Toppers Mountain Bricolage Blanc 2015

Toppers Mountain Bricolage Blanc 2015

  14:30    Stu.

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A blend of Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, Petit Manseng, Sauvignon Blanc.

A little muskiness, Nashi pear, beurre bosc, citrus nuances, golden notes, suggestion of thyme, perhaps, the Gewürztraminer leading this one. 

Marries texture to acidity, flesh and bones. Stonefruit, more pear and citrus. Good presence about it, perhaps you'd say complex - with an inviting simplicity. Good wine, if perhaps the driving length and composure to make it great. 90

Tasted on: Wednesday 7th March, a Flower to Leaf day
Source: Sample
Price: $30
Alcohol: 13.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: https://toppers.com.au/

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Toppers Mountain Tannat Wild Ferment 2013

Toppers Mountain Tannat Wild Ferment 2013

  16:00    Stu.

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Bit of funk and meatiness to this one on opening, with chocolate bullets and herbal, undergrowth notes on the nose.

Medium to full bodied, but it's superbly balanced and rather fine - particularly given its just under 16% alcohol. Delightfully fine tannin, berry and briar, with licorice. Manages to balance that fruit presence with long smooth tannins and a savoury twist on its back end. 

Good wine. Real interest, satisfaction and presence. 92

Tasted on: Friday 31st May, a Fruit to Root day
Source: Sample
Price: $38
Alcohol: 15.8%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: https://toppers.com.au

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Topper's Mountain Wild Ferment Tempranillo 2012

Topper's Mountain Wild Ferment Tempranillo 2012

  14:30    Stu.

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Released as a 5yo, opens with a little funk, not reductive, more like briary stem and Sapid notes. Somewhat surprising for a 5yo, and there's still a degree of primacy about proceedings. Cherry, almond paste, maybe a wholemeal toast suggestion.

Fine, powdery tannin cascades across the palate. Something akin to a meaty jus here, pan juices deglazed with a suggestion of fruit in the mix. Rare wine that balances fruit and savoury. Impressive. All the more so as a 5yo release. 91 

Tasted on: Thursday 22nd June, a a Fruit to Root day
Source: Sample
Price: $32
Alcohol: 13.7%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: toppers.com.au

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Topper's Mountain Wild Ferment Shiraz 2013

Topper's Mountain Wild Ferment Shiraz 2013

  08:30    Stu.

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Peanut brittle seems to come and go here, but at its heart is a core of red fruit over chocolate. 

Gives the impression it's sweet - from the intro - and there's a certain marriage of oak-meets-fruit-meets spice, the latter what whisks the wine away from a simply fruited wine to something more substantive. 

Curl of liquorice gives a little length to proceedings. 90 

Tasted on: Tuesday 19th June, a Fruit day
Source: Sample
Price: $
Alcohol: 13.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: https://toppers.com.au

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Topper's Mountain Barrel Ferment Sauvignon Blanc 2013

Topper's Mountain Barrel Ferment Sauvignon Blanc 2013

  08:30    Stu.

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Unmistakably Sauvignon Blanc, yet with more twists and turns than a Riviera hairpin. Your senses are greeted with preserved citrus, lime brûlée, stonefruit.

Medium bodied, part-textural with remnants of acid, albeit softened with fermentation in oak. 

Great length, with a waxy, slippery finish long on presence. 93 

Tasted on: Thursday 5th January, a Leaf day
Source: Sample
Price: $30
Alcohol: 11.7%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: https://www.toppers.com.au/

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Topper's Mountain Barrel Fermented Gewürztraminer 2015

Topper's Mountain Barrel Fermented Gewürztraminer 2015

  14:30    Stu.

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Has the muskiness, the Turkish Delight, albeit softened, and augmented by a gentle spice from the barrel fermentation.

Textural, lavish, spiced; it enlivens, gently tickles as it jives across the palate - spreading across the entire cavity. Fresh, dry and drinking well. Nicely offsets a little spice with its sweet edged nature. 92 

Tasted on: Wednesday 7th December, a Flowerday
Source: Sample
Price: $35
Alcohol: 13.8%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: http://www.toppers.com.au/

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Topper's Mountain Bricolage Rouge 2012

Topper's Mountain Bricolage Rouge 2012

  14:30    Stu.

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The artist formerly known as 'Red Earth Child' has transmorphed into 'Bricolage Rouge' due to a trademark issue.

Same crazy blend: Tempranillo (60%), Tannat (15%), Nebbiolo (15%) and Barbera (10%) - quickly checking the maths, that does indeed make 100%.

Fair chunk of coffee oak on show here - don't recall that from the 2011 guise. Good body: fleshy, juicy - with some tarry, earthen tannin on show. 

It's dry, savoury and long. The oak, present, yet the fruit should have sufficient weight and quality to hold as it matures. Impressive. 92

Tasted on: Sunday 4th October, a Flower day
Source: Sample
Price: $38
Alcohol: 13.9%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: http://www.toppers.com.au/

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Topper's Mountain Barrel Ferment Gewürztraminer 2014

Topper's Mountain Barrel Ferment Gewürztraminer 2014

  19:47    Stu.

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A wine that could easily lay claim to the title of Australia's best Gewürztraminer, a title it may only be challenged by its stable-mate, or the Symphony Hill Gewürz from just over the border, but made with New England fruit.

A little oak here frames classic Gewürz aromatics: musk and rose water. The barrel fermentation has added depth and weight to the palate, it grows in stature as you contemplate it. 

A wonderfully balanced pitch of acid, a little grip, and seems dry, yet retains a little fruit sweetness. It just works. Bravo. 95

Tasted on: Wednesday 29th July, a Fruit day
Source: Sample
Price: $35
Alcohol: ?
Closure: Screwcap
Website: http://www.toppers.com.au/

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Topper's Mountain Pinotage Viognier 2012

Topper's Mountain Pinotage Viognier 2012

  14:30    Stu.

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Unusual bed-fellows here, but then vigneron Mark Kirby hasn't always played by the rule book and success has often resulted. No quibbles here either, although it did show better on day two for this humble hack.

2009 bottle image

Blue-black fruit mix with a sprinkle of woody spice, rosemary perhaps. With some time and air that manifests itself as seasoned furniture.

Largely savoury palate, smooth -medium bodied and yet light on its feet. Seasoned fruit starts to discern itself a little further and barely there tannin - with a little pop of acid - reveal themselves towards the back palate.

Beefy, meaty, savoury and a 'brown' finish - if colour is your thing. 90

Tasted on: Wednesday 15th April, a Flower day
Source: Sample
Price: $32
Alcohol: 14.9%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: http://toppers.com.au/

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Topper's Mountain Bricolage Blanc 2013

Topper's Mountain Bricolage Blanc 2013

  13:29    Stu.

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Curious blend, a partner to the Red Earth Child - interestingly bricolage means DIY, or "construction made of whatever materials are at hand; something created from a variety of available things". Appropriately here we have a mix of Chardonnay (60%), Gewürztraminer (20%), Petit Manseng (10%) and Sauvignon Blanc (10%).

Gewürz takes the lead here: rose, musk and turkish delight 'softness'; pear, mashed banana, a little honeyed note back it up.

Textured, a little honeyed, gentle phenolics with a good carry of flavour. Has a presence - nicely weighted - and balanced, not necessarily overtly dominated by any of its constituent parts. Tart citrus offered up toward the back palate.

On a decent length, finish is OK, but for me, it's more about the mid-weight and textural presence. 90

Tasted on: Friday 14th November, a Leaf day
Source: Sample
Price: $35
Alcohol: 13.1%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: http://toppers.com.au/

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Symphony Hill Barrel Fermented Sauvignon Blanc 2013

Symphony Hill Barrel Fermented Sauvignon Blanc 2013

  17:36    Stu.

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It's quite possible that Symphony Hill can lay claim to the title of "Queensland's most successful exhibitor at wine shows", if anyone's counting and if such a title indeed existed.

However, their success has largely been off of the back of fruit drawn from outside of the Granite Belt region that the winery calls home, case in point being their 2014 Gewurztraminer which took home "Best Single Varietal White Wine" at the 2014 Royal Melbourne Wine Awards.

As with that trophy winner, this Sauvignon Blanc sees the fruit drawn from New England, where winemaker Mike Hayes also makes wines for Topper's Mountain.

To the wine in question: lychee, papaya, green mango with a vanilla creme topping. Managing to successfully eschew the shrill aromatics that the Sauvignon can be known for, the barrel fermentation technique can tame sauvage notes.

The palates shows a good carry of flavour, initially devoid of texture - surprising given the techniques adopted - a suggestive toasty, brulee note introduces itself. A modicum of spice, creeping length and a waxy note on exit. 

Worked well with a Sunday helping of fish and chips. 91

Tasted on: Sunday 9th October, a Root day
Source: Gift
Price: $25
Alcohol: 11.65%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: http://www.symphonyhill.com.au/

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Topper's Mountain Nebbiolo 2011

Topper's Mountain Nebbiolo 2011

  09:26    Stu.

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Red fruits initially - fading to nuts, herb (I thought some fennel too, but that was the 'Italian' sausages I was pairing this with), green tea and dried leaf matter.

Strawberry on entry, light on, good drying tannin, nice pea of acid toward the back end. Came across as two different wines, with and without food - better with the Italian sausage ragu.

Savoury tea tannin, decent length, promising. 89/90+

Tasted on: Saturday 23rd August, a Leaf day 
Source: Sample
Price: $38
Alcohol: 12.8%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: http://toppers.com.au/

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Topper's Mountain Gewürztraminer 2013

Topper's Mountain Gewürztraminer 2013

  15:56    Stu.

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This was an interesting exercise, two Gewürztraminer, fruit for both from New England, NSW, same winemaker (Mike Hayes), made at the same winery, for two different labels.

Musky, slightly musty, with the prettier elements of lychee, rose petals and turkish delight. Elements common to many a Gewürztraminer, and it's from here that things take a turn.

The palate sees a wine of detail, of focus, pinpoint precision - the dance of a thousand pinpricks across the palate. It's a wine of texture, layered, with extraordinary length and a fine tail of acid and spice. Holds up well into a second day of drinking. A wonderful example. 94

Tasted on: Saturday 29th March, a Flower Day
Source: Sample
Price: $35
Alcohol: 12.8%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: http://www.toppers.com.au/

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Symphony Hill Gewürztraminer 2013

Symphony Hill Gewürztraminer 2013

  15:56    Stu.

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This was an interesting exercise, two Gewürztraminer, fruit for both from New England, NSW, same winemaker (Mike Hayes), made at the same winery, for two different labels.

Gewürztraminer as a variety is often lazily lumped as a wine match for 'spicy' or 'Asian' food. Generic groupings as broad and limiting as that association in the first place. Look beyond that to the origin of the variety, and think about pairing with a veal schnitzel, or a lovely piece of fatty pork belly that's been spiced up a little, or perhaps even a weisswurst.

Here, a pale hint of colour on pouring; rosewater, lychee, turkish delight and musk; beautiful aromatics here.

Mineral feel is immediately noted on entry; texture comes through with crushed candies, a little sweetness detected balancing against a touch of acid. Excellent length, drive, tingly spine of acid through the wine. Texture seems enhanced a little with time, and in fact I remarked on tasting a second day how I thought it reminiscent of Grüner Veltliner. A stunning example. 93    

Tasted on: Saturday 29th March, a Flower Day 
Source: Retail, Craft Red Hill
Price: $30
Alcohol: 12.8%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: http://www.symphonyhill.com.au/

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{This post was edited at 18:25 on 08/04/2014 after it was identified that fruit is contracted in from New England, NSW and is not grown in the grown Belt GI}

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Topper's Mountain Red Earth Child 2011

Topper's Mountain Red Earth Child 2011

  07:11    Stu.

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Oh my, a striking wine. Red Earth Child it is, with a backdrop that shows arresting aromas of rose petals, with bramble and black fruit, spicy hints waiting in the background to enchant further.

Shows a deftness, light-footed touch on the palate, fine-powdery tannin with some hints of red and blue fruits. A glorious spice sensation that slowly makes its introduction, and builds - not at the expense of fruit, working in tandem with it. Harmony.

This is another excellent wine that grew in stature with some time. Cherry was a common theme, structure carried the wine and excellent acid structure aided a level of sustain. I was quite captivated. 93

Tasted on: Sunday 23rd March, a Leaf transitioning to Fruit Day 
Source: Sample
Price: $38
Alcohol: 13.4%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: http://www.toppers.com.au/

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