Thank you to those of you who made it to our Spring Tasting event on Sunday 13 September. It was such a beautiful day and it was fantastic to share some of our new wines with you. We feel very lucky to have been able to host this event considering the challenges presented this year.Our new releases are now available online and you can read a little bit about them below. 2019 Chardonnay Hand-picked at optimum ripeness and gently whole bunch pressed into French oak barriques where indigenous yeasts completed the fermentation to dryness.Matured for 10 months in a combination of 30% new and 70% used French oak barriques. Aromas of mango skin, pineapple, flint and almond meal emanate and entice...
2017 ChardonnayBUY NOW This estate hails from the noble turf of Wilyabrup, employing sustainable viticultural management and relatively hands-off winemaking to transport pristine fruit from vineyard to glass. Toasted hazelnut, cream of cashew, nougatine and wild yeast funk meld effortlessly with bright notes of white fig, cantaloupe and nectarine. The finish is long and effortlessly tangy. 93 pointsNed Goodwin - Halliday's Wine Companion 2016 Cabernet SauvignonBUY NOW Blackberry, blueberry, choc-mint, sage and baking spices. It’s plush and full of flavour, but not heavy or cumbersome, with ripe dark fruit, mocha and dried herb, even flow, smooth powdery tannin, and a tobacco and spice finish of fine length and definition. It’s a really good wine, just ever so slightly off an...
Grace Farm’s 2013 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon has won double gold at the Six Nations Wine Challenge. The award was announced at a trophy dinner, held in Sydney on Wednesday night. Grace Farm was ranked third in the cabernet sauvignon class after two significant US producers, Col Solare and Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars. It came in ahead of renowned Victorian producer Brown Brothers, which also won double gold. The Six Nations Wine Challenge is a Sydney-based wine show that uses an international judging panel to compare the very best wines from six countries (Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Chile, Canada and the US). This is the 15th year of the competition. Entries from each country are selected by a wine expert....
The lead up to vintage has seen some nervous moments in the vineyard. On January 16 we had an unseasonal downpour, with 65mm of rain falling over two days. This led to minor outbreaks of grey mould (botrytis bunch rot) in white grapes through some vineyards (see photo below). Fortunately Grace Farm escaped the berry splitting that can compromise bunches and lead to grey mould. Interestingly, we used none of the synthetic fungicides which target botrytis and we feel fortunate that our programme of sulphur, kelp and fish emulsion sprays have kept the vines in good health and the fruit in pristine condition. At present the vineyard is completely netted and we are eagerly awaiting the first pick of chardonnay in...
It is interesting how a difficult growing season can end up producing wines of distinction. The successes of the 2014 Grace Farm wine releases have followed on from a wet, windy spring in 2013 in which flowering and fruit set were disrupted by rain and gale-force winds. Prior to the 2014 harvest we reported lower-than-average yields in whites, coupled with smaller berries than we would normally expect in both whites and reds. After the windy spring weather passed, a favourable summer set in. With mild ripening temperatures and good soil moisture, vine canopies were under minimal stress and the grapes retained wonderful natural acidity as flavours accumulated. Lower pulp-to-skin ratios in whites and reds translated to a lower recovery of juice in the...
