Australian Gourmet Traveller - (04)April 2019 (1)

“It kept coming up in conversation with the other

sommeliers,” she said. “They were intrigued by the

backstory; the French somms kept asking me about

its poise and elegance. They were really intrigued.

It’s a highly complex wine.”

Leanne Altmann, beverage director of the

McConnell group of restaurants (Cutler & Co,

Supernormal, Cumulus Inc, etc), chose the 2016 By

Farr Sangreal ($85), a wild, tangy Geelong pinot.

“This wine really resonates with me,” she said.

“The difference between a good restaurant and a

great restaurant is the tiny incremental decisions

you make: the turn of phrase, the way you put the

glass on the table, the way you dress, how clean your

nails are. I feel that Nick and Gary Farr are all about

those tiny, tiny decisions too. Every time I’ve met Nick

I walk away with the impression that he’s trying to

find that one extra thing that will make his wine

more expressive, more translucent.”

And Jenna Philpott from Dinner by Heston chose

the 2016 Gembrook Hill ($50), an earthy, spicy pinot

that, she said, expressed both the cool, forest-fringed

location of the vineyard and the souls of the people

who grew the grapes and made the wine.

“Wine creates memories,” she said. “That wine

in my glass: I sit there and I drink and then it’s gone.

What remains? Is it the wine? Or is it the memory

of the wine and what’s happened at the time? That

is the biggest thing that wine does to people. And

that is one of the most amazing impacts a sommelier

can have on someone’s life, with a product that they

consume. I think it’s incredible.” ●

2015 One Block Yellingbo

Shiraz, Yarra Valley, $40

This is about as good as

Yarra Valley shiraz gets.

Bold purple colour in the

glass, gorgeous perfume

of prickly bramble and

peppery spice, deliciously

supple and snappy and

bright in the mouth.

oneblock.com.au

Chapel Hill Americano

Vermouth Spritz,

McLaren Vale, $7.50

For when you feel like a

reviving Spritz but can’t be

bothered opening – or don’t

have access to – bottles,

this blend of winery-made

vermouth, shiraz juice and

soda is just the ticket.

chapelhillwine.com.au

2017 Parish Vineyard

Riesling, Tasmania, $32

Exquisite riesling destined

for a long life in the cellar

• if you can keep your
  hands off it for long enough.
  Pretty, pure, precise and
  super-refreshing, with
  the barest whisper of
  grapey sweetness on the
  tongue.samsmith.com

Darraweit Valley

Apple and Pear Cider,

Macedon Ranges,

$11.50 A new name on

the craft cider scene: a

refreshing, gently rustic

cider that combines the

tart dryness of apple

and the fruitiness of

pear. facebook.com/

darraweitvalleycider

2018 Blue Poles/Amato

Vino Lost on Mars,

Margaret River, $30

A terrific expression of

the marsanne grape:

30 per cent skin contact

and fermentation in

amphora lends a savoury

quality to the variety’s

trademark honeysuckle

tang. amatovino.com.au

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GOURMET TRAVELLER 37
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