Barry Weinman: 21^st August 2024

Sittella has been a favourite of mine for a number of years, driven by the high-quality wines on offer along with the outstanding quality/price ratio that they have offered.

Their name may not have the same cachet as some of the more prestigious WA producers, but I feel this relates more to the quiet, understated way they go about promoting themselves, along with the Berns family’s steadfast belief that they must deliver great value with everything they do, rather than any reflection on quality.

The premium wines in the range (Avant Garde and above) typically sell for between $40 and $60 a bottle which, given their quality, presents great buying and drinking opportunities.

I highlight the drinkability component as many of the wines are superb drinking on release. This is particularly apparent with the Avant Garde range.

With Yuri Berns now firmly in control of all aspects of winemaking, members of the Panel were keen to get some insight into the latest releases at Sittella.

Spend any time talking to Yuri and you will quickly come to understand that there is no luck or magic formula when it comes to producing the wines. There are several factors that come into play here.

• An encyclopaedic knowledge of the varieties, clones and root-stock options of the grapes. This is built on the back of decades of tasting grapes in the vineyard to understand exactly what each clone/rootstock combination brings to table
• A planting program based on this clonal knowledge to improve the overall quality of the harvest
• Technical expertise
• A desire to keep learning and developing, tapping into the knowledge of some of the industry’s best minds and palates
• Hard work
• Hard work
• Hard work

One final piece in the puzzle is a modern winery with owners who are prepared to invest in quality.

The end result is excellent wines that offer tremendous value!

The 2019 sparkling wines have been released before the 2018 due to the stylistic differences. Given that the 19s are already drinking a treat, this seems like a smart decision.

And in 2019, Yuri has reduced the final pressure in bottle to “Cremant” style with the pressure reduced from six atmospheres down to four. This was done to produce an even finer mousse.

In a nod to Bollinger, the sparkling wines are now aged in oak (primarily older) in search of greater depth and complexity.

NB: Wines were not tasted blind. Points are an indicator only.

Reviewed

Sittella – Marie Christien Lugten – Grand Vintage – 2017. This smells like a serious wine. One that also happens to be sparkling. Pear, floral jasmine and an almost gewurtztraminer-like muskiness. On the palate, this really builds, developing a lovely creamy texture, with excellent length and palate weight. Excellent drinking indeed. 94pts. $55

Sittella – Louis Jack Berns – Blanc De Blanc – 2019. Fine mousse and a very fine and elegant nose. Taut, refined and supple, with excellent mouthfeel. Whilst bright and fresh on the palate, this is already drinking brilliantly with gentle brioche characters adding complexity and excellent length and persistence of flavours on the finish. 10% new oak. 95pts. $60

Sittella – Azalee Eloise Berns – Grand Vintage – Rose – 2019. This is quite lovely. Pretty rose gold/ copper colour. There is a gentle berry richness to both the nose and palate from the pinot, supported by fine acidity and textural components. The length is a real highlight. Subtle, supple and refined, this is fantastic current drinking. 90% pinot, the colour coming from the addition of 10% of wine taken off-skins to give the colour. The clonal selection is important in this wine, with numerous trials done before settling on the final clonal blend. 95pts. $60.

Sittella – Avant Garde – Albarino – 2024. This is very pretty, with the aromatics tending towards apricot and Turkish delight. The palate is viscous, textured and complex, with balancing acidity to keep the finish fresh and alive. There is a hint of honey on the close which is most attractive. Surprising and delicious! From a new vineyard opposite the winery, this is one to watch over the next few years as the style continues to evolve. 93pts. $33.

Sittella – Avant Garde – Chenin Blanc – 2024. What a cracking wine ! Whilst taut and fresh, with grapefruit/citrusy acid, the balance is brilliant and the flavours continue to evolve and build long after swallowing the wine. Age-worthy? Yes, but this should also be on everyone’s go to list this summer. Grapes come from the 1963 block on the old Houghton vineyard, the second oldest chenin block in the Swan Valley. The grapes are hand picked and whole bunch pressed. 95-96pts. $33.

Sittella – Avant Garde – Chardonnay – 2023. This smells both very impressive and also expensive, given the high-quality fruit, winemaking and oak that is on show. Structural components and taut acidity lurk on the periphery, adding mouthfeel and texture, without colouring the fruit which is the star of the show. Dangerously drinkable and a bargain. 95pts.

Sittella – Avant Garde – El Vivero Rouge – 2023. A field blend from the nursery vineyard opposite the winery. This is an amazing wine in the way the ripe fruit is the focus, yet it retains great freshness and balance. On the close, the talc-like tannins start to make their presence felt, but are not aggressive. A great wine to have with slow-cooked hearty winter fare such as lamb shanks or an eggplant parmigiana. 94pts. $40.

Sittella – Golden Mile – Grenache 2022. Yes, yes, yes! Love the colour, love the perfumed fruit, love drinking it. Smash it down and be happy! Interestingly, the glass I tasted this from had a big impact on the profile, with it looking much more serious and structured in a Riedel pinot glass than it did in a Riedel chianti glass. 95pts – $40.

Sittella – Coffee Rocks – Shiraz – 2021. Superb colour, taking on an almost iridescent hue. My tasting notes had a lot of “wows” written on them. The fruit is intense, powerful and impactful. This would benefit from a decade or more in the cellar, though after an hour in the glass, this really started to sing. 96pts. $60.

Sittella – Liqueur Verdelho – NV. Heaven in a glass. Intense, but not cloying. Viscous but retains freshness. Sweet, but balanced and vibrant. 97pts Why not? $100.