Description
Winemaker Adam Barton after working for Scarpantoni (McLaren Vale), Rolf Binder (Barossa), Wynns Coonawarra Estate and iconic Bonny Doon (California) wasted no time to complete a winemaking degree at Adelaide University. Atlas Wines began on a 26-acre block of land, a vineyard planted with Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon, on the eastern slopes of the Clare Valley. The year was 2007. Adam Barton and Amy Lane made an investment in Clare and an investment in their future. Their vision for Atlas was pretty simple: to produce great wine from the highest-quality fruit from vineyards with exceptional provenance. Adam has come to understand the complexity and diversity of the Clare Valley, and how the unique characteristics of different sites produce fruit with distinctive qualities. It’s these qualities that they have sought to express through the wines they have made. As such, the Atlas house style is a carefully composed mosaic of the region. It is a true boutique producer. The red wines, sourced primarily from White Hut in the north and Leasingham in the south, are elegant yet powerful, and well structured; the whites, sourced from several sites at Watervale are finely structured, aromatic and pure.
Not suprising James Halliday rated them a 5 Red Star Winery saying “...The quality of the wines is extraordinarily good and extraordinarily consistent.”
Alongside this range is a selection of single-vineyard wines, only produced when a vineyard’s fruit is worthy of celebration on its own. Adam’s approach in these cases is to nurture these grapes through the winemaking process with attention to detail and minimal intervention to produce wines with character and that have the capacity to age.
About this vintage from the winemaker: “Made with fruit hand-picked from old dry-grown vines in the Watervale subregion of the Clare Valley, this single-vineyard wine has been carefully handled and is delicately expressive of its site. It is of incredible provenance and represents the pinnacle of our Riesling production in an exceptional vintage.
“The fruit was harvested, chilled and gently pressed in reductive conditions, and the free-run juice was allowed to settle at low temperatures before being racked and fermented using cultured yeasts. It was fermented to complete dryness then stabilised, filtered and bottled immediately to capture the natural freshness and fruit characteristics of the vineyard, and has been allowed to rest in the bottle prior to release.
“Very pale straw-coloured in the glass, this wine displays delicately lifted floral and lemon aromas with hints of stone and flint. The palate is zesty and concentrated with lime, grapefruit and green apple fruit flavours supported by briny texture and a fine acid backbone. A delicate and reserved expression of the vineyard from an excellent year that will only improve with time. It is drinking beautifully now, but will reward cellaring for many years to come.”
93 points, Mike Bennie, Halliday’s Australian Wine Companion “From the Bryksy Hill vineyard, which delivers fruit from 60-year-old vines. There’s a bit of intentional lees work in the winemaking. Delightful stuff here. Zestiness but also a gentle creaminess to texture, lots of pretty, floral perfume with a whiff of salted cashew savouriness in the mix. Lees delivers X-factor, though we’re in Watervale’s lime, green apple and minerally territory by and large, there’s more than meets the eye. And we’re good with that. A complex, compelling expression that delivers detail of fruit, texture, mineral elements and general vitality.“
94 points, Gary Walsh, The Wine Front “This is zesty and saline, a lime and quinine-like tang, green apple and spice, dry and crunchy on a finish of excellent length and intensity, some lime leaf and mint in the aftertaste. Excellent texture here, is the thing, and it’s interesting too.”
RRP $33 Our Special Price $25.99 when you buy 6 or more of this wine.
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