Description
Garagiste is definitely one of Mornington Peninsula’s brightest rising stars! Named in honour of the ‘Garagiste’ – ‘garage’ vintners of Bordeaux who thumbed their nose at the rigid traditions of chateaux, winemaker Barney Flanders makes succulent, finely tuned and elegantly crafted cool-climate Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Gris,highlighting the subtleties of the Peninsula’s different sub-regions with small batches of very limited and high quality wines. Fruit is sourced predominantly from highly prized Merricks Grove vineyard, Silverwood vineyard (Balnarring) and Hugh Robinson vineyard in Moorooduc. Since their first release in 2006 their wines are highly sought after, highly regarded and seem to be getting better every year!
The fruit for this year’s blend is drawn from Merricks, Balnarring and Red Hill. The Merricks site, Barney’s flagship, contributes bright fruit characters and a signature savoury quality. The Balnarring site, which Barney has farmed for 12 years, adds shade and spice while the more southerly, cool and high-elevation site in Red Hill contributes linearity. When combined these sites come together to create something special.
After sorting in both the vineyard and winery, fermentations were natural with whole berries complemented by a 10% whole-bunch component. The fruit spent 21 days on skins, with gentle pump-overs and a small amount of plunging towards the end. The eight months élevage (on gross lees) was roughly half/half in 300-litre hogsheads and foudre, with just five per cent new oak. It was bottled unfined and unfiltered.
Captivating from the first sniff, the 2022 is layered with bunchy freshness, savoury spice and the prettiness of summer berries. It’s elegant and aromatic, deeply flavoured but never weighty; its silky and supple texture is underpinned by long, tender tannins and seductively fresh acidity. The beautifully calibrated finish is enchantingly slinky and impressively persistent. As always, this is outstanding value.
92 points, Jane Faulkner, Halliday’s 2023 Wine Companion “Now aren’t you a pretty pinot, and charming with flavours of wild strawberries and red cherries all lightly spiced. Supple tannins with a juiciness across the palate and the right amount of refreshing acidity.”
RRP $39 Our Price $31.99 – LAST OF THIS VINTAGE!
