THE WINES
A cool and wet season has raised a fine style here. Picked late in the season in May, weighing in at 12.6%. Extended maceration is key to the house style, with two clones grown, one seeing four weeks skin contact and the second three months before pressing. Matured 16 months in French oak, 20% new, bottled without fining or filtration.
“This is a lovely shiraz. Fine, peppery and light, but beautifully spiced, and detailed, and finessed, and ripe in a forest-berry kind of way. It tastes of both black and white pepper, cherries, aforementioned forest berries, purple flowers and aromatic herbs. It feels svelte. It feels fine. It smells alive. It’s shiraz in bone china mode, and it’s very good.” 93 points, Campbell Mattinson, Winefront
on any dozen* or non dozens over $350
Any 12 bottles bought together
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Additional Information
ABOUT THE PRODUCER
Established in 2012 with purchased fruit and rented winery space, steady progress saw vigneron Daniel Balzer and wife Marije van Epenhuijsen purchase a paddock a short distance south of Beechworth township in 2017, today home to seven acres of vines, an off grid winery, substantial plantings of trees and native gardens, and a natural reed bed wastewater filtration system.
Daniel saw fit to establish his estate and plantings from scratch – “I didn’t want to take on the mistakes of somebody else,” in his own words, carefully planting an acre at a time. Vines of Chardonnay, Vermentino and Syrah are already yielding some fabulous wines, with first crops of Pinot Noir and Sangiovese due next year.
The undulating site of quartz flecked clay and loam allowed planting to multiple aspects (predominantly South West facing), and the proximity and size of the site permits Daniel to give meticulous attention to the vines and canopy management, in turn allowing low intervention winemaking which is raising some beautifully transparent and unforced expressions.
Quality is redolent here in the finished wines, and with the releases this strong off young vines, we’re immensely excited to see what future years will bring from this address.
The name Willem Kurt comes from the middle names of Daniel and Marije’s two sons, reflective of the couple’s German and Dutch heritage respectively.
All wines are fermented naturally and bottled without fining or filtration, and are hence vegan suitable. Quality is redolent in this whole stable, and with the releases this strong off young vines, we’re immensely excited to see what future years will bring from this address.
ABOUT THE PRODUCER
Biodynamic Minimal Intervention Wines From A Beautiful Adelaide Hills Estate
Owner Damon Nagel started life as a sommelier in Adelaide, moving to London to further his wine education whilst working in top end dining restaurants. Achieving success in London property, he would eventually return to Adelaide, purchasing the beautiful undulating Brackenwood farm in the early 2000s, first releasing wines from vintage 2005.
Winemaking is today overseen by Daniel Zuzolo, ex Primo Estate, with the stable offering interesting blends and lesser seen plantings of Barbera and Gamay alongside more traditional offerings such as Shiraz and Riesling.
Growing and winemaking is strictly along biodynamic lines, with no additions bar minimal sulphur at bottling. A pure set of releases very much at home alongside Felixir’s European offerings, fun styles of personality with enough depth and interest to be taken seriously.
