Reviewed: 29 July 2012
It is not very often that you get to do a vertical tasting of a single wine. It is even more unusual to be able to taste every vintage ever made. When the winemaker flies over from Melbourne to attend because he has never seen every vintage at the same time, then you know you are in for a special evening.
And so it was that I ended up in the home of my good friends David and Tracy, to taste through 11 vintages of the Bress Heathcote Shiraz. (They also make shirazes from Harcourt and Bendigo). David Marks, the winemaker at Bress and wife Lynne came over for the event and brought tank/barrel samples of the yet to be bottled 2011 and 2012 vintage.
Adam is a real character and I could easily write an article just on him. I will leave that for another day though, as the focus of the tasting was the wine.
Whilst the wine has been produced since 2002, there have been a few changes along the way that have contributed to the ongoing development and success of the wines. The first two vintages were under cork, but from 2004, all wines have been bottled under screw cap. Also since 2004, the vineyard composition for the wine has evolved and changed. The third big change happened in 2006, when the winery moved to Bio-dynamic farming.
So what about the wines? The quality of the wines was excellent, with the best (2006 &2009) being superb and worthy of gold medal points. The vintage variations combined with the changing viticulture really allowed each wine to speak of the place and vintage from which they came.
Of interest was how well the wines were drinking. All wines were double decanted prior to the tasting and even the young wines drank beautifully with dinner. Adam stated that he was trying to produce wines more akin to wines from the Rhone and the savoury characters certainly supported this aim.
A special thanks must go to David and Tracy for sourcing all the wines and hosting a memorable dinner.
Reviewed
Bress – Shiraz – Heathcote – 2002 (17.7). Brick red, this is showing developed characters, yet remains very dense. Earthy and mature, with dark fruits, there is still plenty of life to the fruit on the nose. The palate still shows bright fruit with licorice, plum and spice. The finish is long and balanced, with good acid to carry the soft tannins through to the finish. There is not great depth to the fruit on the mid palate, but this proved an excellent foil to roast meats on the night.
Bress – Shiraz – Heathcote – 2003 (N.R.). This had hints of oxidized characters and appeared a little old-fashioned. There was some plum and chocolate fruit on a palate that was drying. I can’t help but wonder if this bottle was a touch oxidized. Luckily, the winery moved to screw cap with the 2004 vintage.
Bress – Shiraz – Heathcote – 2004 (17.2). 2004 saw a change of vineyard to the Camelback vineyard and a move to screw cap. Fresher fruit on display here, with pepper, chocolate and spice. Starting to show the first signs of development on the nose. The palate has richer fruit in the plum and chocolate spectrum. The length and texture on the finish are good and the acid confers plenty of life. The fruit and oak tannins are just starting to dry out on the finish, but this is a very enjoyable wine that is drinking very well now.
Bress – Shiraz – Heathcote – 2005 (17.8). This is a vibrant wine that is full of life. The fruit is forward on the nose, showing an amalgam of pepper, leather, chocolate and spice. The palate has more of the peppery fruit, with quality oak adding depth and complexity. Lovely acidity carries the finish. An excellent drink and the first made in the Bress winery.
Bress – Shiraz – Heathcote – 2006 (18.5). The first vintage with bio-dynamic certification. This was a cooler year and the fruit flavours reflect this, however the tannins are perfectly ripe. The palate is vibrant and focused, with plenty of the chocolaty, peppery fruit that seems to typify the style of this wine. The finish is still somewhat chewy, courtesy of the whole bunch fermentation, but this adds to the charm of the wine. The excellent fruit combined with slick tannin management makes this a star.
Bress – Shiraz – Heathcote – 2007 (16.8). A fascinating nose here. A riper year with perfumed fruit that is tending to the stewed plum spectrum. The palate is rich and ripe, showing cinnamon, spice and licorice. The finish is warmer, again reflecting the year. A touch atypical, but had plenty of supporters.
Bress – Shiraz – Heathcote – 2008 (17.8). A very seductive wine this. Rich and dense, the plush fruit has lovely chocolaty overtones. The palate is flooded with textured fruit that has trademark pepper to close. A wine for earlier consumption and one of the favourites on the night. (David tells me that a second bottle of this was required as this was so popular with dinner).
Bress – Shiraz – Heathcote – 2009 (18.3+). Another cooler vintage, and another superb wine. Fresh and vibrant, there are pretty red fruits with lovely floral highlights. The palate, whilst focused, has lovely perfumed fruit that hints at violets. This is a wine of great poise and balance, with excellent length and fine tannins. Lovely now, but will be even better in 5 years.
Bress – Shiraz – Heathcote – 2010 (17.5+). Closed and tight, this is all potential right now. The nose is perfumed and silky, with savoury highlights. Very youthful, the palate carries the perfumed fruit and pepper, cherry and juicy red fruits. Softer than the 09, this saw 100% de-stemming due to the vintage conditions. An excellent drink!
Bress – Shiraz – Heathcote – 2011 (N.R.). I struggled to assess this as it is very tight and closed. There are, however, the trademark tannins and acid. This was a tank sample and I would like to see this again when it is released, as the wine has potential. This was also a crowd favourite on the night.
Bress – Shiraz – Heathcote – 2012 (N.R.). Still has some of the ferment characters on the nose, but there is no doubting the quality of the fruit on this wine. The palate balances silky fruit with great structure and length. Destined to be a superstar!