of 2017 at Bathers’ Pavilion in March - a first for Briar Ridge and a huge success! Many members commented on how fabulous the location was, along with the company, food and not to forget the wines...! The new release 2016 Tesh (Tempranillo/ Shiraz) made an appearance on the day alongside a few exceptional museum release wines - delicious and worth the wait. The next members event will be the Indulgence Dinner at the Newcastle Club on August 25th, followed by the ever popular Sydney Harbour Cruise on November 4th – tickets are selling quickly for this one, please touch base with Alexandria (Wine Club Co-ordinator) if you would like to come!

Steve (Cellar Door Manager) and the team have been busy at the Cellar Door with the addition of some exciting new Briar Ridge merchandise, including the NEW Briar Candle range, the Moscato, Rose and Linen scents all proving to be very popular... and... the Muscat chocolates are back! A lip-smacking indulgence of the NV Liquor Muscat encased in premium dark chocolate hand crafted for us by our friends at the Hunter Valley Chocolate Company... we also got creative and came up with a moscato and milk chocolate version just as mouth watering-ly delicious, just ask us!

We are also thrilled to announce our cheese platters are now 100% Hunter Valley Binnorie Cheese Company with a new addition Fetta made from Cows Milk, a perfect match with the Old Vines Shiraz, even if we do say so ourselves.

As always, we look forward to hearing from you and your next visit to the Cellar Door, welcoming new friends and catching up with familiar faces - see you soon!

Cheers, The Briar Ridge Team

OFF THE PRESS | WINTER 2017 | ISSUE 76 WELCOME

WINE & Cheese Match Our delicious cheese platters feature cheese that is locally sourced from Binnorie Dairy, located in the Hunter Valley’s wine region (pictured above).

BINNORIE BRIE The Squire Chardonnay, Stockhausen Chardonnay and Briar Hill Chardonnay.

BINNORIE LABNA Late Harvest Gewürztraminer BINNORIE WAX CHEDDAR Cold Soaked Cabernet Sauvignon and the Big Bully Cabernet Sauvignon.

BINNORIE FETTA Old Vines Shiraz, Stockhausen Shiraz, Dairy Hill Shiraz and H.R.B Shiraz Pinot Noir.

SPOTTY DOG CHEESE PASTES Shiraz & Chardonnay, boutique and locally made, available at Cellar Door.

WINE COUNTRY OLIVES Local to Mount View and available at Cellar Door.

TAR10 CARAMELISED ONION Delicious Hunter produce, with a wide range available at Cellar Door.

5

minutes with GWYN OLSEN on the 2017 Vintage

was your overall impression of the 2017 Hunter Q. What Valley Vintage compared to the last 3 Vintages you have done with Briar Ridge? it didn’t rain during the 2017 harvest, the main A. Whilst challenge this year was managing the heat – there were a record number of days above 40 degrees with the peak being a weekend of 48 degrees on both Saturday and Sunday!

Thankfully all the dams were full and the canopies in good health which allowed us to ripen all of the fruit without being negatively affected by the heat. And all of the Shiraz was harvested during the week before the hot weekend!

Overall 2017 has been a delight - I am very happy with the perfume and fruit intensity of the white wines we have produced, and exceptionally happy with the red wine quality. Great depth of colour and flavour, with a great tannin structure which I think will serve these wines well.

2017 will certainly be remembered as the HOT HUNTER harvest! are your expectations from the wines of the Q. What 2017 Vintage?

Semillons are showing great poise and length. Whilst A. The they have generous up front fruit flavours, I expect these wines to last for a very long time. Their acid length is impressive.

The reds equally as their acid line and tannin profile are robust as young wines and I believe that they will continue to develop well in barrel to produce very seductive wines.

Q. What was your most enjoyable day during the 2017 Vintage? day the Dairy Hill Semillon comes into the winery is A. The always one of my favourite days. Seeing the wonderful fruit arrive into the winery and being able to get the journey started is always fun. was your most challenging day during the Q. What 2017 Vintage? most challenging was the extremely hot weather, A. The and trying to manage hand picking crews through the hot weather. The single vineyard Chardonnay was picked on a morning of 40 degrees at 7am so that was very challenging. you get to try out any new winemaking techniques Q. Did during the Vintage? did a bit of whole bunch inclusion into the Shiraz A. We ferments as this year the stems were nice and ripe. We also did a bit of skin contact fermentation on the Fiano – the first crop off the new block out the front of Briar Ridge. was the food of choice that got you through the Q. What 2017 Vintage?

A. PIES! Lots and lots of pies.

Does Spencer have any stories he’d like to share from Q. the 2017 Vintage? had a pretty good vintage, although the heat was A. Spence certainly difficult to deal with! He spent a lot of time in the cool of the winery office!

WINERY REPORT

FROM GWYN OLSEN

With the 2017 harvest now drawn to a close, we have spent the last two months preparing the Verdelho and Semillons for bottling. The Dairy Hill and Stockhausen Semillons are now in bottle, as well as the Dam Verdelho. It is nice to see the hard work being finalised and sent off to bottling!

The 2017 Shiraz barrels are being racked and returned to wood this month as well, getting the wines off their malolactic lees and the barrels cleaned. The wines are looking absolutely stunning and the 2017 reds from the Hunter Valley will be definitely worth seeking out once we bottle them in August 2018.

The 2016 red wines will be blended soon and prepared for bottling, and it is nice to see these elegant wines coming into their own. We are also now onto winery cleaning and maintenance, making sure that all of the harvest equipment is cleaned, serviced and packed away.

Winemaker Gwyn Olsen & her wine dog Spencer

Cheers, Gwyn Olsen Head Winemaker, Briar Ridge Vineyard

OFF THE PRESS | WINTER 2017 | ISSUE 76 CELEBRATING 45 YEARS

RED BLENDS

There are a number of reasons why a winemaker might choose to blend wine. Often this is to enhance the colour and aroma of the wine along with adjusting its tannin levels. Other more technical reasons include adjusting the pH, acidity, residual sugar and alcohol levels.

Australian wine producers often use two main varietals when creating red blends to form the base; Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Shiraz produces a wine which is ripe and open in character with many flavour and texture variances dependant on the region grown. Typically, Hunter grown Shiraz is of medium body with dark ripe fruit and white pepper complimented by savoury clove and aniseed characters on the palate, with a well-structured elegant finish and great length. Shiraz is also referred to as Syrah outside Australia, with its origins believed to be France’s northern Rhône Valley, where it provides the backbone of the famous Hermitage, Cornas and Côte-Rôtie wines.

Cabernet Sauvignon produces a wine that is deep in colour with lifted aromas of blackberry, cassis and dried herb notes finishing with a firm tannin structure. Capable of providing wines with good cellaring potential, Cabernet Sauvignon originates back to the French wine growing region Bordeaux, where it is often planted along side the Merlot grape varietal due to its late ripening propensity. It is one of the main varietals used to create the famous Bordeaux Blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot.

These two staple varietals work in symphony to create a wine of great complexity and robust character, with incredible cellaring potential.

The Briar Ridge portfolio currently features four outstanding red wine blends, which include;

1

Varietal Tempranillo Shiraz

Our 2016 Tempranillo Shiraz (fondly known as the Tesh) is a new wine for Briar Ridge. Made in the traditional Spanish ‘joven’ style, this wine has no new oak allowing the focus to be the bright juicy palate and crunchy acidity.

This juicy fresh Tempranillo Shiraz is a blend of two blocks from Orange. The two individual blocks were harvested once flavour ripe and fermented on skins in static fermenters. Once alcoholic and malolactic fermentation was complete the wines were pressed off skins to stainless steel tanks to retain the fresh florals and juicy mid palate fruit. The parcels were then blended, lightly fined and bottled. This wine is a fresh, modern take on red wine with floral notes, spicy pepper and packed full of juicy fruit.

RRP $25 | Vintage Club Members $20.

2

Limited Release ‘Members Blend’

This Members Blend has been created using hand selected parcels off our e Coast. Individual parcels were chosen to display their distinctive varietal our Members a little something different to enjoy. Sourced from our Wra Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz and Merlot have been carefully blended to ma Australian blend this rich and dense wine is filled with cassis and plum note clove, aniseed and nutmeg leaving an intense but elegant finish.

The individual parcels were picked when ripe and destemmed and cooled then inoculated for alcoholic fermentation in static fermenters and fermente each day. Once fermentation was finished, the wines were pressed off skin fermentation. Matured in small format French oak for a period of 18 month and prepared for bottling. A wine to be enjoyed over the medium term. RR

3

Limited Release ‘The Blend’ Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot Petit Verdo

The Blend is a showcase of the three noble red varieties from our Wratton Merlot and Petit Verdot. Blended to create a complex and age-worthy wine tannins producing a layered lingering finish.

Fruit was harvested independently and fermented in separate static fermen three times a day to aid in colour, flavour and tannin extraction during alcoh malolactic fermentation was finished, the resulting wines were pressed off where they matured for a period of 24 months. The individual barrels were t make this delicious red blend. This wine can be cellared for many years. RRP

4

Single Vineyard Hunter River Burgundy

The nose is perfumed floral notes of cassis and dark cherry notes. T dark cherry, cassis and spice notes. Elegant, medium bodied with silky tan this wine is made to intrigue and delight.

The two blocks were picked individually at the optimal ripeness. The Shiraz w fermented with a specific yeast strain used to enhance the vineyard derived prim was finished, the Shiraz was pressed off skins and racked to oak, with 30% new

The Pinot Noir block was partially de-stemmed, with approximately 40% fermenter. The Pinot Noir was fermented using indigenous yeast and carefu the delicate Pinot Noir floral notes. Once fermentation was complete, the racked to old oak puncheons. The wine was blended after 18 months m filtered before being sent to bottle. RRP $60 | Vintage Club Members $4

Ultimately, when a Winemaker chooses to create a red wine blend such as th of greater balance and complexity.

estate gown vineyards in the Limestone l and regional characters, and to give attonbully Vineyard, the best blocks of ake a beautiful drinking wine. A classic es, supported with dark spice notes of

for a three day cold soak. The fruit was ed for two weeks with three pumpovers ns to oak and inoculated for malolactic hs, the final parcels were then blended RP $28 | Vintage Club Members $22.

nbully vineyard – Cabernet Sauvignon, e it shows richness of fruit with fine ripe

nters. The ferments were pumped over holic fermentation. Once alcoholic and f skins to French oak barrels (30% new) then selected and blended together to P $35 | Vintage Club Members $28.

iraz Pinot Noir

alate is a finely balanced blend of dark s and a fine boned acid structure, this

was de-stemmed into the fermenter and mary fruit characters. Once fermentation w French oak puncheons filled.

% whole clusters used in the open top ully temperature monitored to capture e Pinot Noir was pressed off skins and maturation in oak and gently fined and 48.

he four listed above it is to make a wine

WINTER CLUB PACK WINES 1 6 Mixed Packs

2017 The ‘Dam’ Verdelho

White Packs

Red Packs

2013 ‘The Blend’

New Release

New Release

This Verdelho is made to be packed full of flavour and to be enjoyed as soon as you can get your hands on some! Made in the traditional Hunter Valley style, fresh and vibrant filled with tropical fruit notes of guava, melon and hints of mandarin. These primary fruit flavours unite seamlessly on the finely balanced palate.

The Blend is a showcase of the three noble red varieties from our Wrattonbully vineyard – Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot.

Blended to create a complex and ageworthy wine it shows richness of fruit with fine ripe tannins producing a layered lingering finish.

2

7

2016 Tempranillo /Shiraz

8

2014 Big Bully Cabernet Sauvignon

9

2014 Petit Verdot

2016 Blanc de Blancs Sparkling Chardonnay

This elegant Blanc de Blancs is made from Chardonnay grapes which were carefully made into a style retaining delicate fruit flavours and fine structure. The wine is showing lifted aromas of citrus and stone fruits combined with creamy yeast complexity.

3

2016 Early Harvest Semillon

Harvested early to capture the racy citrus flavours with refreshing acidity and a refined, persistent finish. Delicious on its own or with seafood and light salads.

4

2015 Old Vines Shiraz

This Shiraz is a blend of carefully selected estate grown Shiraz parcels from our Hunter Valley and Orange vineyards and highlights the distinct qualities from each region. The perfumed nose displays hints of white pepper and lifted violet notes leading into a palate of rich, juicy red fruits with bight crunchy acidity.

Fine grained, silky tannins provide great structure and length supported.

5

2014 Members Blend

This Members Blend has been created using hand selected parcels off our estate gown vineyards in the Limestone Coast.

Sourced from our Wrattonbully Vineyard, the best blocks of Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz and Merlot have been carefully blended to make a beautiful drinking wine. A classic Australian blend this rich and dense wine is filled with cassis and plum notes, supported with dark spice notes of clove, aniseed and nutmeg leaving an intense but elegant finish.

Our 2016 Tempranillo Shiraz is a new wine for Briar Ridge. Made in the traditional Spanish ‘joven’ style, this wine has no new oak allowing the focus to be the bright juicy palate and crunchy acidity.

A classic expression of Cabernet Sauvignon from our Wrattonbully vineyard, this wine is packed with intense fruit notes of blackcurrant and red fruit notes. The subtle dark spice notes of nutmeg and clove linger on the nose and the palate is rich and juicy, with cocoa like tannins providing a silky structure and good length.

Often enjoyed, rarely acknowledged this variety generally plays a supporting role in blended red wines.The dark vibrant colour of this Hunter Valley Petit Verdot provides an insight into the intense black fruits, herbaceous leaf notes and robust but fine tannin structure that this variety is known for.

10

2014 Merlot

This estate grown Hunter Valley Merlot is an elegant medium bodied style showcasing plums and cinnamon spice.

WINTER CLUB PACK WINES Mixed Packs

11

White Packs

Red Packs

2015 Tempranillo

Our Hunter Valley Tempranillo is vibrant in colour and full of dark fruits with hints of spice. A medium bodied wine packed with cherries and savoury spice that is beautifully integrated with fine tannins.

12

2015 Cold Soaked Cabernet New Release

The term ‘Cold Soaked’ is a winemaking technique employed before fermentation to enhance extraction of colour, flavour and aromatics. This wine is a classic example of Cabernet Sauvignon, deep in colour with lifted aromas of blackberry, cassis and dried herb notes.

13

2016 Old Bush Vines Trebbiano

This wine has been made focussing on natural acid length whilst using old puncheons to add texture and richness to the wine. A savoury wine with spice notes and a lemon sherbet acidity.

14

2014 Briar Blend

The nose opens with nuances of herb, tomato leaf and lemon blossom.

Complex and layered, the upfront fruit characters of nectarine, passionfruit and lemon lead to a savoury, textured wine.

Consistent with the Mount View vineyard, the acidity is refined and elegant, providing drive and length. Dense, savoury and interesting, this wine is made with a view of showcasing the vineyard irrespective of variety.

Club Pack Month Offer Purchase a 2nd Winemakers Selection for only $100 (6 pack) and $200 (12 pack) Free Delivery, available in the month of July.

15

After crushing and destemming the must was chilled to 12ºC. The free run juice was kept separate from the pressings juice, then cold settled. Once settled the clear juice was racked and inoculated with a selected white wine yeast and fermented at 12-15ºC for 15 days. At the completion of thealcoholic fermentation the wine was racked off yeast deposits, stabilised, fined and filtered for bottling.

16

2016 Stockhausen Chardonnay

This Stockhausen Chardonnay was created in a style paying homage to the pioneers of the Hunter Valley around 40 years ago. It is rich and creamy with ripe peach and tropical notes. The refreshing citrus characters are supported by a subtle use of oak to produce a wine that is soft and creamy with a lingering finish.

17

2016 Fumé

A barrel fermented blend of Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc that is rich, complex and textural in style. The Semillon provides the citrus backbone with richness and flavour from lees contact, while the Sauvignon Blanc has subtle fruit on the palate but maintains a fresh vibrancy on the finish.

18

2015 The Briar Hill Chardonnay

Sourced from our Briar Hill block, this Single Vineyard Chardonnay is a serious style packed with intense fruit and winemaking artefact. White flowers, nectarine and gun powder notes fill the nose. The palate explodes with bright peach notes, wet stone and nutty characters. Crunchy white nectarine like acidity dances across the palate whilst a judicious use of oak provides structure and length.

19

2016 The Squire Chardonnay

This traditional style of Hunter Valley Chardonnay is rich and opulent packed with notes of peach and melon. Subtle influence of oak provides structure and spice notes, with a natural nectarine like acidity adding a vibrant line.

OFF THE PRESS | WINTER 2017 | ISSUE 76 WINTER WINES

2012 Stockhausen Semillon

Single

Vineyard

Limited Release SIX Pack (available to Vintage Club members only) Featuring Single Vineyard wines speaking of true place and Hunter Valley Heritage.

We have put together a six pack showcasing some of the Hunters best in Semillon and Shiraz.

ONLY $220 including tasting notes and information of each wines achievements PLUS FREE freight.

This limited release Six pack includes: • 1 x 2009 Dairy Hill Semillon • 1 x 2011 Dairy Hill Semillon • 1 x 2014 Dairy Hill Semillon • 1 x 2009 Dairy Hill Shiraz • 1 x 2011 Dairy Hill Shiraz • 1 x 2014 Dairy Hill Shiraz

BONUS Members who purchase this limited release pack also go in the draw to WIN 2 TICKETS to attend the SYDNEY HARBOUR CRUISE in November!

FEATURE RECIPE

Braised Lamb Shanks, Lyonnaise with SWEET POTATO MASH Compliments of Robert Molines, Head Chef & Owner, Bistro Molines Serves 4 We recommend the Briar Ridge 2014 Members Blend from the Limited Release range to accompany this dish.

Ingredients 4 Lamb Shanks 5 Onions Sliced 1 Garlic Clove Rosemary 200ml White Wine 200ml Jus

Salt & Pepper 2 Sweet Red Potato 40g Butter 1 Soup Spoon Orange Rind 20ml Oil 10g Flour

VINEYARD UPDATE FROM BELINDA KELLY

The days have become shorter and the night air chilly which means the Vineyard Team are busy making plans for the winter months.

Our main project at the moment is the new block, which will be ready for planting Fiano grapevines in early spring.

We planted the first block of Fiano on the Briar Ridge property in 2015, and are pleased to report we have had some great success in growing these vines in the Hunter.

Relatively new to Australia the grape variety Fiano originates from the province of Avellino in the Campania region east of Naples. The variety takes its name from the Latin 'vitis apiana', as the grapes were so sweet they proved to be irresistible to bees ('api').

The grapevines are now dormant after the leaves turned from green to a beautiful autumnal red and orange and have fallen to the ground indicating that they have shut down, and it's time to begin pruning. Firstly we use a mechanical pre pruner to cut most of last seasons growth off the vine before a team of hand pruners come in and clean up the vines insuring we are left with the right number of buds per vine so we have the correct tonnage come spring when the vines will burst back to life.

Method

For now stay warm, enjoy a few Briar Ridge wines and I will be back in touch in October.

1. Flour the lamb shanks and when brown, place them in a casserole pot, add rosemary, garlic.

Cheers, Belinda Kelly Viticulturalist, Briar Ridge Vineyard

2. Meantime fry the onions until nice and brown, then add to the shanks. Heat the pan and deglaze with the white wine, slowly poured, reduce then add the jus.

3. Boil the peeled red sweet potato until nice and cooked, drain.

1

TATTERSALL'S WINE CLUB DINNER

TUESDAY JULY 14TH 2017 (CLUB MEMBERS & VINTAGE CLUB MEMBERS ONLY EVENT)

2

Indulgence Newcastle Club Dinner

Friday August 25th 2017 (Vintage Club members and their guests only)

Harbour 3 Sydney Twlight Cruise Saturday 4th November 2017

2017 Cellar Door Events

2017 MEMBER EVENTS

4. Add butter, mash it, then add the orange zest. Season.

1

WAHROONGA FOOD & WINE FESTIVAL

Sunday October 29th 2017

2 UNCORKED BALMORAL Sunday October 8th 2017

(Vintage Club members and their guests only)

OFF THE PRESS | WINTER 2017 | ISSUE 76 FEATURE RECIPE

OFF THE

PRESS WINTER 2017 ISSUE 76

YOUR SPECIAL DAY WITH Briar Ridge VINEYARD Overlooking stunning Mount View, with lush vineyards and beautifully landscaped gardens, Briar Ridge Vineyard provides an idyllic setting for your wedding or commitment ceremony and reception.

Our elegantly styled Rose Room can accommodate cocktail or seated receptions and provides a relaxed and romantic atmosphere to celebrate your nuptials with family and friends.

Enjoy a five-star menu crafted by the Hunter Valley’s highly acclaimed restaurant, Bistro Molines, featuring quality, locally sourced produce, matched to complement our award-winning wines.

Contact us for a wedding package today or to arrange a viewing and complimentary wine tasting.

We look forward to making your special day unforgettable!

Email weddings@briarridge.com.au Phone 02 4990 3670

Contact Us ALEXANDRIA CARRUTHERS

Vintage Club Co-ordinator Briar Ridge Vineyard 593 Mount View Road, Mount View NSW 2325 PO Box 148, Cessnock NSW 2325

Share your ‘#WINESTAGRAMS’ with US! The team at Briar Ridge get excited when it’s time to send out the Vintage Club member wine packs, but we

Email vintageclub@briarridge.com.au

get really excited when we see how everyone is enjoying

Phone 02 4990 3670 | Fax 02 4990 7802

snaps posted to Instagram and Facebook, don’t forget

Open 7 days a week for tasting and sales, 10am - 5pm

their newly acquired club pack wines with a few happy to hashtag #BriarRidge

#BriarRidge

www.briarridge.com.au