Description
“If you’re into the new wave of true fine wine producers of Australia you should be onto, should get onto, Domenica. Classics in the making. Rising high. Peter Graham got schooled (partly) at the great Giaconda winery in Beechworth. This is where he struts his own stuff ..’ Mike Bennie Wine Front
Peter Graham has been making wine in Beechworth since 1999, when he began working in the vineyards and winery at Giaconda. During these early years, he studied oenology at Charles Sturt University while working as assistant winemaker at Giaconda until 2012, when he left to establish Domenica.
The vineyard was first planted in 1996, an accord of family and friends. The original planting consisted of Chardonnay, Roussanne and Pinot Noir on the steeper south facing section of the property. Ensuing years saw a joint venture between Michel Chapoutier, Rick Kinzbrunner and Peter Graham expand plantings to feature Shiraz and Nebbiolo.
With more than 25 years of experience working this vineyard site, Peter brings an intimate perspective to the celebrated Beechworth Region. The wines are thoughtfully vinified on-site in small batches to capture the diversity of aspects and clonal selections in the vineyard.
Domenica sits 460m above sea level atop the granite ridge sweeping away to the south west of Beechworth. The wines are vividly reflective of their origin, a gripping mineral texture encasing the mature vine vitality of the varietals chosen to express it. Winemaking is traditional. Taste is more important than numbers. The yeasts come from the site, not a packet. Pressings, solids and lees all play their part completing the picture. The wines are carefully maintained in oak barriques before being bottled unfiltered.
About this wine: A classic blend of rhone valley whites, these varieties are all about texture. For the first time, the Roussanne and Marsanne were harvested together in late March, allowing Peter to co-ferment the two varieties which are usually vinified separately and then blended. The wine was basket pressed and the juice left in a stainless steel tank overnight to settle. The following morning the juice is transferred to a selection of the oldest white wine barrels (specifically to minimise the oak impact on the finished wine) and stays in barrel for 10 months until early 2022. No temperature controls are in place but the cellar is naturally cool as it sits under the granite rich soils. Ferment is spontaneous and no malolactic is required as the site offers generous wines with great natural acidity.
Reminiscent of fine white St Joseph, the wine is bright with lifted white floral notes and spice. The palate is sumptuous yet balanced with a backbone of acid, stunning granitic minerality, stacked orchard fruit and a lick of high quality, old French oak. Delicious now but will only become more integrated over the next few years.
The 2021 release is a fabulous release with depth of fruit, spice, floral lift with mouthwatering freshness and mineral spine of Beechworth granite.
95 points, Ned Goodwin for JamesSuckling “This is excellent. Benchmark. Just buy it. I should leave it at that, so brilliant is this layered, mid-weighted expression. Mellifluous. Everything feels intuitive and just right: place, varietal composition, site and delicious wine. Tatami straw, dry and flaxen. Ginger, cardamon pod, rooibos and curry powder. Flecks of apricot oatmeal and peach skin. The ebb of phenolic chew and drift of acidity, in perfect sync. The finish, long. Wonderful wine. I could go a point higher if pushed. Drink or hold. Screw cap.”
93 points, Gary Walsh, The Wine Front” Honeycomb, beeswax, lemon peel, chicken stock, citrus and apricot, gum leaf. Distinctly savoury, all umami things, ginger and quinine, a bit glossy and fleshy, bitterness is a theme, as well as grainy phenolics and oak spice. Mead and citrus, with a zesty finish of good length. Quite a lot of wine, and kind of intense, but very good.”
RRP $53 Our Price $46.99
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