Description
‘Someone asked me the other day something to the tune of ‘who are the next generation of newer generation producers who will truly create a legacy in Australian wine … I would put Ravensworth and Bryan Martin firmly in the list. No misses from him. Building a formidable argument to prestige.‘ Mike Bennie, The Wine Front.
‘As a talented food writer, cook and forager, Bryan Martin thinks deeply about textures and flavours. This combined with over a decade’s experience at Clonakilla, has resulted in a suite of distinctive Ravensworth wines’ Huon Hooke, Gourmet Traveller Wine.
Bryan Martin was assistant winemaker and ‘right hand man’ to Tim Kirk at Clonakilla for 20 years. However Ravensworth has been he and wife Jocelyn’s passion since 2001. Finishing up at Clonakilla in 2019 he focuses solely now on Ravensworth in Murrumbateman in the Canberra district.
Clonakilla has often been thought as the leading winery in the region but Ravensworth has gained much success and critical praise including winning the International Riesling Challenge in 2012 and in 2015 he was runner up Winemaker of the Year for Gourmet Traveller Wine. “..Bryan’s been an extraordinarily great blessing to our business.” Tim Kirk, Clonakilla.
Martin’s approach is deliberately unconventional – he produces a range of brilliant, regionally classic wines, offset by a decent smattering of genre-bending experiments. Shiraz is the main crop on the Ravensworth Estate, followed by Riesling and Sangiovese. Then there’s Rhône white varietals such as Marsanne and Roussane plus Gamay and Nebbiolo. Not only does Martin use a wide range of varieties, but clonal differences across these are also utilised for complexity and tonality.
Everything at the Estate is grown with organic principles and the vineyard is consciously farmed as an element of a wider ecosystem in balance with other flora and fauna so it can develop to its greatest potential. This balance limits any chemicals or other nasties. A little old Italian tractor is employed rather than heavy machinery, and likewise in the cellar, the winemaking uses a light touch. There’s no recipe—a range of techniques and vessels are used, always dependent on what the vintage presents.
The Estate label wines feature a beautiful and evocative label which Bryan says “.. are a take on what we would have as a coat of arms … a visual depiction of how we see wine and food. Entwined, joyous, slightly nervy.”
About this wine from the winemaker: “Our beautiful, perfumed, cool-grown Shiraz with that seasoning of viognier that seems to bring the wine to life. Coming up to 20 years since we got our first crop and you can see it in the wine, a rising complexity of aroma, flavour and texture. Super aromatic floral, spice and red fruit, silky texture. Just seems so together as a young wine but we know they gracefully age and generally recommend a 7-10 year window. The small percentage of viognier is added to change the palate rather than aromas. Viognier is thick skinned and has a different phenolic make up to Shiraz. The two work together to create the unique silky texture.”
95 Points, The Real Review “Medium purple-ruby in appearance, with white pepper spice on the nose for days… Fruit too: red cherry, redcurrant, blueberry, violet florals, herbal notes, hints of menthol. It’s medium-bodied in a classical cool-climate way, with juicy weight and grip and a juniper spice thread. Layers and layers of texture and interest. It’s light on its feet and an excellent choice for the Australian summer ”
92 points, Erin Larkin, The Wine Advocate “The 2023 Shiraz Viognier is a distinct wine here. One really gets the sense of the Viognier, being floral and wet, green and verdant, as an aromatic overlay to the Shiraz fruit. The palate reveals finely wrought tannins and pure acidity—a significant part of the show. The shaley minerality is very attractive, and the wine overall feels herbal and fine, with lemon myrtle and raspberry leaf, white strawberry and apple. It matured in French oak, both barrique and 27-hectoliter foudre. 13% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.”
RRP $50 Our Special Price $40.50 when you buy 6 or more of this wine
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