Monday, August 13, 2018

The Dappled Wines

New offerings from the Yarra Valley are arriving all the time. There is a renaissance on the one hand, but a real threat of phylloxera on the other. The Dappled wines shot to fame a year ago, when they were crowned best new winery by James Halliday.

The 2017 Dappled Áppelation' Chardonnay is the entry level Chardonnay with fruit from lower and upper Yarra Valley vineyards. This is a crisp and fresh wine with excellent balance (92 points).

The 2017 Dappled Çhamps de Cerises' Upper Yarra Macclesfield Chardonnay is a bit of a mouthful (pardon the pun) of a name, but should not detract from the quality of the wine. The fruit comes from a cool single vineyard. Citrus and apple flavours show restraint, but good intensity at the same time. The wine has a lasting finish (94 points).

The 2017 Dappled Çhamps de Cerises' Upper Yarra Macclesfield Pinot Noir shows strawberry flavours, typical of the cooler Yarra Valley sites. This wine is interesting, because it has a certain smokiness, smooth tannins, and good persistence (93 points).

The 2017 Dappled 'Fin de la Terre' Steels Creek Syrah is the weakest wine in this line-up. It comes from a warmer site, and includes 100% whole bunch. This is a pretty wine, a bit fruity, though. The finish is balanced (89 points).

Overall, this tasting reveals very careful winemaking. The  wine names obviously link to French winemaking and an interest in terroir. I found the wines very truthful to grape varieties and location. A winery to watch!


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