2012 Woodward Canyon Chardonnay
We first opened this wine a year and a half ago and our initial thought was “ABC” (Anything But Chardonnay) drinkers be damned! It is a big new world Chardonnay out of Washington that shows how an “oaky” chardonnay can be powerful but simultaneously balanced so as not to be overpowering. Gold in colour with a medium plus body, the first whiff revealed vanilla, butterscotch and caramel. The first sip had similar notes backed with lemon, honey and citrus. Terrific body and complexity to this wine with a lovely long finish. Fast forward to last night and it has evolved in more. A little more subtle yet still very complex, it is drinking beautifully right now but still has a few years of optimum drinking left.
Excellent+
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2004 Mitolo Savitar Shiraz
Still deep violet in colour. Lots of dark berry fruit here: blackberry, blueberry and plum with supporting notes of baking spices and whiffs of vanilla. Thick, plush and quite powerful, this manages to maintain balance despite its size. However we found it to lack complexity and be a bit one dimensional. The materials are there, but they somehow avoid coming together in a way that ordinarily we would find more impressive. Not a complaint, but not something to go wow over either.
Very Good+
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Winemaker Greg Brewer
We pulled up to Brewer-Clifton on a sunny but cool day in January. Outside of the winery stood Greg Brewer, co-founder and winemaker, looking up into the sky, his hand shielding his eyes, as he squinted into the sun. “That is the new Space-X rocket” he said, pointing. “Cool…. I’m Greg” he says as he stretches out his hand in greeting, a broad smile beneath dancing eyes. It turns out that initial moment captured a lot of the personality of the man we were about to spend the next 90 minutes with. Brewer is intellectual, curious about all sorts of things, warm, unusual and one seriously good winemaker.
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2012 Woodward Canyon Chardonnay
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