Ballandean Estate 2019 Malvasia

It seems Granite Belt wine makers continue to entertain us consumers with continuing varietal variety and I’m appreciative. “Have you tried our Malvasia”, queried Leanne at their cellar door just after we’d finished a delicious lunch at The BARRELROOM. Well I’d never heard of Malvasia let alone tired one.

So a little research and I discovered that Malvasia is a very ancient grape that, most believe, originated from Crete. Also Malvasia is a collection of varieties that have spread throughout the Mediterranean and now grown in Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Croatia, Slovenia and the United States … and now, of course, The Granite Belt.

In the glass the wine has surprising colour for a 2019 white wine, yellow straw would be a good description. The bouquet is floral, stone fruit and spice. The palate is smooth and full but with a fresh sustaining acidity. There are pears and stone fruits, not fresh and bright but with an almost poached quality and aspects of feijoa – pineapple and guava but not the strawberry. Some fennel is detectable in the wine’s spice. A granite like mineral quality expresses itself after the mid palate accompanied by a racy acidity and French oak, 3 months in barrels, is merely a background support for the fruit.

The wine has great balance and genuine complexity, it relates more to you as you give it time to do so. The wine is dry and shifted more toward a savoury/spice spectrum but with great fruit weight. I had this wine at a local Vietnamese/Asian restaurant ‘Mints’ and the wine and food match was superb. I’m not sure where Angelo sourced the original Malvasia material but it seems an astute choice for The Granite Belt and Dylan Rhymer has crafted a beautiful wine. The local Strangebird concept and wine varieties is growing at pace.

Lastly, as I’ve never had a Malvasia before, I’m a little unsure of it’s cellaring potential. However the combination of excellent fruit weight, a little French oak and the acid profile of this wine suggests a reasonable cellaring life. The back label says ‘drink now’ and it certainly is now in an enjoyable groove but I’m curious to purchase a few more and see what it’s like as a 5 or 6 year old, I’m very confident it won’t disappoint and I’ll report back when I’m there.

Tasted: Saturday 1st February, 2020 without food and then with over several hours.
Alcohol: 12%
Closure: Screwcap
Price: $30
Suggested Drinking Window: Now to 2025+
Winemaker: Dylan Rhymer
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Posted by Peter Pacey

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