2021 ROSE & BRAMBLE ROSÉ

Andrew made a great Rosé, Margan Shiraz Saignée, for about 20 vintages and then got bored with it so declared he wouldn’t make it anymore. Just as the Rose’ boom hit! Lisa decided to take over the project and with our winemaker Nicole Wilson and daughter Alessa Margan they re-worked the style, renamed the wine Rose & Bramble and designed a new label. Since we launched it in 2018 it has won medals, trophies and fans. Andrew is still part of the picture – he grows the grapes – and reluctantly acknowledges that he is also a fan of the new style.

GROWING SEASON

With much welcomed spring rain in 2020 we saw excellent canopy balance through all vineyards for our 2021 vintage. A mild summer allowed for excellent acid retention and a long ripening period resulting in elegant fruit character and seamless acid balance in white wines coming from 2021.

VINEYARD

This wine is mostly sourced from our Ceres Hill Vineyard (Merlot and Barbera) with these grapes grown on the parcels of red volcanic soils. We add a small volume of Pinot Grigio grown on our Saxonvale Vineyard on the Fordwich Sill which adds texture to the palate.

WINEMAKING

Our Rosé is made using a combination of varieties and winemaking techniques. A blend of Shiraz, Merlot and Barbera picked and pressed off skins immediately to achieve a faint salmon blush and encourage floral aromatics and elegant fruits. The Pinot Grigio component Is handpicked and fermented on skins to contribute texture to the palate.

TASTING NOTES

The wine has lifted berry aromas and a rose petal perfume with mulberry, strawberry, and pink grapefruit on the palate. The finish is dry and refreshing and the palate has lots of texture. An eclectic approach to winemaking has produced a dry wine packed with mouthfeel and fresh fruit.

WINE COMPOSITION

pH                                                                  3.25

Titratable Acidity                                       7.5 g/L

Alcohol                                                         12 %

Residual Sugar                                           < 2g/L

VINE AGE/CLONE

50 years / Busby

FOOD MATCH

Kangaroo steak tartare with quails’ egg and toasted brioche

CELLARING POTENTIAL

2-3 years

2021 Margan ‘La Nina’ Sparkling Rose

This is a new wine for us, but perhaps something we should have released sooner. A sparkling wine that reflects our classic Broke Fordwich terroir whilst pushing the style boundaries into a realm of engaging, complex drinking. Fun, textural fizz with an unmistakably Margan composition.

Growing Season

With much welcomed spring rain in 2020 we saw excellent canopy balance through all vineyards for our 2021 vintage. A mild summer allowed for excellent acid retention and a long ripening period resulting in elegant fruit character and seamless acid balance in white wines coming from 2021.

 Vineyard

In 2015 we grafted 6 different clones of Shiraz onto 50yr old rootstocks on our Timbervines vineyard. Located on the red volcanic soil of the Fordwich Sill, 6 years later we now have six different clones producing some very interesting results. The base wine for this sparkling is comprised of an early pick from two blocks of our Shiraz clonal plantings to retain acidity and floral fruit aromatics. The clonal material chosen for this wine is typically vibrant in raspberry and strawberry fruits and when picked early soft in tannins.

 Winemaking

Harvested early to maintain elegant fruit character and high acidity, the base wine was pressed immediately off skins to minimise phenolics and colour. Fermented cool in stainless steel with neutral yeasts this base wine was able to reflect the natural fruit characteristics of the clonal material. A portion was matured in old French oak Puncheons to contribute savoury aromatics and texture to the palate.

Tasting Notes

Bright, savoury strawberry is knitted with slightly oxidative red apple. Tense acidity plays off crunchy red fruits; creates a style of sparkling less for the ‘occasion’ and more for a meal. Texture and energy with a fine effervescence. Bring on the cured meats and good company!

Wine Composition

pH                                                          3.23

Titratable Acidity                                7.4 g/L

Alcohol                                                  11.7%

Residual Sugar                                     11 g/L

Vine Age/Clone

Heritage Shiraz Clonal plantings on 50yr old rootstocks

Food Match

Oysters, Sashimi, Parfait

Cellaring Potential

Now – 5yrs (but why wait?)

2021 MARGAN OFF-SWEET VERMOUTH 

The 2021 Ceres Hill Off-Dry Vermouth captures the agricultural essence of our home property in the depths of winter (and a state-wide lockdown). It’s the first of our single season releases, however like previous vintages is made from Semillon grapes as its base. Rather than emulate a traditional vermouth style, this is a unique expression of the fresh botanicals grown in our kitchen garden and natural surroundings, steeped in our iconic Ceres Hill Semillon and spirit.

Tasting Notes:

This sits in and around the Cocchi Americano style with an Orange bitters dry edge. Wormwood, blood orange, kaffir lime, lemongrass, marigold and lavender aromats build on the classic Semillon palate of pine lime splice for a bittersweet and textural finish.

Production:

We harvest our Semillon and ferment to dryness with a portion sent away to be distilled. Lockdown settled in late June and we harvested a selection of compatible aromatic ingredients from around the grounds and our kitchen garden. These included wormwood, blood orange, mandarin, lime leaf, calendula, lavender, lemongrass amongst others…

After steeping in spirit for some time, the components were blended with the table wine, some organic cane sugar, seasoned with some 2022 verjuice (same vineyard) and a dosage of our solera Verdelho ‘Madeira’ style fortified. Two months of rest in old French oak seemed to resolve any grievances and we filled all 500 bottles of this yesterday without further preservation, fining or filtration at 19% ABV.

Serving Suggestions:

We recommend this enjoyed simply on ice, with a dash of soda or splashed liberally into your favourite gin and mixer. If you would like to get a little creative, the following mixed drinks have proven to be very tasty…

Margan to Milan

45ml Ceres Hill Off-Dry Vermouth

45ml Campari

• Stirred down with ice in a mixing glass
• Strained into a cocktail coupe
• Garnish with the zest of grapefruit (any citrus will work well here)

La Nina Spritz

60ml Ceres Hill Off-Dry Vermouth

60ml La Nina Sparkling Rose (feel free to add more depending on how much attitude adjustment you need)

30ml Soda/Mineral Water

• Build in a wine glass
• Add ice and give a little mix
• Garnish with a citrus wedge, sprig of mint or some lavender (no real rules here, just something aromatic)

Ripasso is the Italian term used in reference to the re-passing of a wine from one ferment over the skins of another. In our case we have passed some of our 2016 vintage shiraz from our 40-year-old Timbervines vineyard over the skins of several different varieties from the 2017 vintage. The mystery for the drinker is to figure out what skins we have used for the re-fermentation.

Growing Season

The 2016 vintage was a cooler vintage In the Hunter Valley producing more elegant softer styles of Shiraz. This base wine was passed over the 2017 vintage which was a warmer vintage and enabled us to build more body and stronger tannins In to the 2016 base wine.

Vineyard

The fruit that makes up the Shiraz base wine from 2016 was handpicked off 40yr old vines grown on the rich red volcanic soils of the Fordwich Sill. We choose a block that has the ability to build more complexity in to the fruit. The skins that we pass this wine over are chosen based on the vineyards that are performing best that particular year, as well as what additional nuances of tannin and flavour will complement the base wine to build complexity.

Winemaking

Only in very good vintages like 2016 do I keep a small volume of top-quality shiraz in reserve in oak to re-ferment it over another later excellent vintage. It must be a vintage where we get perfectly ripe fruit to ensure the finished wine has taken up only ripe tannins and fruit characters. The base wine from 2016 had plush fruit and elegant aromatics with medium tannins and it was re-fermented over different varieties in the 2017 vintage. This has given the wine lots of dense tannins and deep complex fruit characters. It has spent nearly two years in small new and two-year old French oak barriques. This wine is fun to make and is different every year we make it!

Tasting Notes

Medium - Full bodied displaying a subtle combination of spice, plush black forest fruit and tobacco like coupled with nuances of violet and blue fruits and firm velvety tannins.

Wine Composition

pH                                                           3.46

Titratable Acidity                                   6.7g/L

Alcohol                                                   13.5%

Residual Sugar                                       <1g/L 

Food Match

Wagyu brisket, mushroom, celeriac and glazed onion

Cellaring Potential

15 - 20 years

Accolades

Silver Medal Hunter Valley Wine Show 2019

Silver Medal Sydney Wine Show 2019