EXPECT the unexpected is my motto when a pack of new-release review samples arrive from Chester Osborn of McLaren Vale's d'Arenberg family wine company.
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That is certainly the case with the two inaugural vegan-friendly $25-a-bottle d'Arenberg 2021 The Sensorial Surfer Fiano and the 2020 The Innocent Weed Grenache-Mourvedre-Shiraz and the four other similarly certified organic and biodynamic wines.
They are the $30 2018 The Conscious Biosphere Petit Sirah-Aglianico and 2018 The Twenty Eight Road Mourvedre, the $25 2019 The Love Grass Shiraz and the $21 Stephanie The Gnome With Rose-Coloured Glasses Rose.
d'Arenberg chief winemaker Chester Osborn explains the innocent weed wine is named after a sharp-thorned plant that adds organic material to vineyard soil.
The Love Grass shiraz is also named after a vineyard weed with flowers that "affectionally attach" themselves to workers' socks.
The Sensorial Surfer Fiano relates to the great waves of the McLaren Vale coast and one sip of the wine, Chester declares, "will have your neurons surfing sensorial synaptic brainwaves".
The Conscious Biosphere is a reference to Chester's aim of harmony between environmental sustainability and minimum intervention vineyards management. It's a blend of 74 per cent of petit sirah and 26 per cent aglianico, which is the most widespread red variety in southern Italy but rare in Australia.
Petit sirah is a synonym for durif, the more familiar name for the crossing of an ancient clone of shiraz with the obscure peloursin variety created at France's University of Montpellier in the 1880s by botanist Franois Durif.
The six new release wines can be bought on darenberg.com.au, at The Cube cellar door in Osborn Road, McLaren Vale, and bottle shops.
d'Arenberg has increasingly adopted organic and biodynamic production since doing trials in three vineyards in 2005 and finding that the grapes made wines that were richer and with more earthy flavours.
Since 2016 all d'Arenberg estate owned and leased vineyards have been certified by the National Association for Sustainable Agriculture Australia as organic and biodynamic and the inaugural release the $20 d'Arenberg 2018 The Money Spider Roussanne came on the market in 2019.
Organic wine is made from grapes grown without synthesised chemical fertilisers, pesticides, herbicides or fungicides.
To sell a wine labelled organic in Australia, it must be passed by one of a number of organic certifying bodies.
WINE REVIEWS
CONSCIOUS COMPLEXITY
REGISTERING 15% alcohol, this plush d'Arenberg 2018 The Conscious Biosphere Petit Sirah-Aglianico is deep purple and has berry pastille aromas and intense blackcurrant front-palate flavour. The middle palate features bramble jelly, spice, Turkish delight chocolate and savoury oak and the finish brings forth minty tannins.
PRICE: $30.
DRINK WITH: pork and veal casserole.
AGEING: eight years.
RATING: 5 stars (out of 6)
A WAVE OF REFRESHMENT
THE d'Arenberg 2021 The Sensorial Surfer Fiano is from a variety originating in Campania in Southern Italy and now grown widely in Australia. This is green-tinted straw and has honeysuckle scents and zippy ruby grapefruit front palate flavour. The middle palate shows kiwifruit, apple peel, sherbet and flint and the finish slatey acid.
PRICE: $25.
DRINK WITH: spring rolls.
AGEING: four years.
RATING: 4.5 stars
ENJOYMENT IN BLEND
THIS lively, multi-faceted d'Arenberg 2020 The Innocent Weed Grenache-Mourvedre-Shiraz has 14.5% alcohol, bright garnet hues and potpourri scents. Ripe cherry flavour displays on the front palate, Satsuma plum, briar, spearmint and cedary oak characters integrate on the middle palate and chalky tannins play at the finish.
PRICE: $25.
DRINK WITH: grilled chorizo.
AGEING: five years.
RATING: 4 stars
