Garagiste
The Wines
Garagiste Terre De Feu Pinot Noir 2023
Cropped from a specific half-acre of the Merricks Grove vineyard, Terre de Feu (the Land of Fire) takes its name from the vein of pure red ferrosol soils of this plot. Many years ago, Barney noticed that the vines in this ironstone buttonhole were producing slightly smaller bunches, yielding wines of greater depth and concentration. Thus, in 2013 the decision was made to create this micro-cuvée. The power of the fruit enables a whole-bunch ferment, and Terre de Feu remains Garagiste’s only Pinot to be made this way.
Regardless of vintage conditions, be it warm or cool, if the quality is there for Terre, it’s always made with 100% bunches. In cooler years like 2023, Barney approaches the fruit with a gentler hand in the cellar to manage the bunch impact. The 2023 spent 25 days on skins, followed by 10 months in 25% new oak hogsheads. It’s a superb release; open, powerful, and highly perfumed with savoury, smoky complexity. Hat’s off!
Garagiste Terre Maritime Chardonnay 2023
The Terre Maritime is drawn from several rows of Chardonnay in the top corner of Merricks Grove. Barney Flanders has always felt this parcel results in a superb and unique Chardonnay—in this part of the vineyard, the 27-year-old vines are rooted in brown soils rather than the more common reddish dirt of the area. The plot sits at 90 metres and faces slightly east, offering the vines a cooler, more sheltered aspect. There’s therefore less vigour here than in the rest of the vineyard and the bunches are a touch smaller. As a result, the fruit from this parcel tends to make a wine that has real intensity without forgoing the finesse we associate with Garagiste Chardonnay.
In the low-yielding 2023 season, Barney only had one puncheon of Terre Chardonnay fruit to work with, so played things straight in the cellar. The fruit was pressed as whole bunches to a 500 litre puncheon for ferment, followed by a nine-month maturation on gross lees. What you get with Maritime is a frank expression of season and this small unique plot. It’s always salty, chalky, complex and long, and 2023 is a chip off the old block.
Other Recent Releases
-
Cantina D’ArcyIt’s not always the case that hype and rarity equate to quality, yet that’s certainly t...It’s not always the case that hype and rarity equate to quality, yet that’s certainly the case with Tom Myers’ tiny Piemonte start-up. It was alway... -
Equis and Domaine des LisesWe recently tasted these new releases with Thomas Schmittel in France and were suitably...We recently tasted these new releases with Thomas Schmittel in France and were suitably impressed. If you are unfamiliar with the name, Schmittel i... -
Lambert WinesLuke Lambert has a twenty-year history with the Denton View Hill Vineyard, long enough ...Luke Lambert has a twenty-year history with the Denton View Hill Vineyard, long enough to know the granite slopes like the back... -
Gangsta GrenacheFrom rosé to Rioja, Côtes-du-Rhône to carbonic Aussie guzzlers, Grenache gets around by...From rosé to Rioja, Côtes-du-Rhône to carbonic Aussie guzzlers, Grenache gets around by playing nice. Its sweet, innocent, upfront fruit and abilit...
