Tim's Ravings

Australian red wines - Shiraz in particular - have traditionally been big, hairy chested and macho. 

A few decades ago this was a reflection of the country's psyche - wanting to prove ourselves unique to the rest of the world. Think Paul Hogan and Jack Thompson. But then along came Jason Donovan and Kylie Minogue - followed by Ian Thorpe and Cathy Freeman. We became more comfortable in our skins. We were becoming a more vibrant and diverse lot. 

The effect permeated down to winemaking. Grenache and Pinot were being made Down Under with pride and emotional maturity. These wines were being handled more gently and made to reflect the style offered by the vineyard, without being bent to the personality of the winemaker. Today, the results at international competitions are impressive, regularly beating Burgundy and Southern Rhone wines. 

What I really like about this development is the best of these wines, especially Grenache, are lighter, more elegant wines that still have tremendous structure and are fruit-driven. Unmistakably Australian. Cate Blanchett, one might say, rather than Russell Crowe. As a result, about a decade ago I decided to venture down the Grenache path, planting more vines on our best soils and exploring Mudgee's place in the variety's global ecosystem. These vines are just now getting to a level of maturity that enables us to make serious wines. 

Later this year we will release the first of our Special Reserve grenaches from the cool 2022 vintage. In the meantime our Estate range of this variety has been building an extraordinary following from very limited supplies. We have named the Estate range release "Nouveau", going against our long-standing policy of using varietal labelling. This is to convey the style; youthful and fresh, lighter in style but no less complex. Think a long family-and-friends lunch al fresco, the wine sitting in an ice bucket and being regularly replaced by another. The 2022 version includes some fully ripe Pinot, plus some Shiraz picked earlier than usual to get soft tannins and fresh, red berry characters. 

The "Nouveau" moniker gives me the freedom to play with varieties to surround the Grenache, and make it zing. In the winery we are using whole bunch and extended ferments, short ageing in old oak barrels, and early bottling. At Huntington we believe in the adage that time is the true test of a wine. This wine puts a new twist on that for this is a wine whose joy is to be found in its fleeting youth. 

Cheers, 

Tim Stevens