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 Winemaker's Notes from Ken Murchison Chardonnay Barrel fermented Greenstone Chardonnay Pinot Noir Quarry Red (Cabernet Franc Merlot) Damask Macedon Cool climate grapes have elegance and finesse as a result of a long ripening period in autumn. They also have a natural acid balance, which naturalises the winemaking process. Our search through southern Australia for a genuine cool climate site for the vineyard took place with the aim of producing grapes with the characteristics and flavours that we believe are the most suitable for consumption with food. It is our belief that wine should compliment food not compete with it. Chardonnay – Barrel fermented For many years this was the only Chardonnay made at Portree. The style is deliberately complex ie. We are striving for a multi-dimensional wine with ‘layers’ of flavour. Our winemaking technique incorporates some of the methods used in Burgundy where the elegant but long-lived white Burgundies are made. Hand picked grapes of optimum maturity are gently pressed to extract juice which is extremely sweet (approx. 24% fructose - potential alcohol 13.3%) although not cloying due to natural Tartaric and Malic acid levels of between 8-10 grams per litre. After allowing solids to settle overnight, the wine is transferred to a clean tank where it is inoculated with a pure yeast culture and then transferred to French oak barriques for fermentation. We use barrels from the forests of Allier and Troncais having realised the complimentary nature of these barrels with the vineyard (grape) flavour profile. Following fermentation the wine is tightly bunged and allowed to over winter. During this time the lees are gently stirred from time to time to add texture and a ‘creamy’ character to the wine. During spring as temperatures rise, the wine under goes Malolactic fermentation (MLF). Sometimes called the secondary fermentation, this is when the "appley" Malic acid is converted to the softer Lactic acid, at the same time adding yet another flavour dimension to the wine. Finally, in the following March, the wine is transferred to tank and readied for bottling. Although the wine is complete at this point, we then lock it away in the winery cellar for at least 12 months to allow full integration of flavours before release. Greenstone Chardonnay Style wise this wine is at the opposite end of the spectrum. Fruit handling is the same as for the barrel fermented Chardonnay but instead of being transferred to barrel, fermentation takes place in tank with only a small percentage in barrel. Just three months after vintage the wine is readied for bottling. Thus there is very little transfer of oxygen to the wine as happens with oak barrels, allowing it remain crisp, fresh and fruit driven. Aging potential is still good however as the healthy natural acid content of the wine is not reduced by MLF. Pinot Noir We have made only three Pinot Noir wines. Winemaking has been kept reasonably simple while we assess the fruit characteristics produced by the variety in our vineyard. Crushing and destemming into 700 litre fermenters follows hand picking. As the juice temperature can be as low as 7.0 C when it gets into the fermenter, we place the "tubs" on the section of concrete slab containing a heating element. As the must warms up to about 12.0 C it is inoculated (a percentage of the 2001 vintage was allowed a wild yeast fermentation) with cultured yeast. At 18.0 C the heating is turned off and the natural energy produced during fermentation takes the temperature to the low 30.0’s. At the completion of fermentation the must is firmly pressed and transferred to tank. After 36 hours it is racked to barrel – once again French barriques of which approximately 30% are new. In the following spring the wine undergoes a natural and spontaneous MLF. At completion it is racked and then returned to barrel prior to bottling (unfiltered) in March. It is my intention to retard the release of the wine a little more over the next three to four years so that it spends at least a year in bottle in the winery cellar prior to release. Quarry Red (Cabernet Franc Merlot) The Cabernet Franc grapes are treated in much the same way as the Pinot. Plenty of plunging (pushing the cap of skins back down into the fermentation) is required to extract maximum colour as the anthocyanin or pigmentation in the skins is not as strong as in say Cabernet Sauvignon. The major difference between this wine and the Pinot Noir is that it spends up to 24 months in older barrels, some of which are made from American oak. Damask Our Rosé is also made from the Cabernet Franc grape. Many thousands of litres of this are made every year in the Loire Valley and its popularity is surely due to the wonderful aromatic cherry and raspberry characters of the grape. The grapes are destemmed only, directly into the press, with the pink juice being transferred to tank for fermentation as with Greenstone Chardonnay. Almost all grape juice is clear so it is the red pigmentation in the skins, which colours red and Rosé wines. You could say therefore, that Rosé is really a white wine made from red grapes. Macedon Our sparkling wine is so named because of an agreement amongst the wine producers of the Macedon Ranges (due to the phasing out of usage of the term "Champagne"). Winemakers who adhere to a method of production as laid down by the Macedon Ranges Vignerons, use this generic name to identify Methode Champenois produced in the region. Our wine is a Blanc de Blanc style ie. made from the Chardonnay grape alone. It was fermented in old oak barrels before bottling and aging. We intend to disgorge the wine progressively over a period of 3-8 years. To date only a 1996 vintage has been released Refer to current release page for tasting notes Back to Top |