Hahndorf Hill ‘Gru’ Gruner Vetliner 2016
$28.99
LAST OF THIS VINTAGE. Adelaide Hills pioneer of this outstanding food friendly Austrian grape variety.
Out of stock
Description
Hahndorf Hill’s six-hectare vineyard is located at the edge of historic Hahndorf village and on the slopes of a gentle hill which, over a century ago, contained a slate quarry. It is very apparent when walking along the slopes of the vineyard blocks at Hahndorf Hill that slate forms a significant part of the mineral component of the soils.
The vineyard topsoils consist of a sandy-loam and red-clay blend, richly embellished with blue-red slate, quartz and ironstone intrusions. The subsoils comprise deep red clay. This abundance of diverse mineral components in the soil translates into a distinct mineral element in all their wines, which is especially beneficial for their Austrian varieties – such as Gruner Veltliner – at which they excel and have pioneered over the past 25 years.
The Adelaide Hills’ slow ripening, cool-climate environment allows for all their grapes to benefit from an extended ripening season with beautifully warm days and cold nights. This diurnal variation is a significant quality defining factor according to producers of these varieties in their native Austria. Hahndorf Hill believe in environmentally sustainable methods to bring out the finesse and vitality in their wines.
Their debut vintage of Gruner Veltliner (which they affectionately call “Gru”) was the first production of Gruner in South Australia. Huon Hooke of the SMH wrote of the debut vintage: ‘I was shocked by how authentic an Adelaide Hills gruner veltliner tasted. It’s a strikingly close replica of the Austrian model.’ Since then, their Gruners have been awarded numerous Gold Medals as well as three Trophies within Australia, with this wine being awarded 97 points by James Halliday. Commenting on the Gruner Veltliner journey, James Halliday wrote: ‘2010 marked the first release of a South Australian gruner veltliner and Hahndorf Hill has led the way ever since.’
The HHW Gru has been making waves on the international stage, too. Austria’s influential Falstaff magazine rated their 2012 Gru as the best Gruner Veltliner outside of Austria in its 2013 International Gruner Veltliner Tasting. (It topped 28 other Gruners from Europe, USA, New Zealand and Australia.) They have also received Gold Medals at the Berliner Wein Trophy competition in Germany, and the 2015 vintage was selected to represent Australia at the prestigious Six Nations Wine Challenge, where it was awarded a Double-Gold Medal.
Co-Owner Marc Dobson “…I remember quite early in the 2016 vintage Larry (Jacobs) and I quietly whispering to each other “this will be a good one” as we tasted the unbottled ‘Gru’ – and we haven’t been alone in this opinion. I have written previously that I feel our 2016 ‘Gru’ shows the most varietal typicity of all our Gruners to date, and during my trip to Austria I tasted dozens of wines that only reinforced the sense of kinship in our wines that we have been striving for.
Leading with pear, apple and zippy grapefruit, this wine waltzes across the palate. Crispy acid tickles whilst Gruner Veltliner’ signature chalky texture caresses …”
Perfectly matched with all Asian cuisine, white meats, sea-foods and vegetarian dishes. But most excitingly, here is the ultimate white wine that will match perfectly with your favourite rare sirloin steak and roast pork!
Gruner Veltliner is a variety that ages well and this wine should develop splendidly for between 7 – 10 years. Alc 12%
97 points, James Halliday “Six clones, handpicked at various baumes, each batch treated differently, some cool, some warm-fermented in stainless steel, 30% wild-fermented in old barriques with extended lees contact. The exceptionally complex vinification puts most winemakers of chardonnay to shame. It has electric vibrancy and drive, capturing your senses without warning. Its combination of delicacy, attention to detail and intensity is amazing. Gold medal Adelaide Wine Show ’16.
94 Points, Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front “It’s treated in many and varied ways in both the vineyard and winery, with various clones employed and divergent picking times. It sees stainless steel, old oak, inoculation, wild fermentation, cool (ferment) temperatures and warm. You name it. No amount of fuss is too much.
It’s more textural than crisp, though it still feels cleansing and/or refreshing. It feels seamless, svelte, inherently complex but not in a try-hard way. It’s flinty, peppery, savoury and then fruity. It sits in the glass and broods, at first, but then slowly unfolds. It has a rocky, quartz-like minerality. An earthen quality too. You have to slow down to appreciate it; it’s not really a wine of fireworks. But the quality is very high.”
RRP $36 Last bottles left of this vintage!
Additional information
Producer | Hahndorf Hill |
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Region or Country | Adelaide Hills, Australia |
Variety | Gruner Veltliner |
Vintage | 2016 |
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